Aggregate and gravel
delivery in Niagara

Aggregate by the truckload

Cameron's dispatches tri-axle dump trucks that deliver gravel, aggregate and screened grindings to job sites across the Niagara Region, from one truckload for a driveway to a steady line of trucks on a road reconstruction. A tri-axle typically carries 20 to 22 metric tonnes, and the number of trucks on a job is set by how many tonnes the site needs and how fast it can take them. One dispatch desk in St. Catharines books the trucks, 24 hours a day.

Aggregate deliveries are one of the four kinds of work the dispatched trucks run in the Region, alongside commercial site prep, road reconstruction and excess soil to approved disposal sites. The material loads at pits across the Region. Every truck on the roster is required to have a DZ-licensed driver, the owner's own commercial insurance, and WSIB clearance or a WSIB letter of exemption.

What the grade names mean

Aggregate is ordered by grade. The grades come from Ontario's municipal and provincial aggregate specifications, and the drawings or the engineer name the one a job needs.

Granular A is dense-graded aggregate for the base course under pavement, for shouldering and for backfill. Granular B is the well-graded subbase material that sits under the base, also used as backfill, and it comes in types that differ in what they may be made from. Granular M is the grade for unpaved roads and shoulder maintenance, and Granular O is open-graded stone for a free-draining base. Road reconstruction and commercial site prep are the jobs where these names appear on the drawings.

Screened grindings are asphalt pavement milled off a road and screened to size for reuse. Cameron's dispatches the dump trucks that deliver screened grindings and aggregates by the truckload, and the same trucks haul asphalt grindings to and from job sites.

Working out how much to order

A tri-axle load is typically 20 to 22 tonnes. Quotes and suppliers often work in cubic yards or cubic metres. Natural Resources Canada puts sand and gravel at 1.35 tonnes per cubic yard and 1.77 tonnes per cubic metre. The exact figure moves with the material and how wet it is, and the quantity on the engineer's drawings or the supplier's quote is the number to work from.

Metric job. A 200 metre road section, 6 metres wide, with 300 millimetres of granular base is 200 × 6 × 0.3 = 360 cubic metres. At 1.77 tonnes per cubic metre that is about 637 tonnes, which is 29 to 32 tri-axle loads.

Imperial job. A driveway 20 feet by 50 feet, 6 inches deep, is 20 × 50 × 0.5 ÷ 27 = about 18.5 cubic yards. At 1.35 tonnes per cubic yard that is about 25 tonnes, which is more than one tri-axle load and needs a second truck.

The truck capacity guide has the conversions and a loads-per-tonnage table.

How an aggregate delivery runs

Booking. Dispatch needs the grade, the quantity in tonnes, loads or yards, the site address, the start and how long the delivery runs. There is no minimum order, and committed jobs are covered first, so larger orders need notice.

Rates and billing. Trucking is priced by the hour; call dispatch for the rate. Cameron's bills weekly, and payment terms are agreed before the first truck is dispatched.

Spring reduced loads. From March 1 to April 30 the Region limits trucks to five tonnes per axle on posted Regional roads, and a tri-axle that runs a full load in May runs a fraction of one in March on those stretches. Dispatch plans the truck count for it, so a spring order needs more trucks for the same tonnage.

Working hours. Municipal noise by-laws limit when a site can load and receive trucks, typically overnight and on Sundays and holidays in several towns. Dispatch schedules the first truck to arrive when the site can legally take it. The town-by-town rules are on the service-area page and the city pages.

Where the trucks go

The whole Niagara Region and Dunnville, from one desk: St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Thorold, Grimsby, Lincoln, Port Colborne, Fort Erie, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Wainfleet, West Lincoln and Dunnville.

Request trucks · Dump truck services · Material hauling · Aggregate delivery · Truck capacity · Service area · Join the roster

Questions people ask

Is there a minimum order for gravel or aggregate?

No. Jobs run by the day, and one truckload is a job if dispatch can cover it. Larger orders need notice because committed jobs are covered first.

How is aggregate delivery billed?

Trucking is priced by the hour. Call dispatch with the grade, the quantity and the site for a rate. Cameron's bills weekly, and payment terms are agreed before the first truck is dispatched.

How much does a truckload of gravel weigh?

A tri-axle typically carries 20 to 22 metric tonnes. For sand and gravel that is roughly 15 to 16 cubic yards, or 11 to 12 cubic metres, using Natural Resources Canada's conversion of 1.35 tonnes per cubic yard and 1.77 tonnes per cubic metre. The exact weight depends on the material and how wet it is.

How many truckloads of aggregate do I need?

Divide the tonnes you need by 20 to 22. A 200 metre road section, 6 metres wide, with 300 millimetres of base is 360 cubic metres, about 637 tonnes, or 29 to 32 tri-axle loads. The quantity on the engineer's drawings or supplier's quote is the number to order from.

What is Granular A?

Granular A is a standard Ontario aggregate grade: dense-graded stone used as granular base under pavement, for shouldering and for backfill. Granular B is the well-graded subbase material used under the base course and for backfill. The job's specification names the grade; dispatch needs it to book the trucks.

What are screened grindings?

Screened grindings are asphalt pavement milled off a road and screened to size so it can be reused.

Can aggregate be delivered at night or on short notice?

Dispatch runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and one or two trucks can usually be covered on short notice. Larger orders need as much notice as you can give. Municipal noise by-laws limit when a site can legally load or receive, and dispatch schedules around them.

Which towns do you deliver aggregate to?

All of the Niagara Region and Dunnville: St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Thorold, Grimsby, Lincoln, Port Colborne, Fort Erie, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Wainfleet, West Lincoln and Dunnville.