Vacuum Truck

While the terms "vacuum truck" and "hydrovac truck" are sometimes used interchangeably, a vacuum truck is a broader category that includes many types of vehicles beyond hydrovac units. Vacuum trucks are used in industrial cleaning, sewer maintenance, hazardous material cleanup, oil field services, and environmental remediation. Not all vacuum trucks have the pressurized water system required for hydro excavation.

Vacuum trucks designed for hydrovac work are equipped with both a vacuum system and a water system, making them a subset of the broader vacuum truck category. Other types of vacuum trucks include sewer jetters, industrial vacuum loaders, liquid vacuum trucks for oil field services, and combination sewer cleaners (combo trucks) used by municipalities for pipe cleaning and inspection.

The vacuum system on these trucks is powered by the truck's engine through a PTO (power take-off) or by a separate auxiliary engine. The vacuum producer may be a positive displacement blower, a centrifugal fan, or a liquid ring pump, depending on the application. Tank capacities range from a few hundred gallons for small liquid vacuum units to 130 barrels or more for oil field vacuum trucks.