How to Extend the Life of Hydrovac Equipment with Preventative Maintenance
Spokesperson: Derrick Witten is a hydrovac fleet expert at RapidWorks with decades of experience in the hydrovac and heavy equipment sectors. He has led large hydrovac teams and brings hands-on expertise in fleet operations, safety, and performance within hydrovac projects
In this industry, hydrovac trucks don’t just expose what’s underground, they keep your whole operation moving. When a hydrovac is out of service, you’re not just dealing with a mechanical issue. You’re dealing with lost time, missed jobs, and unhappy customers.
I’ve spent years working with hydrovac fleets across North America, and here’s what I’ve learned: if you’re running hydrovac equipment, a solid maintenance program isn’t optional. It’s critical.
Why Maintenance Is More Than Just a Checklist
A few boxes on a whiteboard like check fluids, rotate tires, clean the tank won’t cut it when it comes to keeping your fleet healthy. That’s not a maintenance program; those are just essential tasks.
A true program looks at the big picture: how often the truck is used, the conditions it’s working in day-to-day, and what the manufacturer recommends for service intervals. It’s a strategy, not a set of chores. And when you treat it like a strategy, your trucks last longer, perform better, and you keep your business out of crisis mode.
I’ve seen well-maintained hydrovac trucks go beyond 8,000 hours. That’s years of service life added without replacing the asset.
What Downtime Really Costs Your Business
Every hour a truck is out of service, your crew is stalled, your job is delayed, and your customer is waiting. If you can’t show up, someone else will. And in an industry where 60% of hydrovac work is emergency response, you don’t get many second chances.
Breakdowns also come with real risk. Faulty equipment is a safety hazard. OSHA reports that equipment failure is involved in nearly 20% of all worksite fatalities. That’s not just a cost; it’s a liability.
Why Documentation Can Mean a Bigger Payday
Maintenance doesn’t just keep your trucks running. It also keeps them valuable. If you ever plan to resell, your maintenance records matter.
As I often tell my customers, the easiest way to tank the resale value of hydrovac equipment is by not keeping comprehensive records.
A clean, complete service history can boost resale prices by 10-20 percent. That’s tens of thousands of dollars on a single truck.
How Preventive Maintenance Pays for Itself
Yes, maintenance costs money. But repairs, downtime, and lost work cost far more. Losing a client because you missed a job? That’s the most expensive outcome of all.
Preventive maintenance isn’t just about avoiding breakdowns. It’s about keeping equipment operating at peak performance every day it’s on the job.
That starts with operator habits. Well-trained operators reduce unnecessary wear by following proper startup and shutdown procedures, using correct water pressure, and addressing performance issues early. Simple actions like cleaning components after each job and properly warming and cooling engines can significantly extend equipment life.
Hydrovac trucks work in harsh conditions, but how quickly wear sets in can be controlled. If performance changes, don’t wait for the next service interval. Detailed maintenance records help identify repeat issues and refine maintenance routines before small problems become major failures.
Seasonal planning matters as well. Equipment faces different stresses in extreme heat and cold, and maintenance schedules should adjust accordingly.
“Preventive maintenance saves downtime and dollars,” I always say. “Stick to it and your bottom line will thank you.”
If your shop is still working off spreadsheets or scribbled notes, it’s time to level up. Check out RapidWorks’ guide on turning a basic checklist into a real program: 5 Steps to Transform Maintenance.
How Software Like Rapid Fleet Makes Maintenance Easier
Keeping a growing fleet on track isn’t easy, especially when you’re relying on whiteboards, texts, or memory. That’s where a platform like Rapid Fleet helps.
It gives your team one place to build and manage maintenance schedules, automatically flag upcoming service needs, and convert inspections into work orders.
A platform like this lets shop managers handle the details, while owners stay confident knowing trucks are safe, crews are productive, and costly surprises are rare.
