1934 – The first dump truck

1934 – The first dump truck

In 1934, Euclid designed and built the Model 1Z truck, which is generally considered to be the first off-highway rear dump truck for mining. The heavy-duty vehicle was fitted with a 100HP Waukesha gasoline engine and was just 6.4m long.

Small by modern standards, the Model 1Z was the first step on the path to the monster dump trucks we see in the mining industry today. Euclid, now part of Terex Trucks, created the truck as a solution to haulage in the increasingly industrialised mining process in the US.


The CAT 797 is one of the most successful and recognisable dump trucks ever developed.

Made by Caterpillar, it has been reincarnated multiple times, most recently in 2009 when the Cat 797F was launched. This model is the second-biggest dump truck in the world, with a payload of 400t, 40t more than the original.

Its 20-cylinder engine can produce up to 4,00HP, enough to move even the machine’s bulk. At 14.8m in length, 6.52m in height and 9.75m in width, it was the biggest dump truck for years and despite being overtaken by the Belaz 75710, remains a common sight.