Technical Abstract: Sediment transport capacity, Tc, defined as the maximum amount of sediment that a flow can carry, is the basic concept in determining detachment and deposition processes in the current process-based erosion model framework. Although defined conceptually and used extensively in modeling erosion, Tc was rarely measured. Recently, a series of laboratory studies designed to quantify effects of surface hydrologic conditions on erosion processes produced data sets feasible to evaluate the concept of Tc. A dual-box system, consisting of a 1.8-m long sediment feeder box and a 5-m long test box was used. Depending on the relative values of sediment delivery from the feeder and test boxes, five scenarios are proposed ranging from deposition-dominated to transport-dominated sediment regimes. Results showed that at 5 percent slope under seepage or 10 percent slope under drainage condition, the runoff from the feeder box caused additional sediment transport in the test box, indicating a transport-dominated sediment regime. At 5 percent slope under drainage condition, deposition occurred at low rainfall intensities. Increases in slope steepness, rainfall intensity and soil erodibility shifted the dominant erosion process from deposition to transport. Erosion process concepts from the Meyer-Wischmeier (1969), Foster-Meyer (1972) and Rose (1985) models were compared with the experimental data and the Rose model was found to best describe processes occurring during rain. A process-based erosion model needs to have components that can represent surface conditions and physical processes and their dynamic interactions.