TailgateThe rear section, with the hopper and packer inside. It lifts to empty the body.
Tailgate cylinderA hydraulic cylinder that raises the tailgate. There is one on each side.
ControlsButtons that run the packer and the cart tipper.
Tailgate lockHolds the tailgate shut against the body.
Cart tipperLifts a wheeled cart and tips it into the hopper. Also called a bin tipper.
Inside 5
HopperThe trough at the rear where waste is thrown in.
Loading sillThe rear edge of the hopper. Waste is loaded over it.
PackerSweeps waste out of the hopper and presses it into the body. Also called the packer blade.
Ejector panelA wall inside the body. It pushes the load out through the open tailgate.
Ejector cylinderThe telescopic hydraulic cylinder that moves the ejector panel.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where two independent sources use it. (1) Wikipedia, text only: Garbage truck (rear loaders; bin tipper), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_truck . (2) Three refuse body makers' documents, each maker counted once and used for names only: a rear loader brochure, https://web.archive.org/web/20211122223228/https://www.heil.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PT1100-domestic-rearload-garbage-truck-brochure.pdf ; a rear loader specification sheet, https://web.archive.org/web/20040514032834/http://www.mcneiluscompanies.com:80/pdf/McNeilus_Rear_Loader_specs.pdf ; a side loader operator's manual, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5697583 . (3) UK Health and Safety Executive, The safe use of refuse collection vehicle hoists and bins, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5872037 (hopper, bin hoist, controls). Ejector panel, ejector cylinder, tailgate cylinder, tailgate lock and loading sill each rest on two makers; every other name on Wikipedia and at least one maker. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's truck, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
The parts of a garbage truck in two drawings of a rear loader. The first shows the outside. The second cuts the side away to show the hopper, the packer and the ejector panel.
Read the full guide
From the side
The cab is at the front, and the body behind it holds the packed waste. The tailgate is the whole rear section. A tailgate cylinder on each side raises it, and the tailgate locks hold it shut. The controls are on its side. The cart tipper at the back lifts a wheeled cart.
Cut open
Waste goes over the loading sill into the hopper. The packer sweeps it out of the hopper and presses it into the body. To empty the truck, the tailgate is raised and the ejector cylinder pushes the ejector panel to the rear.
The packer is also called the packer blade. The quiz takes either name.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a garbage truck called?
On a rear loader: the cab, the body and the tailgate, the rear section that holds the hopper and the packer. Inside the body is the ejector panel. A cart tipper at the back empties wheeled carts.
What is the back of a garbage truck called?
On a rear loader the rear section is the tailgate. The trough in it, where the waste is thrown, is the hopper.
What is the blade in a garbage truck called?
The packer, or packer blade. It is a moving plate that scoops the waste out of the hopper and compresses it into the body.
How does a garbage truck empty itself?
The tailgate is unlocked and raised. Then the ejector panel, a wall inside the body, moves to the rear and pushes the load out through the opening.
What lifts the bins on a garbage truck?
On a rear loader, a cart tipper, also called a bin tipper. A side loader may use an arm with a claw, and a front loader lifts a container on forks.