According to a calculation carried out by the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association, one loaded trash truck causes pavement damage equivalent to that of about 7,000 passenger cars. Each apartment community in the United States has one of these trucks pass through every week. The federal government has also observed the same trend. An axle weighing 18,000 pounds is only nine times heavier than a car axle, which weighs 2,000 pounds, yet it causes 5,000 times more damage. It is this figure that shows that the wheel tracks in your drive aisles break down long before the parking stalls exhibit any wear.
We examine and carry out repairs on apartment car parks all over the country. Rutting is one of the first issues that we look into for property managers, owners, and HOAs. In this article we clearly explain the reasons that cause it, the place where it first appears on an ordinary apartment estate, and how we can tell the difference between a surface problem and a structural one.
Key Overview
| Question | Short answer |
| What is rutting? | A depression in the wheel path, often with a raised edge beside it |
| Biggest apartment-specific cause | Loaded trash trucks and move-in trucks repeating the same path |
| Hidden cause | A weak, wet, or poorly compacted base under the asphalt |
| Construction causes | Low compaction, poor mix design, thin pavement section |
| Where it shows first | Dumpster approaches, entrance turns, fire lanes, loading zones |
| How we confirm the cause | Straightedge measurement, cores, and a test trench across the rut |
| Why it matters | Ruts hold water, which speeds up cracking and base failure |
What Rutting Actually Is
Rutting refers to a depressed area in the wheel path. It is also possible for the pavement to bulge up along the sides of the rut. Engineers divide rutting into two main types. Mix rutting results from poor compaction or problems within the surface layer materials. Structural rutting develops in the lower layers when the subgrade lacks sufficient strength or when crews do not compact it properly. The type of rutting in question determines the necessary repair. This is why we always have to establish what kind you have before giving you a price.
Seven Causes of Rutting at Apartment Complexes
- The axle loads are heavy. Vehicles such as trash trucks, moving vans, fire engines, and landscape trailers all use the same lane and go to the same destination. In Colorado they use a trash truck loaded to 48,000 pounds, and that weight ends up on a site that most owners have designed for cars.
- When handling heavy and stationary loads, dump truck drivers stop a fully loaded truck on the road and then turn the steering wheel while the truck is not moving. This action shears the asphalt surface and creates a dip directly at the enclosure entrance.
- A weak or saturated subgrade causes excess pore pressure to build up under the action of traffic, leading to the soil becoming softer and the fine particles being pumped up into the base; this is the structural reason for many of the subgrade saturation failures that we observe in clay soils and on low-lying grounds.
- Due to inadequate compaction at the time of construction, if the contractor compacts the asphalt insufficiently, it continues to densify under the effect of traffic, and the areas under the wheels therefore sink.
- The mix can develop problems. Excess asphalt, too much mineral filler, or a lack of angular aggregate particles creates a mix that deforms easily.
- There are narrow strips of pavement. Developers usually construct apartment sites in this way because they anticipate that cars will be using them. In the case of thin bituminous pavements, failure is mainly due to shear deformation, which means that one heavy truck route can rut a section that looks fine everywhere else.
- The summer heat causes the asphalt binder to soften, so in cities such as Phoenix, Dallas, or Atlanta a road will rut more quickly under the same truck than one in a milder climate.
Where Rutting Starts on an Apartment Property
| Location | Typical cause | What we usually find |
| Dumpster enclosure approach | Stationary loaded truck, turning in place | Deep, short ruts with shoving at the edges |
| Main entrance and exit turn | Repeated tight turns by heavy vehicles | Curved ruts and scuffed surface |
| Fire lane along the buildings | Fire apparatus and delivery traffic | Long, shallow wheel path ruts |
| Move-in loading zone near the leasing office | Idling box trucks | Localized depressions and ponding |
| Speed hump approaches | Braking and acceleration forces | Ripples and ruts in front of the hump |
| Low spot near a storm inlet | Saturated base | Ruts with alligator cracking |
How We Tell Mix Rutting From Structural Rutting
Pavement authorities recommend that if the pavement is heavily rutted, then an investigation should be carried out to identify the underlying cause, for example, inadequate compaction, rutting of the subgrade, or a poor mix design. So too do we proceed on all of our apartment properties:
- We put a straightedge across the wheel track and note the depth of the ruts at a number of points.
