A dump truck, known also as a dumping truck, dump trailer, dumper trailer, dump lorry or dumper lorry or a dumper for short, is used for transporting materials (such as dirt, gravel, or demolition waste) for construction as well as quarries and mines. A typical dump truck is equipped with an open-box bed, which is hinged at the rear and equipped with hydraulic rams to lift the front, allowing the material in the bed to be deposited ("dumped") on the ground behind the truck at the site of delivery. In Europe, Australia, Africa and India the term dump truck applies to off-road construction plants only and the road vehicle is known as a tipper, tipper truck, tip lorry, tipper lorry, tip truck, tip trailer or tipper trailer.

But regardless of their name and their design, a good dump truck should be lightweight yet strong and durable, as well as cost-effective. The most common dump body designs are the traditional box, and the U-shape, sometimes called half-pipe, half-round, elliptical or curved design.

The flexibility or innovation potential of a design depends on the deformation limits of the body. If mild steel is specified for a rigid box design, a lot of stiffeners are needed that will add extra weight to the body. If the bending and deformation limits are not the main problem, you can design a lighter-weight body without the same amount of stiffeners and achieve a more versatile design.