If ever there was an industry whose personnel fit the description in Bon Jovi’s song Wanted Dead or Alive, it’s the septic pumping industry. “I’m a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride …” Jon Bon Jovi wails, and the collection of steel horses this industry employs is at once huge, varied and impressive.
No less impressive is the extent to which our hose wranglers depend on these vehicles, and the loyalty they seem to develop for their own particular workhorses. This month’s Pipelines focuses on the preferences of three pumpers with definite views about the thundering herd that carries them to profitability.
Kevin Watson is concerned mainly with keeping his fleet manageable for his pumping and portables business in central Kentucky, about 30 miles southwest of Lexington. He pays particular attention to performance.
“We want something under CDL size. We use the 4300 or 4400 series International, usually with 1,500-gallon to 2,000-gallon tanks. We have three Internationals and one small Isuzu service truck, which I’m quite happy with.”
Watson says he’s mainly an “International guy,” based not on any particular bias, but because it’s the vehicle make he’s had consistently good experience with.
With fuel costs on everyone’s mind, does Watson have a preference for gas or diesel? “We’re straight diesel,” he reports, based on lower overall maintenance costs and downtime, even though diesel is now the most expensive fuel on the road.
As far as preference in cab size or any other features on his big rigs, Watson isn’t particular. “Just as long as it’s the International brand,” he says. “We’ve had good luck with them.”
Located about 40 miles northeast of Fresno, Calif., Central State Sanitation splits its business between septic pumping, installation and repair and servicing portable restrooms. Frank Cotton has close knowledge of the company’s vehicle fleet, an eclectic collection of makes and models.
“We have five Ford F-550s, a Kenworth T800, and a big International ten-wheeler, among other trucks,” says Cotton. Speaking as the maintenance man, he adds, “I like the newer, smaller International DT 4300s. They have lower maintenance, lower overall downtime. Of course, they’re newer vehicles, but so far, they’re really good.”
Given the choice, Cotton prefers working with the smaller Internationals. “They have their problems, too; axles, fans, brakes, kingpins,” he says, but then no vehicle is trouble-free. “We’ve had less trouble with them because they’re newer, so we’ll see.”
As for smaller service vehicles, Cotton works mostly on Ford F-450 and F-550 chassis. “That’s the smallest we go. They just pack a lot of vacuum pumps and hoses in (the engine compartment), and there’s no room to work on them.”
This is an important issue for Cotton, who spends a good deal of time under the hood performing preventive checks. He recommends this proactive approach to maintenance, regardless of make or model.
“I’m big on preventative maintenance. You’ve got to stay on top of things. Look for problems before they become bigger problems. You really have to keep your eyes open and watch for things that are going to go wrong. When you go to check a tire, you’d better be checking brakes, looking for wire chafing, and any other wear problems. You better just go through everything, every time. If you find things going wrong and fix it right away, it’s going to keep you from actually having a breakdown, and all that downtime.”
Cotton believes this kind of monitoring is especially important for more complex vacuum rigs.
“Anything that’s commercially used, that has apparatus put on it after the sale, you better keep an eye on everything. Loose things – wires, cables, small hoses — need to be tied back and kept out of the way of moving parts.” Because the chassis and any aftermarket apparatus, such as pumps and tanks, were engineered separately, it’s the job of the driver and mechanic to be sure these parts continue to play nice together.
Dickson Environmental, located in the weather-beaten country of southwest New York, asks a lot of its vehicles. The company offers excavation, installation and repair as well as pumping to its septic customers, and their work can take Dickson drivers far afield.
Justin Dickson acknowledges long hours spent behind the wheel, and is mindful that rough roads can put an additional burden on his drivers. To combat seat fatigue, he looks for comfort features such as air-ride suspension and easy handling. “Air brakes help make the bigger trucks easier to control, so we like those, too,” he says.
As for manufacturer, “I’m partial to Peterbilts,” Dickson reports. “They’re quality-built, easier to drive than some others I’ve operated, and overall pretty comfortable.”
Dickson buys his vehicles instead of leasing, and tends to keep them for a while. “Average age on our fleet right now is seven or eight years,” Dickson reports.
