Well equipped and versatile vacuum trucks are versatile trucks. This unique vehicle is a tank truck that feature a heavy-duty vacuum system designed to use vacuum technology to load liquids, sludge or slurry through suction lines. They are also useful to unload tanker trucks using pressure. Myriads of vacuum pump are available and type chosen depends on the geographic location and the applications specifications.

A vacuum trucks pulley system should house a PTO, drive shaft, two pillow block bearings, two sheaves and three to four belts at a minimum. The gearbox system should have a PTO, drive shaft, right-angle gearbox and coupling. A hydraulic system should contain a PTO, hydraulic motor, hydraulic pump motor housing and coupling, and a hydraulic oil cooler with a fan. For many applications, the hydraulic system configuration is the optimal arrangement. The engine system is used only when no truck PTO is available. Gas or diesel engines are the best drive choice for applications with a belt or gearbox set up.

Vacuum trucks were first used for the disposal of produced water and water from hydraulic fracturing operations in the oilfield. Typically, the pumps were in a belt pulley system configuration consisting of a PTO, drive line, pillow block and sheaves to power the pump. This system added wear to the pumps bearing because of the tension of the belts required, which caused excessive wear and early pump component failure.

As technology changed, the gearbox system was introduced. This system used a drive line, right-angle gear box and coupler to power the unit. This advanced tank technology increased the life of the pump because of the direct, inline coupling of the pump and gearbox, creating less lateral wear to the bearings from excessive belt tension.

The next improvement was upgrading to a hydraulic power system. This system featured a hydraulic pump, hydraulic motor, coupling bracket and coupling. The advantage of the hydraulic system was that no alignment issues existed because everything was a registered fit between the hydraulic motor and the pump.

A vacuum truck is a type of equipment that specializes in dealing with various kinds of fluids including waste water, sewage, and septic tank fluids. These trucks are specifically designed to suction these types of fluids and transport them into their respective disposal or treatment facilities. Since waste water is present almost everywhere, and there are laws that govern the proper disposal of these types of fluids, the vacuum truck business has a huge income-generating potential. Like most other businesses, a constant flow of income does not just happen; it comes with a great deal of time and effort.

When operating any type of heavy-duty equipment, safety should always be a top priority, especially when the equipment being used is a massive extracting machine such as a vacuum truck. These vehicles are particularly useful since they are a very powerful machine that can remove just about any kind of debris. It must be noted that, while the ability to create a very powerful suction makes the job of an operator much faster, it also makes the job much more dangerous. One small error in the placement of the extraction hose can lead to serious work-related injuries.