Sidewalks, patios, slabs, and driveways — heavy material that demands weight-aware pricing, payload math, and the right disposal strategy.
Last updated: Mar 2026
Pricing
Pricing considerations for the job size, materials and access requirements.
$200–$400
Loading pre-broken concrete pieces into truck
Transport to concrete recycling or clean fill site
Basic site sweep and debris cleanup
Rebar-reinforced chunks that need cutting before loading, wet or muddy concrete embedded in soil, or a long carry distance exceeding 50 feet from the truck — each factor adds $50–$100 to the job because of the extra labor and slower loading pace.
$400–$900
Loading and stacking concrete into truck bed
One full truck load at or near payload capacity
Disposal at clean fill site or concrete recycler
Rebar trimming for protruding pieces
Thick slabs at 6 inches or more, rebar throughout the entire pour requiring angle grinder work on-site, difficult backyard access through narrow gates or steep grades, or second-story balcony concrete that has to be wheelbarrowed down a slope. These conditions can push a medium job to $800–$900 easily.
$900–$1,500+
Multi-load project requiring 2–3 truck trips
Full loading, transport, and recycling facility disposal
On-site rebar cutting and separation for clean recycling rates
Post-removal site raking and rough grade
Full two-car driveways at 5+ tons, large commercial patio slabs, or any job requiring jackhammer breakup of intact concrete before loading. Multi-trip jobs also add fuel and round-trip dump time — a 45-minute round trip to the recycler twice adds 1.5 hours of unbillable drive time. Price accordingly or you lose $150–$200 in hidden labor cost.
$1,500–$3,000+
3+ truck loads with crew rotation for fatigue management
Jackhammer rental and breakup of intact commercial slab
Full rebar separation and disposal at appropriate facility
Site grading and debris sweep after removal
Warehouse floors, commercial sidewalk runs over 100 linear feet, or parking pad removal where the concrete is 8 inches thick with wire mesh and rebar. These jobs blur the line between junk removal and demolition — verify your insurance covers demo work before quoting, and consider subbing the breakup to a concrete cutter if the slab exceeds 6 inches thick.
Checklist
Concrete is the heaviest material in junk removal. Weight determines your pricing, your load count, and whether you even take the job. Miss the weight estimate and you either overload your truck or undercharge by hundreds.
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…tons). A 12×20 driveway at 4 inches is approximately 12,000 lbs (6 tons). Always round up — concrete pours are rarely uniform thickness.
Jackhammer rental runs $75–$125/day and adds 1–3 hours of on-site time. Pre-broken concrete from a contractor demo saves you that labor entirely. Confirm status before quoting.
More importantly, rebar-contaminated concrete cannot go to clean fill sites — it routes to C&D facilities at $25–$55/ton instead of free recycling. Ask the customer to send a photo of the broken edge so you can see rebar before arriving.
A typical 15-cubic-yard box truck with a 10,000 lb payload holds about 2.5 tons of concrete. The truck will look half-empty but the axles are at limit. Never guess — weigh your empty truck at a CAT scale ($12) so you know your exact number.
That turns a 2-hour job into a 4-hour job. Charge $75–$150 extra for carries over 50 feet, and decline if the path involves stairs — wheelbarrowing 100-lb chunks up steps is an injury and liability risk.
Gas lines, water mains, and electrical conduit can run directly under concrete patios and walkways. Hitting a gas line costs $5,000–$15,000 in emergency repair plus potential fines. This is non-negotiable on any breakup job.
A 10,000-lb driveway with a 5-ton payload truck is two loads minimum. Each round trip to the recycler adds 45–90 minutes and $25–$40 in fuel. Factor every trip into the quote or your hourly rate collapses.
Field operations
Use an 8-cubic-foot steel-tray contractor wheelbarrow rated for 500+ lbs. Expect to replace the tire every 6 months at $18 — pneumatic tires go flat constantly on gravel and rebar nubs.
