A dump truck is a self-unloading vehicle, semi-trailer with a body or trailer. As a rule, the load is unloaded hydraulically or by means of forced unloading.

There is also a separate type of dump trucks, unloading from which is carried out by tilting the entire vehicle with the help of telescopic elevators. The main sphere of application of dump trucks is transportation of loose, bulk or any other cargoes, which can be shipped by tipping them. Dump trucks are one of the most common types of rented equipment, as well as renting a crane, truck lift or excavator.

Classification of dump trucks is as follows:

- by direction of unloading (backward or sideways) - by type of unloading (forced or inclined)

- by type of body (platform, hopper, moving platform, moving hopper) Despite the fact that tippers have a lower load capacity than trucks with a fixed platform for cargo, they are a more favorable solution due to time saving for unloading.

Dump trucks are differentiated by unloading method: side, universal all-way unloading or rear unloading.

Road dump trucks. Almost all manufacturers of construction special equipment produce dump trucks that are designed for roads for general use. This equipment is used in repair, construction, agriculture, public utilities and in the mining of ores and minerals. As a rule, they have from two to four axles and load capacity in the range of forty tons. Off-road (quarry) dump trucks. Their main area of application is open-pit mining. Due to their weight and dimensions, they cannot be used on public roads. Large machines are brought to the place of work in separate parts and assembled directly on site. For heavy dump trucks it is most appropriate to use the 2-axle, four-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive and rear body unloading.

Modern heavy dump trucks are equipped with hybrid power plants, i.e. diesel engine drives alternator, thanks to which traction motors are powered, and due to them wheels rotate. The braking system is also based on the principle of joint action of electric motors and hydraulics, which generate energy in the braking mode. The greatest efficiency of such giants can be obtained using a pair combination of cable or hydraulic excavator, which performs unloading in three to five cycles. There are already excavators that are equipped with a bucket that can hold more than 100 tons of rock and due to this fact it is possible that the most efficient excavators can be built.