One of the best ways to keep expensive equipment productive is to diversify and find other jobs for the vehicle to handle. Vacuum trucks that appear to be a highly specialized machine can fill quite a few purposes. Though it may require holding back certain units for certain jobs, if a business tends to go through slow periods then finding another niche to take up the slack during slow times is the best way to keep a vacuum truck business booming - and really make the difference between a year-round productive business and one trying to hang in until the busy season.
Basic Information
There are quite a number of standard jobs that are performed with vacuum trucks that could include septic service work, chemical and fuel transportation, and water delivery to name just a few. Depending on the way a unit is equipped as far as tank size, pump size, and strength; other useful jobs may well be available.
Naturally, not all of these jobs can be performed with the same work vehicle; however, for companies that have more than one vacuum truck, it might be worth thinking about assigning them to different tasks if there is a local market for such work. All of this just serves to illustrate the great versatility that can be found in vacuum trucks - very functional indeed!
Basic Information
There are quite a number of standard jobs that are performed with vacuum trucks that could include septic service work, chemical and fuel transportation, and water delivery to name just a few. Depending on the way a unit is equipped as far as tank size, pump size, and strength; other useful jobs may well be available.
- Septic and Related Jobs - A standard vacuum truck is the best thing to use in a septic service business to pump out and clean septic systems, although there is a lot more to this service than simply residential work. Smaller units with somewhat smaller tanks are a great option for servicing portable toilets at events, something that is just as necessary as any residential service. Vacuum trucks are also used: at wastewater plants; to transport wastewater and septic from hydraulic fracturing and mining sites; and to unclog city and town sewers. Combination vacuum trucks are most useful with municipal sewer systems; although almost any vacuum truck that is strong enough could work as well.
- Oilfield and Chemical Work - Oil drilling is a tough, dirty, non-stop job; one of the more critical parts of the work is to keep the drilling site clean of thick, oil-soaked mud that comes out of the drilling well as the drill does its work. It has been found that the best way to deal with such a mess is with a super-duty vacuum truck that can get through the muck, vacuum away the mud, and take it to be disposed - over and over again. These tanker-style vehicles are also used for hauling many different types of fuels, chemicals, solvents, and other liquids that can be dangerous either to humans and to the environment if not properly handled.
- Emergency Response - Believe it or not, a good vacuum truck has an important place in emergency response. Cleaning up chemical, septic, or other spills on an emergency basis can help keep leaks and spills from affecting more than just an immediate area. They have also been extremely useful in situations involving hole-digging, trenching, and other situations that have been known to occasionally create emergencies through either collapse or flooding while workers are attempting to do a job. In these cases, a strong pump can make the difference between life and death to someone trapped under collapsed dirt or stuck where water is collecting.
- Clean Water Work - Every summer there is a need for clean pool water, although that is not the only clean water job that vacuum trucks can manage. Delivering water to work sites, buildings, and locations that need or store drinking water as well as to distant active fire locations to keep the high-pressure water flowing can be done. Many municipalities use trucks carrying water to clean storage tanks inside and out and help with other duties around the town requiring high pressurized water.
Naturally, not all of these jobs can be performed with the same work vehicle; however, for companies that have more than one vacuum truck, it might be worth thinking about assigning them to different tasks if there is a local market for such work. All of this just serves to illustrate the great versatility that can be found in vacuum trucks - very functional indeed!