Roofing & material
Concrete Driveway Tear-Out in KC: What Fits in a 10 Yard
Concrete loads are sized by weight, not volume. Why the 10 yard handles most KC driveway tear-outs.
Oct 21, 2025 · 5 min
Driveway care
Protecting your driveway from a dumpster.
A loaded roll-off can weigh 8–12 tons. That weight sits on four small wheels for a week. Protection isn't optional — here's what we do, and what you can add.
Call (816) 427-657101 · What actually causes damage
Three failure modes.
Indentation. The roll wheels are the contact point. On asphalt in summer heat (KC summers run 95°F+), unprotected wheels can leave permanent indents within 48 hours. Concrete is much more forgiving, but old, cracked concrete can flex and spider-crack under the load.
Rust transfer. Steel sitting on concrete in any moisture — rain, dew, snow — leaves rust marks. Usually surface-level and washable, sometimes permanent if the concrete is porous or sealed poorly.
Scratching. Rolling the dumpster on or off without boards down scrapes the steel feet across the surface. We've seen scrape marks on epoxy-coated driveways that took a full re-coat to fix.
02 · What we do
Boards down, every time.
Every driver carries 2x12 dimensional lumber on the truck. Before the dumpster touches concrete, the boards go down where the roll wheels will sit — typically a 4-foot run on each side of the wheel path.
The boards distribute the weight across more surface area (about 8× the contact patch), preventing indents. They also keep the steel off the concrete, which prevents rust transfer.
For asphalt driveways or anything we're uncertain about, we add a layer of plywood under the 2x12s — belt and suspenders. No extra charge.
On pavers: we recommend the dumpster goes elsewhere if at all possible. Pavers shift under heavy point loads in ways concrete and asphalt don't. If pavers are the only option, we'll discuss it before delivery.
03 · What you can add
Optional extra protection.
Tarp under the boards. If your driveway is light-colored or recently sealed, an old tarp or a few flattened cardboard sheets between the boards and the surface prevents any minor staining. We don't usually do this — but it costs you nothing.
Sweep before pickup. Any debris that fell during loading — small nails, drywall dust, broken glass — gets ground into the surface when the dumpster rolls back onto the truck. A quick broom-and-shovel before pickup keeps the surface clean.
Cover open dumpster in summer thunderstorms. Heavy rain on an open load can drag dirt and dust onto the surrounding driveway. Tarps from any hardware store work fine; we can lend one if you ask in advance.
Questions
Common follow-ups.
Will the dumpster crack my concrete? +
Properly placed, almost never. KC driveways are typically 4" thick reinforced concrete rated for at least 25 tons distributed load. A 12-ton dumpster on boards is well inside spec.
What if my driveway is already cracked? +
Tell us before delivery. We'll either add more board surface area to bridge the cracks or recommend an alternate placement. Won't refuse the job, but won't pretend the risk isn't there.
What if there's damage anyway? +
We're insured. Photos taken at delivery and pickup document the before/after. In 7 years we've had three driveway claims; all resolved through our coverage.
Can you put it on grass instead? +
Yes, with caveats: grass under a loaded dumpster will compress and die. Best for areas you're planning to re-sod anyway. The truck driving onto the grass is the bigger concern — KC's clay-heavy soils rut easily in wet weather.