My friend may decide to bring in a 4 inch layer of topsoil before installing new in-ground sprinklers, and lay sod in the lawn. He thinks that he might be able to save money by hauling loads of topsoil from the store himself in his truck, rather than paying for delivery. Your job is to see how much money he might save or lose by hauling the top-soil himself and make a recommendation of whether to haul it himself or have it delivered. Here is (most of) the information you asked for although all of the information may not be necessary. He is just planting grass inside the curbed area. How much topsoil does he need? You'll have to figure that out by calculating the AREA and then the VOLUME of dirt needed for the region within the curbing only (Where there is going to be grass.) How big is the yard? You will need to estimate it using the overhead picture and the scale that is shown in the lower left-hand area of the picture. Show your work including estimates for dimensions. Since the scale is in feet, it will be easiest to calculate the area in square feet and then convert to square yards after. It should be 4 inches deep. How much can the flatbed truck carry? There are two possible limitations so you need to show which one is more restrictive. First- The truck bed is 16 feet by 6 feet by 1.5 feet (1.5 is average height of dirt on truck.) Second - The payload capacity by weight is about 4.75 tons. Topsoil weighs about 2000 pounds per cubic yard. (This can vary a lot, but just use 2000 lb.) How much is the delivery charge? It costs $60 per truckload just for delivery. Each truckload can deliver up to 10 cubic yards. This does not include the cost of the dirt! FYI: Often when dealing with gravel or dirt the term yards is used but those using it know they mean cubic yards. How much does the topsoil cost? $24 per cubic yard. How far is the soil store? It is 12.5 miles away. It takes about 20 minutes to drive there and an average of 15 minutes to get dirt loaded and 25 minutes to drive back. What gas mileage does the truck get? It averages about 4 miles per gallon unloaded and loaded. What was the current gas cost? It was about $4/gallon at the time he was doing this project. You should also include $0.27 per mile for wear and tear on the truck.