There’s no doubt which machines are the MVRGs — most valuable revenue generators — at C & W Hanover Septic in Mechanicsville, Virginia. It’s the three International vacuum trucks, built out by Imperial Industries on 2018, 2019 and 2020 chassis.

Each truck carries a 4,000-gallon aluminum tank and is equipped with a National Vacuum Equipment 4307 blower (560 cfm), says Billy Shaw, company owner.

All three trucks feature remote-control operation, which is a timesaver. It also reduces driver fatigue. “The guys can operate the pumps from just about anywhere or switch valves for backwashing tanks, all while they’re standing at the tank and pumping,” Shaw says. The company bought the 2018 truck at the 2017 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport (WWETT) Show, and it had remote–control operation as a free add-on.

“We loved it so much that we put it on the next two trucks and will continue to do so on future trucks,” he says. “The drivers absolutely love it.”

Buying the 2018 truck, which features a National Vacuum Equipment blower for suction power, also converted Shaw into an advocate for blowers over traditional vane pumps. “I’d been hearing a lot of good things over the years about blowers, and they’ve been great,” he says. “We don’t have to feed it pump oil to keep the vanes lubricated every day or every other day like we used to. That makes them less expensive to run.”

The performance on the blower has been solid, too, according to Shaw. “My guys say that if they have something to pump that’s really deep, like a septic tank that’s far down a hill, the blowers pump like it’s nothing. So there’s a timesaving, too.”

Shaw specs aluminum tanks because they weigh less than steel, allowing for a larger payload without violating weight restriction rules. And lighter aluminum tanks require only a tandem-axle truck instead of a tri-axle, which saves some money, he says.

Each of the three trucks also feature an automatic six-speed transmission (Allison Transmission) and a Cummins 370 hp diesel engine.