✓ The Decision — What to Buy
- Raising grade or bulk backfill (non-structural) → common fill, full loads. The cheapest material per tonne; buy the biggest truck your site can take.
- Under a slab, footing, or driveway base → granular/engineered fill, not random dirt. Load-bearing fill must be specified and compacted in lifts. Pay more here; it's structural.
- Offered free "clean fill wanted/available" loads → fine for non-structural raising only — and only if it's genuinely clean (no organics, concrete, or contaminants).
- Tight access or soft ground → smaller truck, even at a worse per-tonne rate. A sunk tandem costs more than the savings.
"Fill" is the cheapest material a truck delivers — but the truck isn't cheap. On most jobs you're really buying a truck trip with some dirt in it, which is why the haul distance and truck size move the bill more than the material does. Here's what a load actually costs in 2026, and how to avoid paying full delivery for a half-empty truck.
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What a Load Actually Costs (2026)
Suppliers price fill by the tonne, delivered. The material itself is cheap; the spread comes almost entirely from how far the truck drives.
| Material | Per tonne delivered | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Common / general fill | $8–$25 | Raising grade, bulk backfill (non-structural) |
| Pit run / granular fill | $12–$30 | Structural base under driveways, pads — compacts well |
| Screened / clean structural fill | $15–$30 | Engineered fill where load-bearing and tested matter |
| Sand (bedding/backfill) | $20–$35 | Pipe bedding, under slabs, behind walls |
| Screened topsoil | $25–$45 | Final grade, lawns, gardens — not a structural fill |
Translated to a full tandem load (~14 t), common fill lands around $200–$350 delivered on a short haul, and granular fill around $300–$550. Smaller single-axle loads cost less in total but more per tonne; bigger truck-and-pup loads cost more in total but less per tonne — that's the whole game.
Delivered ranges for common/granular fill, short to moderate haul. Long rural hauls push every row higher.
Why Trucking Rules the Price
A loaded tandem burns fuel and a driver's hour whether it carries cheap fill or premium stone. So on low-value material, delivery is often half the bill or more, and three things decide it:
- Haul distance. A pit 10 km away versus 50 km can double a fill bill — the dirt barely changed, the diesel did.
- Truck size and access. Bigger trucks spread the trip cost over more tonnes, so the per-tonne rate drops. But only if your site can take the truck — soft lawns, septic fields, tight gates, and light culverts cap your truck size.
- Full loads. You pay for the trip, so a half-empty truck is the most expensive dirt you'll ever buy. Round your order up to whole loads.
Need the tonnage and load count for your job? The truckloads guide walks the math, and the Fill & Gravel Calculator does it instantly with cost.
Fill vs Gravel — Don't Overpay or Under-spec
Fill and gravel get used interchangeably in conversation, but they cost and behave differently:
- Common fill is whatever's dug nearby — fine for raising grade, useless under load if it's silty or organic.
- Pit run / granular fill is the budget structural choice: a mix of stone and fines that compacts into a stable base. Spend here under driveways and pads.
- Topsoil is not fill. It's organic, it settles, and it belongs on top for grass and gardens — never as structural fill under anything you build. Choosing the right material is its own decision — see Choosing the Right Gravel.
✗ Deal-Breakers — Solve Before You Order
- Unknown or "free" fill under a structure. Contaminated or organic fill under a slab, footing, or driveway is a slow-motion failure — and contaminated fill can become a cleanup liability. Know what you're burying.
- Topsoil used as structural fill. It compresses and rots; whatever sits on it sinks. Topsoil goes on top, full stop.
- No compaction plan. Fill placed in one deep dump and left settles for years. Structural fill goes in lifts, each one compacted.
- No firm route for a loaded truck. A loaded tandem weighs ~25 t; lawns, septic fields, and light culverts fail under it. Plan the dump spot or use a smaller truck.
The Safest Path Forward
- Match the material to the job — common fill to raise grade, granular fill under load, topsoil only on top.
- Size the order with the Fill & Gravel Calculator — volume, tonnes, loads, and cost with the compaction allowance built in.
- Ask for delivered pricing to your postal code and the truck sizes they run — the haul is the variable that matters.
- Buy full loads and round up; a partial load carries the same trip cost.
- Walk the truck route and pick a firm dump spot, clear overhead, before booking.
Bottom Line
Plan on roughly $8–$30 per tonne delivered for fill in 2026 — about $200–$550 for a typical tandem load — with trucking driving the spread far more than the dirt. Match the material to the job, buy full loads, and size it with the Fill & Gravel Calculator before you call the supplier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a truckload of fill cost in Canada?
In 2026, common fill runs about $8–$25 per tonne delivered and granular/structural fill $12–$30, so a typical tandem load (~14 t) lands around $200–$550 delivered on a short to moderate haul. Long rural hauls cost more because trucking is most of the bill.
Is fill cheaper than gravel?
Yes — common fill is the cheapest material per tonne, well below crushed gravel. But fill and gravel aren't interchangeable: only granular fill or crushed stone belongs under load-bearing surfaces, while cheap common fill is for raising grade and non-structural backfill.
Can I get fill for free?
Sometimes — excavation projects often give away "clean fill" to avoid disposal costs, and you may only pay trucking. It's fine for non-structural grade-raising if it's genuinely clean (no organics, concrete, or contaminants), but never use unknown fill under a structure.
How many tonnes are in a truckload of fill?
A standard tandem dump truck carries about 13–15 tonnes. Single-axle trucks carry 6–9 t, tri-axles 16–18 t, and truck-and-pup combinations 25–40 t. Bigger trucks lower the per-tonne cost but need good access.