Dirt is heavy, and moving it is the largest hidden cost on many sites. Import brings in fill, select material or base from an outside source. Export removes surplus, unsuitable soil or demolition spoil to an approved destination. Haul-off is the trucking that connects the two. When the balance on a lot is wrong, or when the engineer condemns the native soil, haul trips multiply and the schedule depends on how well they are planned.
We plan haul programs as logistics, with truck counts, cycle times, scale tickets, route choices and destinations worked out before the first load leaves. Because we coordinate trade partners for utilities and earthwork, our part is to hold the quantities, the sources and the dates in one place. In Midland, with Interstate 20 and Loop 250 carrying heavy traffic and with pits and disposal sites at varying distances, a haul plan that looks good on a map can fail at the gate on a busy day.
Truck traffic is the main hazard
A busy haul puts dozens of loaded trucks in and out of a gate each day. We lay out a one-way route inside the site wherever possible, mark pedestrian crossings and use spotters at blind turns. Entrances to public roads are kept clean so mud and dust do not become a driving hazard.
Loads are covered or kept below the rail, weight limits are respected and drivers are briefed on the route before the first trip. Flaggers and signs are placed according to the traffic plan. If a truck leaves the site tracking mud onto a highway, the route is cleaned the same day and the entrance is adjusted. Dust is controlled with water on the haul road, and the plan names who is responsible for watering and how often. A haul road that is not maintained turns into washboard by the third day, which slows the trucks and shakes equipment apart.
Matching trucks to the work
A haul program works when the loading equipment and the trucks are balanced. Too few trucks idle the excavator, and too many queue at the gate. We estimate cycle times from the distance, the loading rate and the unloading rate, then adjust after the first day.
Coordination with other trades matters. Concrete trucks, delivery trucks and haul trucks share the site, so we set times for each. Near the airport, where the city broke ground on October 29, 2025 for a terminal expansion adding four security checkpoint lanes with completion expected in 2027, extra construction traffic is likely, and we keep the schedule flexible to respond.
What the haul package covers
The package includes the source or destination approval, the trucks, the loading, weigh tickets or load counts and the documentation. For imported material we obtain samples and test results before approving a source. For exported material we confirm that the destination accepts the type of soil or debris.
Spoil from demolition, contaminated soil and organic material are handled under separate rules, and we do not mix them with clean fill. When a site is tight, we use stockpile areas to stage material and reduce the number of daily trips. Each element appears on the quote so the owner can see what is included.
Services that generate or use hauled material
Haul programs follow from other work. A large over-excavation generates export and requires import, and engineered fill often relies on a trucking program to deliver select material. Demolition adds debris and concrete rubble, which we discuss under demolition and site prep.
Planning those items together keeps the same trucks busy and prevents double handling. We review the balance after the first cuts and update the plan as the numbers become firm.
Coordinating haulers and sources
We coordinate trade partners for utilities and earthwork. In a haul program that means haulers, pit operators, scale operators and the testing firm. We keep a contact list, confirm each partner's insurance and delivery capacity and track tickets against the estimate.
When a partner falls short, we adjust quickly, adding trucks or changing sources before the schedule suffers. The concrete specialists’ later placements depend on the delivered material, so its quality remains part of our coordination through the haul program. Material tickets are kept with the project file for the owner's rep.
Owners who haul the most
Energy owners move a great deal of material. The Spraberry Trend, the third-largest U.S. oil field by remaining reserves, underlies much of Midland County, and the pads, roads and yards that support it generate steady import and export demand. Oil, gas and midstream clients often need a haul program that runs on short notice.
Logistics and warehouse developers deal with large pads that require both import and export, depending on the site. They value predictable haul costs, which depend on distance and cycle time and are easier to hold when the plan is detailed. They also tend to ask how the haul fits around the slab pours, since a dock-high building has a large pad to deliver and a large floor to place immediately afterward.
What drives the haul price
Haul distance and cycle time matter most, with material cost, tipping or disposal fees and the number of trucks next in line. Fuel, road conditions and queuing at the pit or disposal site add variation. We price per load or per ton as the owner prefers, and we state assumptions about distance and cycle time.
Surprises come from soil that cannot be reused, destinations that close or sources that change gradation. We keep alternates on the list and ask the engineer to approve them in advance, so a change in source does not stop work. A weigh ticket for every load, signed at the gate, also gives the owner a clear count at the end of the job, which is the quickest way to settle any question about quantities. Owners who also work in public works will recognize this approach.
Routes across Midland County
In Midland County, I-20 has exit 126 for FM 1788 and SH 349, exit 131 for SH 158 and Loop 250, and exits 143 and 144 for Loop 250 and Business I-20 toward Midland. Those junctions are the arteries for delivery trucks, and we plan loads to avoid peak traffic at them.
We mobilize to Midland, Odessa and the surrounding towns. Sites near the I-20 corridor in Midland County have easy highway access, while sites near the airport area may need additional coordination with airport operations. We study the access route for each site, because the best truck path is not always the shortest.
Send the quantities and the site address
Share the grading plan, the soil report and the access routes. We will return a haul plan with sources, destinations, truck counts and a schedule tied to your pour calendar.
Common Questions
How do you estimate the number of haul trips?
We convert the quantity to loads by truck capacity, add swell or shrink allowances and divide by the cycle time. Then we adjust after the first day based on actual performance.
Where does imported fill come from?
From permitted pits and suppliers that can provide test results. We select sources by distance, gradation and cost, and we get engineer approval before accepting the first load.
What about unsuitable soil?
It is separated, documented and sent to a destination that accepts it. We do not mix it with clean fill, and we keep tickets showing where it went.
Can haul traffic be limited to certain hours?
Yes. Many sites have time restrictions to avoid peak traffic or to protect neighbors. Those windows go into the schedule, and we adjust truck counts to finish within them.