Standard dump truck

In the United States, a standard dump truck has one front steering axle, and one or two rear axles which typically have dual wheels on each side. Tandem rear axles are virtually always powered in the U.S., far less often in Europe. Most unpowered rear axles can be raised off the pavement, to minimize wear and tear when the truck is empty or lightly loaded, and lowered to become load-bearing when the truck needs the extra support. These are referred to as lift axles or drop axles. Lift axles can be steerable or non-steerable; steerable lift axles are almost always configured with single wheels on each side, instead of dual wheels. Lift axles positioned in front of the powered axles are called pushers; lift axles positioned behind the powered axles are called tags.