Rockology 101


Rockology 101: Learning
Bet You Didn't Know
How Aggregates Are Made
How Aggregates Are Transported
How Aggregates Impact Your Life
Why Quarries Are Good Neighbors
The Mining Process
The Open Road
Sand, It's Not Just For Beaches
Farmers Like a Twist of Aglime
Modern Life and The Rock
Properties of Rocks
Rockology 101: Fun Facts
Rockology 101: Activities

How Aggregates Are Transported

Aggregates are transported to the point of use. The preferred method of transportation depends on a wide variety of factors, including delivery and schedule requirements, distance to the site, volume of material to be delivered, loading and unloading facilities, and the availability of different transportation methods.

By Truck

Crushed Stone Being Carried by a  Truck to Building SiteTransportation by truck is the most common method. Trucks can quickly be loaded at our locations and can dump or drop their loads unassisted at the destination. They can deliver practically anywhere there is a road. From small pickups to tractor trailor rigs, trucks are filled to match their weight load requirements, making deliveries more economical.

At Rogers Group, our scale operators help to enforce weight laws by making sure trucks do not leave the scale overweight. We encourage all trucks to tarp to help reduce the possibility of loose rock chips falling from the truck when the truck is on its way to a delivery. Tarping can help control dust and keeps asphalt mix hot.

Crushed Stone in Haul Truck at a Local QuarryAnother type of truck used in transporting rock is a haul truck. Haul trucks are never driven on the road. Depending on the size of the haul truck, they can carry between 30 to 90 tons of stone. Haul trucks move the rock to the jaw crusher of the plant, conveyor belts and stock piles. The wheels of the truck can be 8 to 12 feet high. Two pickup trucks could hide in the bed of a large haul truck. A driver sitting in the cab of the truck would be thirty feet off the ground. A haul truck can cost anywhere from $500,000 to $800,000 dollars.

By Rail

Rail shipping may be more economical than truck transport. Typically, rail shipment is used to transport stone to areas of the country where the quality of the local stone product is poor, or they have limited natural stone resources available locally. Aggregates can be loaded into either 100-ton bottom dump hopper cars, gondolas, or moved in a single car.

By Water

When a quarry has access to a navigable river, aggregate can be moved by hopper or flat deck barges. Hopper barges commonly hold 1,500 tons of aggregate.

Source: The National Energy Foundation, from the Out of The Rock program.  Iif you would like addtional educational information and materials, stop by and see them at or call them at 801-539-1406