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
- Alabama461 cities
- Alaska149 cities
- Arizona91 cities
- Arkansas502 cities
- California482 cities
- Colorado272 cities
- Connecticut169 cities
- Delaware57 cities
- District of Columbia55 cities
- Florida412 cities
- Georgia537 cities
- Hawaii137 cities
- Idaho201 cities
- Illinois1299 cities
- Indiana569 cities
- Iowa948 cities
- Kansas628 cities
- Kentucky419 cities
- Louisiana308 cities
- Maine489 cities
- Maryland157 cities
- Massachusetts351 cities
- Michigan680 cities
- Minnesota854 cities
- Mississippi298 cities
- Missouri946 cities
- Montana129 cities
- Nebraska530 cities
- Nevada28 cities
- New Hampshire234 cities
- New Jersey565 cities
- New Mexico106 cities
- New York1522 cities
- North Carolina553 cities
- North Dakota357 cities
- Ohio938 cities
- Oklahoma597 cities
- Oregon242 cities
- Pennsylvania2562 cities
- Rhode Island39 cities
- South Carolina271 cities
- South Dakota311 cities
- Tennessee346 cities
- Texas1216 cities
- Utah250 cities
- Vermont255 cities
- Virginia229 cities
- Washington281 cities
- West Virginia232 cities
- Wisconsin601 cities
- Wyoming99 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