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Question:

I have a single-axle vacuum truck with a 2,200-gallon tank. I was pumping out a customer's tank and when I was about half loaded, I noticed my rear tires sinking holes into his driveway. I know some pavers lay the material thin ... I had a tri-axle dump truck that started cracking the blacktop as it moved and we had to unload it on the main road, but I have heard that a tandem pump truck does less damage to driveways than a single axle due to weight distribution between the axles. Would the weight of the tandem truck damage the driveway anyway?

Answers:

It completely depends on the driveway. All our trucks have tandem axles and while we don't have too many problems, it always is a possibility. We recently cracked a 6-inch concrete driveway on one of the edges where the dirt underneath washed away a little and the wire mesh was rusted.

Before we drive on a driveway, we always get the customer to sign a waiver agreeing to let us drive on their driveway and that we are not responsible for any damage.

Fortunately I haven't had this problem, but my trucks weigh 15,000 pounds empty and 25,000 to 30,000 loaded. I try to stay on driveways so I don't get stuck. I carry plenty of insurance to cover anything that could possibly go wrong. You always need more than just truck insurance. You should carry a big liability policy. I told my carrier I wanted a policy that would cover absolutely anything that could happen and to add extra coverage to cover the impossible things that should never happen just to be safe. I know insurance is extremely expensive and I don't enjoy paying the premiums either, but if you're not making enough money to cover yourself, you won't be in business long anyway.

I've only cracked the end of one driveway in 16 years and that drive was substandard. I run a tandem with wide front tires that weighs 56,000 pounds loaded. Stay in the middle of the driveway and try not to turn your wheel if you can. On hot summer days I'll pull from the road, sometimes using 240 feet of hose. I run the Wittig 150 pump, which pulls with no problems on flat ground.

I like the idea of having customers sign a "disclaimer form." Staying in the center of the driveway is good. Tandem helps, but try to have an empty tanker on a concrete driveway or stretch more hose. Either way should include additional charges.

My tandem trucks weigh about 53,000 pounds when fully loaded. I try to start jobs with the truck empty on the driveways I am most concerned about, and do my last jobs on the gravel driveways, commercial parking lots, or the street. Following this policy, I have only had a couple of problems in more than 40 years.