Garbage Truck Dimensions: Turning Radius & Sources
If you are designing access roads, dead-ends or housing estates, sooner or later you face the question: how big is a garbage truck, and how tight can a driveway be before the waste contractor refuses to drive in? Short answer: a typical 2-axle truck is roughly 7.5 – 10 m long depending on wheelbase, up to 2.55 m wide and needs a turning circle between 14 and 23 m. The longer answer – including the honest explanation of where these numbers come from and which values you may use without paying for a license – follows below.
Why turning radius decides your project
Waste management providers refuse to drive into roads where their trucks cannot safely turn around. The consequence: residents have to carry bins up to 50 m to the nearest accessible point, or the developer pays for retrofitting after construction. A 5-minute swept path check during planning is dramatically cheaper than rebuilding a turning bay later. Garbage truck access is the most common reason German building authorities require accessibility verification – even more common than fire truck access.
The honest answer: where do "garbage truck" dimensions come from?
You will find dimensions like "garbage truck per RBSV 2020: 9.00 m × 2.55 m × 4.40 m wheelbase" all over the internet. Those values come from the Richtlinien für Bemessungsfahrzeuge und Schleppkurven (RBSV 2020), the German design vehicle guideline published by the FGSV (Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen). What is rarely mentioned: those tables and the swept path templates inside are copyrighted and licensed exclusively through the FGSV Verlag. Republishing the full RBSV tables on a public website is a violation of German database rights (§ 87b UrhG) – which is exactly why a Google search returns only fragments and contradictory values.
Three legal ways to obtain reliable garbage truck dimensions
1. Buy the original RBSV 2020 from the FGSV Verlag. The regulation is sold as a package for around €53 at fgsv-verlag.de and includes all design vehicles plus the swept path templates. Required for anyone submitting a certified report to a German planning authority.
2. Use CAD software with the RBSV embedded under license. The following CAD packages all ship the German design vehicles as part of their subscription:
- Autodesk Vehicle Tracking
- AutoCAD Civil 3D (Country Kit DACH)
- Bentley OpenRoads Designer
- BricsCAD Pro
- Vectorworks Landschaft
- CARD/1
- ProVI
- RIB iTWO civil
- Trimble Novapoint
3. Fall back on legal maximum dimensions plus manufacturer data. For private projects, feasibility studies and pre-design, you may use the public statutory values from the StVZO (German road traffic licensing regulation):
- § 32 StVZO defines the maximum legal dimensions of any truck on German roads (single vehicle up to 12.00 m length, width 2.55 m, height 4.00 m)
- § 32d StVZO mandates the BO-Kraftkreis: every street-legal vehicle must turn within an outer radius of 12.50 m and an inner radius of 5.30 m
These values come from a federal regulation and are public domain under § 5 UrhG. Manufacturer data sheets (Mercedes-Benz Econic, MAN TGS, Volvo FE, Iveco Eurocargo) are freely published and contain the same dimensional facts, which are not copyrightable under § 2 (2) UrhG.
When do you actually need the licensed RBSV?
Before spending money on the regulation or a CAD subscription, check the actual requirement of your tender or building application:
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Public tender / authority requires RBSV 2020 | Buy the regulation or use licensed CAD software |
| Private developer / pre-design / feasibility | StVZO maxima + manufacturer data sheets |
| Mixed project | Ask the responsible planning office in writing before starting |
| Education / research / journalism | Citing individual values is usually fine; full tables are not |
Many German municipalities and federal states explicitly require RBSV 2020 in tenders for public construction. For private projects, the StVZO public values are normally fully sufficient.
Chassis dimensions of common 2-axle refuse chassis
The values below come from publicly available manufacturer data sheets and bodybuilder guidelines. Because each chassis is offered in numerous wheelbase variants, dimensions are given as ranges – the actual measurements depend on wheelbase and body configuration.
| Property | Mercedes Econic 1830 (4×2) | MAN TGM 18.290 (4×2) | Volvo FE (4×2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 3,450 – 5,700 mm | 4,425 – 6,975 mm | 3,500 – 6,800 mm |
| Front overhang | — | 1,400 mm | — |
| Rear overhang (chassis) | — | 2,325 – 3,275 mm | 2,040 mm |
| Overall chassis length | — | — | 7,366 – 10,266 mm |
| Turning circle kerb-to-kerb | 14.8 – 22.0 m | 15.4 – 23.1 m | 12.8 – 23.0 m |
| Turning circle wall-to-wall | — | 16.9 – 24.6 m | 14.2 – 24.4 m |
| Vehicle width (cab) | 2,280 mm | 2,488 mm | 2,500 mm |
| GVW | 18.0 t | 18.0 t | 18.0 t |
| BO-Kraftkreis § 32d StVZO | outer 12.50 m / inner 5.30 m (applies to all) |
Sources: Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks Datasheet Econic (July 2019); MAN TGM 18T 4×2 Rigid Chassis Specification (May 2022); Volvo STPI Model Range FE 42 R E (Feb. 2026) and FE 42 R A.
The overall length of a completed garbage truck depends on the chassis plus body (rear loader, side loader, etc.) and typically falls between 8 – 10 m for 2-axle chassis with mid-range wheelbases. Maximum vehicle width is 2.55 m (statutory limit per § 32 StVZO).
Three-axle garbage trucks (e.g. Mercedes Econic 2630 with wheelbases from 3,450 – 4,800 mm and a turning circle of 14.8 – 21.1 m in the 6×2/4 ENA variant) are the most demanding standard vehicle. For commercial bulk containers or recycling yards a semi-trailer (16.50 m) may become the design case – ask your local waste contractor up front.
Access requirements for garbage trucks (free to reference)
These values come from the German Landesbauordnungen, municipal waste-management bylaws and traffic regulations – they are publicly accessible and may be cited:
- Carriageway width on access roads: minimum 3.50 m, in curves 5.00 m
- Turning bay (single-sided dead-end): ca. 21.5 m × 13.0 m per RASt 06
- Vertical clearance: minimum 4.00 m
- Bearing capacity: SLW 30 (30 t total weight, 10 t axle load)
- Reversing on a public street: not permitted over more than 15 m (BG accident prevention rules)
Verify access with PathSweeper
PathSweeper computes swept paths for 2- and 3-axle garbage trucks directly in your browser:
- Upload your site plan or aerial view (PDF, JPG, PNG)
- Calibrate the scale by marking a known measurement
- Pick a garbage truck template – or define a custom vehicle from manufacturer data
- Trace the planned access route
- Export the result as a PDF for submission to the building office
The swept path immediately shows whether tight points, turning bays or curves are passable. For regular residential projects and pre-design, this is usually the complete accessibility verification.
Related Guides
- RBSV 2020 Design Vehicles Explained – the reference table of German design vehicles plus the three legal ways to access the official numbers.
- Swept Path Analysis: The Complete Guide for Planners – fundamentals, Ackermann steering geometry and which values you may freely use.
Try PathSweeper for free and check your garbage truck access in under five minutes.