Use steel ramps rated for 1,500+ lbs or a hydraulic liftgate if your truck has one. A liftgate rental adds $200/month but saves your crew's backs on every concrete job.
Bolt cutters handle #3 and #4 rebar (3/8 to 1/2 inch). Anything thicker requires an angle grinder with a metal cutoff disc. Carry both — bolt cutters are faster for thin rebar, and the grinder handles everything else.
A 60-inch pry bar gives you enough leverage to lift 200-lb chunks without bending at the waist. Also useful for separating pieces that are still partially connected after jackhammering.
This prevents overloading and the $1,200–$4,500 DOT fines that come with it. Alternatively, know your nearby CAT scale location and weigh loaded at $12 per visit.
Electric jackhammers ($75–$100/day rental) work for residential patios. Pneumatic ($100–$125/day plus compressor) hits harder for 6-inch-plus commercial slabs. Always rent — owning a jackhammer only makes sense above 4 concrete jobs per month.
A 12-lb sledge is manageable for extended use; 16-lb hammers fatigue your crew faster but break 4-inch concrete in fewer swings. Carry both sizes on concrete jobs.
Useful on driveway and garage slab jobs where the path to the truck is level pavement. Saves 30–45 minutes on medium jobs and reduces crew fatigue significantly.
Only practical if you have trailer capacity to transport it to the job site. Pairs well with large driveway and commercial slab removals.
Steel-toe boots (mandatory — a 100-lb chunk on a sneaker ends a career)
Cut-resistant gloves (Level A4 minimum for rebar and sharp concrete edges)
Safety glasses with side shields (concrete chips fly during breaking)
Hearing protection (required during jackhammer use — 100+ dB damages hearing in minutes)
N95 or P100 dust mask (silica dust from concrete breaking is a serious lung hazard — OSHA regulates this)
Workflow
Execute the job safely and efficiently every time.
Calculate total weight using 150 lbs per cubic foot. Divide by your truck's payload capacity to determine trip count. A 10×12 patio at 4 inches thick weighs roughly 6,000 lbs — that is 1.5 loads on a 4-ton payload truck, meaning you are making two trips. Build both trips into the quote before starting work.
Gas, water, sewer, electric, and telecom lines can run directly beneath patios, walkways, and driveways. One Orlando operator hit a gas line under a patio slab and the emergency shutoff, repair, and fire department response cost $8,700. This step is free and takes 5 minutes to schedule.
Break concrete into pieces between 50 and 150 lbs — small enough for two people to lift but large enough to minimize total piece count. Start at edges and work inward following natural crack lines. Score a grid pattern with the jackhammer point before breaking to control piece size.
Cut rebar flush with the concrete surface using bolt cutters for thin bar or an angle grinder for 1/2 inch and thicker. Separate clean concrete from rebar-contaminated pieces on-site — clean concrete recycles free, rebar-mixed concrete costs $25–$55/ton. This 15-minute separation step can save $75–$200 in disposal fees on a medium job.
Stop loading when you reach 90% of your truck's payload capacity — leave a 10% buffer for estimation error. A truck that looks half-empty by volume may already be at weight limit with concrete. Distribute weight evenly across the truck bed to prevent axle overloading on one side. Never stack concrete higher than 18 inches — it shifts during turns and can punch through the truck wall.
Take highway on-ramps slowly and leave extra following distance. A 4-ton concrete load in a box truck extends your stopping distance by 30–40%. If using a dump trailer, verify your hitch and tongue weight ratings before departing. Arrive at the recycler during business hours and have cash or account info ready — some facilities do not take cards.
Get a weight ticket or disposal receipt — you need this for job costing and to prove legal disposal if a customer or regulator ever asks. Photograph the empty truck bed after dumping. Log the disposal cost, facility name, and tonnage in your job record. This data feeds directly into your per-job profitability tracking and helps you optimize facility selection over time.
