Bulk Dry Cement Trucks: Where They're Used

A bulk dry cement truck — also called a cement bulk truck or a pneumatic cement truck — is the vehicle that hauls cement from the cement plant to construction sites, ready-mix concrete plants, and other customers. Cement is one of the most common building materials in the world, and it's always hauled in bulk, in pneumatic bulk trucks. Let's look at where cement trucks are used, and what they do.

Where Are Bulk Dry Cement Trucks Used?

Bulk dry cement trucks are used everywhere there's cement needed:

- Ready-mix concrete plants: This is the biggest customer for bulk cement trucks. Ready-mix plants buy cement in bulk, by the truckload, and then mix it with sand, gravel, and water to make concrete. Every ready-mix plant gets several cement deliveries a day, from local cement plants.
- Construction sites: Big construction sites — like bridges, dams, high-rise buildings — also get cement delivered directly, in bulk. They have their own on-site concrete plants, or they use bulk cement for special projects.
- Cement terminals: Cement plants are usually far from the cities where the cement is used. So there are cement terminals — storage facilities in the city — where cement is shipped in bulk by train or ship, and then distributed to local customers by bulk cement trucks.
- Oil and gas wells: Cement is also used in oil and gas wells — for cementing the casing, for well completion. Oilfield cement is hauled in specialized bulk cement trucks, to well sites.
- Other industrial uses: Cement is used in all kinds of industrial applications — mining, soil stabilization, waste management, and more. All of it is hauled in bulk cement trucks.

How Does a Bulk Dry Cement Truck Work?

A bulk dry cement truck is basically a big tank, mounted on a truck chassis, with an air compressor. Here's how it works:

- Loading: The truck drives to the cement plant, backs up under the loading silo, and loads cement into the tank. The cement flows down by gravity, into the tank. It takes about 30 minutes to load a full truck.
- Transport: The truck drives to the customer — a ready-mix plant, a construction site, wherever the cement is needed.
- Unloading: When the truck arrives, the driver connects a hose from the truck's tank to the customer's storage silo. Then he starts the air compressor, which pressurizes the tank and fluidizes the cement. The cement flows out through the hose, into the silo. It takes about 45 minutes to unload a full truckload of cement.

A typical bulk dry cement truck carries 20-30 tons of cement. That's enough to make about 100-150 cubic meters of concrete — enough for a small building foundation, or a section of highway.

Who Uses Bulk Dry Cement Trucks?

Bulk dry cement trucks are operated by:

- Cement companies: Most big cement companies have their own fleet of bulk cement trucks, to deliver cement to their customers.
- Independent hauling companies: There are also independent trucking companies that specialize in hauling cement. They contract with cement companies, to haul cement on a per-load basis.
- Ready-mix companies: Some big ready-mix companies also have their own bulk cement trucks, to haul cement from cement plants to their ready-mix plants.

FAQ

Q: How much does a bulk dry cement truck cost?
A: A new bulk dry cement truck costs $150,000 to $300,000, depending on the size and features. The truck chassis is about half the cost, and the bulk tank and air system is the other half. Used trucks are 40-60% cheaper.