- We take asphalt cores in order to examine their thickness, density, and the bonding between the layers.
- We begin by opening up a test section in the rut and search for any depression in the base or subgrade.
| Finding | Mix rutting | Structural rutting |
| Rut shape | Narrow, follows tire track | Wide, often a broad dish |
| Trench result | Base and subgrade stay flat | Base or subgrade dips under the rut |
| Common trigger | Low density, bad mix, heat, stationary loads | Weak soil, wet base, inadequate thickness |
| What it tells us | The surface layer failed | The pavement structure failed |
What Our Clients Say
When you are looking after several properties, consistency is most important. A client who has completed over ten projects with us has stated that we are unmatched in our ability to maintain consistency in all areas of our operations, as shown on our client testimonials page. This kind of feedback applies to our work as a whole, and we apply the same level of discipline to each rutting investigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep does a rut have to be before it needs repair?
Most pavement condition rating methods, including ASTM D6433, treat ruts between 1/4 and 1/2 inch as low severity, 1/2 to 1 inch as medium, and anything over 1 inch as high. We recommend you plan repairs once ruts reach roughly 1/2 inch, because that depth starts to hold water in the wheel path. Standing water then seeps into cracks, weakens the base, and turns a surface problem into a structural one. If the rut sits at a dumpster approach or fire lane, we act earlier, since those areas keep taking heavy loads every week.
Can sealcoating or a thin overlay fix a rutted parking lot?
Sealcoating is incapable of correcting ruts since it can provide only a thin protective coating and doesn’t level the surface. In instances of moderate ruts on sound pavements, the agencies recommend first leveling the deeper ruts and then fitting an overlay, and as a result, we usually mill the wheel paths so that the new asphalt can bond properly. If a trench reveals that the base or subgrade has failed, an overlay will merely conceal the problem for a season or two; in such a situation we remove the defective section, rebuild the base, and repave to the full depth.
Should we pour a concrete pad at the dumpster approach?
Yes, in most instances we advise doing so if the site has repeated trash truck ruts. Concrete doesn’t soften in the summer heat and doesn’t suffer shear when the truck is stopped or turning, since these are the two forces that lead to ruts in the approach area of the dumpster. We usually provide the pad as reinforced concrete at least 6 inches thick, extend it beyond the full area that the truck occupies, and join it to the asphalt using a clean saw cut. Alternatively, you can reposition the enclosure so that the truck can remain on a straight path, thereby eliminating the need for turning.
How soon after new paving can rutting appear, and who is responsible?
Ruts that occur within the first year or two are generally a sign of a construction problem, for example, inadequate compaction or a bad mix, and such problems usually remain within the scope of the original contractor’s warranty. Ruts that show up after many years of use are more typically the result of traffic loading, subgrade fatigue, or heat. Before getting in touch with anyone, we advise that you collect the original paving contract, the mix tickets, and the warranty conditions. We are able to core the pavement and test its density, thus providing you with concrete evidence if you need to make a claim.
What is the difference between rutting and shoving, and why does it matter?
Rutting refers to a depression in the wheel path, whereas shoving is a ripple or bulge that occurs when braking or turning forces push the asphalt sideways. A raised edge is often found next to the rutting, and shoving appears near places where stopping, turning, or passing a hump takes place. It is important to make the distinction since shoving generally indicates an unstable surface mix or a weak bond between the layers, which is why we deal with it by removing the unstable layer. In the case of rutting caused by base failure, more extensive work is needed, and when both problems are present on one property, we handle them in different ways.
Do ruts create safety and liability problems for apartment owners?
They do. Ruts collect water, and in cold climates that water freezes into ice in the same wheel paths residents walk across and drive through. Residents with strollers, wheelchairs, or walkers also face an uneven surface at the edges of deep ruts. We advise you to photograph ruts, record depths, and keep maintenance records, because documented inspections show you acted promptly if someone files a claim. Repairing the drainage problem alongside the rut protects residents and shortens the time water spends in your pavement.
See also: How Do You Repair Asphalt Damage Around Apartment Catch Basins?, When Should an Apartment Parking Lot Be Milled Instead of Patched?