Disposal
Many recycling facilities accept clean concrete for free because they crush it into recycled aggregate and sell it for $8–$12/ton to construction companies. Some sites pay you $2–$5/ton for large clean loads over 10 tons. Build a list of every recycler within 30 miles of your service area and note their hours, pricing, and what they reject.
$0–$18/ton
C&D facilities charge by the ton and rates vary significantly — one facility in your area may charge $28/ton while another charges $52/ton. Call 3–4 facilities in your radius, compare rates, and negotiate volume discounts if you haul there regularly. The $20/ton difference on a 3-ton load is $60 off your margin.
$25–$55/ton
They may accept it free or charge a nominal $5–$10 fee. This option works best for small loads under 1 ton of clean, rebar-free concrete in manageable piece sizes. Call ahead — most do not advertise this service and availability varies by season and their current inventory needs.
$0–$10flat
Safety & compliance
Walk away from these. The margin isn’t worth the risk.
Red Flags — Decline or Reprice
Profitability
Gross margins of 45–60% are achievable on residential concrete removal because disposal is nearly free for clean material — your entire revenue covers labor, fuel, and truck wear. A $600 medium job with free disposal, $40 in fuel, and 3 hours of crew labor at $20/hr each ($120 total) nets you $440 gross profit before overhead.
Clean concrete recycling at $0–$18/ton keeps your disposal cost near zero, which is unheard of in most junk removal categories where dump fees eat 15–25% of revenue. Protect this advantage by always separating rebar on-site — the 15 minutes of cutting saves $25–$55/ton at the gate.
Price by weight, never by truck volume. A half-full truck of concrete at 4 tons should be priced identically to a full truck of furniture at 4,000 lbs — it uses the same payload, puts more stress on the drivetrain, and wears your brakes and tires faster. Customers understand concrete is heavy; do not undersell because the truck looks empty.
Pair concrete removal with patio demolition, deck removal, and landscape renovation projects as an upsell. A deck removal job for $800 often has 4 concrete footings underneath worth $200–$400 in additional scope. Ask every deck and patio customer about the footings during the quote call — 60% of the time they did not even think about it.
Repeat revenue from contractors: general contractors, landscapers, and pool demolition companies generate concrete debris weekly. Offer a standing rate of $150–$200/ton for regular pickups and you build predictable weekly revenue. One GC relationship can produce $2,000–$4,000/month in concrete-only jobs.
Risk management
However, truck damage from deliberate overloading is classified as negligence and will not be covered by any carrier. Your GL policy also typically excludes damage to the customer's property caused by overloaded trucks — cracked driveways from exceeding weight limits become your out-of-pocket problem at $2,000–$8,000 to repair.
Many standard junk removal policies explicitly exclude demolition operations. Adding demo coverage costs $200–$500/year in additional premium but protects you from the $10,000+ claim when a jackhammer strike cracks an adjacent foundation wall or severs a water line.
Concrete handling causes the highest rate of back injuries, crushed fingers and toes, and repetitive lifting strains in the junk removal industry. A single herniated disc claim averages $28,000–$45,000 in medical costs. Ensure your workers comp covers manual material handling up to 150 lbs per piece and includes concrete demolition if you offer breakup services.
Operator tips
A full truck of household junk weighs 2–3 tons.
A half truck of concrete weighs 3–5 tons and puts more stress on every drivetrain component. Charge concrete jobs 40–60% more than equivalent-volume junk jobs. Your customers will not push back — everyone knows concrete is heavy. Use a simple per-ton rate ($150–$250/ton loaded and hauled) as your baseline and adjust for access difficulty.
Drive your empty truck to a CAT scale ($12) and record the weight.
Subtract from your GVWR sticker — that is your maximum concrete capacity. Write this number on a sticker inside your cab so every driver sees it. A typical 16-foot box truck on a 26,000 lb GVWR chassis with a 16,500 lb curb weight has 9,500 lbs of payload — roughly 4.7 tons of concrete. That truck looks half empty at capacity.
Drive your service area and call every concrete recycler, aggregate company, and landscape supply yard within 30 miles.
