When you are looking for information about dump trucks, you may see another word: tipper truck. They seem to be the same thing, and no matter which word you type, you’ll find what you’re looking for.
But are they really the same? Don’t they make any difference?
Actually, it depends on which country you are in. To the British, there doesn’t seem to be any difference between the two, dump and tipper can be used interchangeably. But for Australians, the tipper is smaller and the dump is huge, for mining, etc.
Capacity
For those who think there is a difference between tipper and dump trailer, this is the most intuitive distinction.
Tipper trailers can be driven on normal road systems due to their small size. This also means that tipper trailers require less tractive effort, usually, a pickup truck can do the job.

Dump trailers have a larger capacity, usually up to 30 tons or more. Therefore, the dump trailer needs a special tractor, and only a pickup truck cannot pull the dump trailer. Some dump trucks for mining can even have a capacity of 250 tons. In order to protect road safety, some cities will ban mining dump trucks from driving on the road.

Use
The capacity will determine the use of the trailer, so there is a big gap between the tipper trailer and the dump trailer.
Tipper trailers may be made of wooden slats or steel, and are used to transport agricultural materials such as feed, corn, and wheat. And tipper trailer usually dumps the cargo from behind. In Australia, tipper trailers can also be used to transport soil, gravel and other materials.
Dump trailers are usually made of steel and are mainly used to transport road construction or maintenance materials. It is a common type of trailer in the construction and mining industries. In the mining industry, the dump semi-trailer is also an indispensable means of transportation. In addition to this, there is another means of transport: the mining dump truck, which is so huge that the driver needs to go through a ladder to reach the cab.

Tipper trailer

dump trailer

mining dump truck
In general:
For most countries, tipper trailer and dump trailer are almost the same, there is no difference. For a small number of countries, they differ in capacity, use, and type.
Its great when you said that some dump trailers can carry up to more than 30 tones of rubbish! I want to get a residential dump trailers to dispose the garbage in my house. Thanks for the information on tippers and dumps and I hope that I can get some for my house soon!
That’s a great point
I didn’t know that.