Every kind of vac
Hydrovac Truck
Non-destructive digging that won’t hit a line.
Truck-mounted hydro excavation. Pressurized water cuts the soil while a powerful vacuum lifts the spoil, exposing utilities without striking them.
What a Hydrovac Truck is
A Hydrovac Truck is a self-contained excavation rig that digs with water instead of steel. A high-pressure water system breaks up soil into slurry while an onboard vacuum draws the slurry into a debris tank, leaving buried utilities intact. It is the standard tool for safe digging anywhere there are gas, power, fiber, or water lines underground.
How it works
A service provider directs a pressurized water wand into the dig area to liquefy the soil, then a boom-mounted vacuum hose lifts the slurry into a holding tank for offsite disposal. Because nothing mechanical contacts the buried line, the method is classified as non-destructive (or "soft") excavation and is accepted by virtually every utility one-call program in North America.
When to choose a Hydrovac
Choose a Hydrovac Truck for daylighting and potholing around live utilities, deep excavation, and any job where striking a line is unacceptable. For tight or remote access, a Hydrovac Trailer covers the same work in a smaller footprint.
What a Hydrovac handles
- Potholing & daylighting to expose utilities
- Slot trenching for utility installation
- Deep excavation around live lines
- Pile-hole and footing excavation
- Pipeline and cable exposure
- Emergency line locating after a strike
Questions
Hydrovac Truck FAQ
What is a Hydrovac Truck used for?
Hydrovac Trucks safely expose and excavate around buried utilities using pressurized water and a vacuum, instead of a mechanical bucket that could strike a gas, power, or fiber line. Common jobs are potholing, daylighting, slot trenching, and deep excavation near live lines.
Is Hydrovac excavation safe around gas and power lines?
Yes. Because the cut is made with water and the spoil is removed by suction, no metal tool contacts the utility. This is why Hydrovac (a form of non-destructive excavation) is the accepted method for digging near marked underground infrastructure.
How much does a Hydrovac Truck cost to hire?
Most Hydrovac work is billed hourly, with rates varying by region, soil, access, and disposal requirements. Submit your job through Vac Hotline and qualified service providers near you will send their own quotes so you can compare.
Find Hydrovac service providers by state & province
- Alabama568 cities
- Alaska249 cities
- Arizona388 cities
- Arkansas506 cities
- California1461 cities
- Colorado407 cities
- Connecticut200 cities
- Delaware76 cities
- District of Columbia55 cities
- Florida941 cities
- Georgia619 cities
- Hawaii251 cities
- Idaho206 cities
- Illinois1364 cities
- Indiana657 cities
- Iowa869 cities
- Kansas551 cities
- Kentucky541 cities
- Louisiana469 cities
- Maine429 cities
- Maryland739 cities
- Massachusetts501 cities
- Michigan690 cities
- Minnesota820 cities
- Mississippi356 cities
- Missouri898 cities
- Montana304 cities
- Nebraska447 cities
- Nevada110 cities
- New Hampshire247 cities
- New Jersey616 cities
- New Mexico377 cities
- New York1391 cities
- North Carolina735 cities
- North Dakota240 cities
- Ohio1175 cities
- Oklahoma637 cities
- Oregon361 cities
- Pennsylvania1819 cities
- Rhode Island59 cities
- South Carolina386 cities
- South Dakota284 cities
- Tennessee436 cities
- Texas1608 cities
- Utah325 cities
- Vermont172 cities
- Virginia562 cities
- Washington610 cities
- West Virginia391 cities
- Wisconsin792 cities
- Wyoming157 cities
- Alberta30 cities
- British Columbia28 cities
- Manitoba18 cities
- New Brunswick14 cities
- Newfoundland and Labrador12 cities
- Nova Scotia13 cities
- Northwest Territories5 cities
- Nunavut4 cities
- Ontario40 cities
- Prince Edward Island8 cities
- Quebec32 cities
- Saskatchewan20 cities
- Yukon4 cities