Ask their clean concrete rate, rebar policy, hours, and whether they require an account. Many accept clean concrete free — they crush and sell it as road base aggregate for $8–$12/ton. Having 3–4 free disposal options means you always have a backup when one site is full or closed. This list is worth thousands in annual disposal savings.
Clean concrete goes to recycling free or at $0–$18/ton.
Rebar-contaminated concrete routes to C&D facilities at $25–$55/ton. Spending 15–20 minutes cutting rebar and loading clean pieces separately can save $75–$200 per load in disposal costs. Carry bolt cutters and an angle grinder on every concrete job. Train your crew to default-separate — it becomes automatic after 3–4 jobs.
Concrete loading is the most physically demanding work in junk removal.
A 3-ton job means your crew is lifting 6,000 lbs total in 50–150 lb increments over 2–3 hours. Rotate positions every 30 minutes — one person breaks or cuts rebar, one wheelbarrows, one loads the truck. Mandate 10-minute breaks every hour and keep a cooler of water on-site. Fatigued crews drop concrete on feet and strain backs. The $18 cooler of water prevents the $28,000 workers comp claim.
Concrete removal typically costs $200–$400 for small jobs under 1 ton, $400–$900 for medium jobs between 1 and 3 tons, and $900–$1,500+ for large jobs over 3 tons like full driveways. Add $200–$800 if the slab is intact and needs jackhammer breakup before loading. Rebar-reinforced concrete adds $100–$200 for on-site cutting. Total cost depends primarily on weight, slab thickness, rebar content, and how far the concrete sits from your truck.
Concrete weighs approximately 150 pounds per cubic foot, or about 4,050 pounds per cubic yard. A standard 10×10-foot patio slab poured at 4 inches thick weighs roughly 5,000 lbs (2.5 tons). A 12×20-foot driveway at 4 inches thick is approximately 12,000 lbs (6 tons). Measure length times width times thickness in feet, then multiply by 150 to estimate total weight. Always round up 10% because pours are rarely uniform thickness.
It depends entirely on your truck's payload capacity. Check your GVWR sticker on the driver door jamb and subtract your truck's empty weight — that is your maximum payload. A typical 16-foot box truck allows 8,000–10,000 lbs of payload, which handles 4–5 tons of concrete per trip. The truck will look half empty by volume at full weight capacity. Weigh your truck empty at a CAT scale for $12 so you know the exact number. Never estimate.
Yes, many concrete recycling facilities accept clean concrete with no rebar, wire mesh, or dirt contamination at zero cost. They crush it into recycled aggregate and sell it as road base material for $8–$12 per ton, so your concrete is their raw material. Some facilities even pay $2–$5 per ton for large clean loads. Concrete with rebar or mixed debris routes to C&D facilities instead at $25–$55 per ton. Separating rebar on-site saves you that entire disposal cost.
Yes, you need general liability insurance at minimum for concrete hauling, plus commercial auto insurance for transport. If you break intact slabs with a jackhammer, verify your GL policy includes demolition coverage — many standard junk removal policies exclude demo work. Workers compensation is essential because concrete handling causes the highest injury rates in the industry. A single back injury claim averages $28,000–$45,000. Budget $3,500–$6,000 per year total for a properly insured 2-truck concrete removal operation.
Resources
Complete guide to C&D hauling including mixed concrete, lumber, drywall, and roofing — pricing, disposal, and permit requirements.
Concrete footings are hidden under most decks. Learn how to quote footing removal as an upsell on every deck demo job.
Record disposal cost, tons, the dump site and a receipt photo in the driver app.
A glossary definition of fleet management.
Build a pricing approach around your costs, load sizes, minimum charges and local market.
Fleet management monitors truck capacity and GVWR compliance. Dump fee tracking shows which recyclers are free and which C&D sites cost the least — so every load routes to the most profitable facility.
Included in Starter ($149/mo) and Growth ($299/mo). Annual billing is available.
