Tanker Loads Chart: How Many Truckloads Your Pool Needs

Working out how many truckloads of water to fill a pool takes one division: your pool's gallons divided by the truck size, rounded up. Tankers used for pool fills typically carry 6,000 to 8,000 gallons, though, so the answer is a low count and a high count. A 7,500-gallon pool is one load on an 8,000-gallon truck and two on a 6,000. The table below gives both counts for common pool sizes, and your quote states the count and the price for the truck that comes.

From gallons to loads

Start with the gallons. If you don't know them, run the how many gallons is my pool calculator first, measuring depth to where the water line will sit instead of the top of the wall.

Divide them by 8,000 and by 6,000 and round each up. That gives two numbers: loads on an 8,000-gallon truck (the low count) and loads on a 6,000-gallon truck (the high count).

The two counts differ only when your gallons cross a load line on one truck and not the other. Our pricing page explains what moves the price: the number of loads, distance, hose reach and access, water source and timing.

Why truck size changes the answer

Deliveries are priced per load or trip, not per gallon, and a partial load often costs about the same as a full one. That's why truck size matters so much: it sets the count, and the count sets most of the price.

On an 8,000-gallon truck the count steps up at 8,000, 16,000, 24,000 and 32,000 gallons. On a 6,000-gallon truck it steps up at 6,000, 12,000, 18,000, 24,000 and 30,000. A 12,500-gallon pool sits just past a 6,000-gallon edge, so it's 2 loads on the big truck and 3 on the small one. Which truck turns up depends on the hauler who serves your address, and the quote states the count for that truck.

Loads table for 5,000 to 40,000 gallons

Where the two counts differ, your quote settles it, because it states the loads for the truck our hauler will send.

Partial loads and minimum charges

A 6,000-gallon truck sent for 1,500 gallons makes the same trip as one sent for 6,000. That's why a hot tub fill of 300 to 500 gallons usually costs a minimum load, and why on city water it is almost always a hose job.

Pricing by the load can also work in your favor at the end of a fill. If the pool is full before the last load is dispatched, that load isn't charged. If it needs more water than estimated, extra loads are billed at the quoted per-load price and we ask before sending one. The cheapest way to fill a pool guide covers when a partial load is still the right call.

Distance and the second trip

Distance moves the per-load price, because each load after the first is a full round trip from your driveway to the hauler's water source and back. A hauler filling from a hydrant meter a few minutes away can turn loads around quickly. One driving across a county spends far longer on each round trip, and the price reflects that. The full cost guide breaks down what else sits inside the per-load price.

What the load count cannot show (access, reach, timing)

Hose reach is the first. The first 300 feet of hose from where the truck can legally park are included, a longer run adds a hose charge, shown in your quote.

Access is another. A locked gate, a gate under 3 feet wide or a steep driveway can mean a different truck or a longer hose run. If the truck arrives and can't deliver because the site differs from what you told us, a dry-run fee of 50% of one load applies.

Timing matters as well, since peak spring weekends and same-day requests can cost more than a flexible weekday.

Then there are local rules. During drought some areas restrict filling pools from the tap, and delivered water isn't exempt everywhere. Check the drought rules for your area before you book either method.

Frequently asked questions

How many gallons does a water truck hold?

Many tankers used for pool fills carry roughly 6,000 to 8,000 gallons, though sizes vary by hauler. That's why the table shows two load counts, and why your quote states the loads for the truck that will actually come.

How many truckloads does it take to fill a 20,000 gallon pool?

Three on an 8,000-gallon truck and four on a 6,000. Your quote gives one exact delivered price.

How do I get the exact price?

Ask for a quote. Your exact delivered price comes in it, usually within 1 to 2 business hours, after we confirm truck size, hose reach and date with our hauler for your area. Nothing is booked until you accept it.

What if my pool holds a few hundred gallons more than a load?

Then it's two loads, and the second truck brings only a few hundred gallons, often for about the price of a full load. Check the measurement first, because measuring depth to the water line instead of the top of the wall often brings the figure back under the edge.

The table gives two load counts, and your quote gives one price. Send the ZIP and the gallons and we'll send back the exact delivered price. Start my quote.