Whether a job is in a remote outback corridor or a dense metropolitan street, equipment reliability is non-negotiable in trenchless operations. In remote regions, specialist service support can be days away.
In urban environments, downtime can disrupt traffic, businesses, and communities, creating significant project costs beyond the worksite itself. In both cases, the outcome is the same: unreliable machinery can trigger logistical delays, budget overruns, and unwanted pressure on the contractor.
That operating reality is exactly where Vacuum Truck Supplies (VTS) has positioned its offering to the trenchless sector.
With more than 30 years of industry experience and over 1300 vacuum trucks built, VTS continues to support Australian contractors with dependable, high-performance non-destructive digging (NDD) solutions designed for local conditions.
Importantly, VTS currently has selected DiggerVac and DrainVac units in stock and available for immediate delivery, helping contractors respond faster to project demand and fleet expansion requirements.
The DiggerVac and DrainVac are both engineered to combine high-pressure water with vacuum recovery for NDD applications.
The DrainVac also adds integrated drain-cleaning capability, giving operators dual-purpose flexibility in a single unit. Both ranges are available in 6×4 and 8×4 configurations.
The 6×4 platform provides mobility and manoeuvrability for urban and small-to-medium projects, while the 8×4 platform is aimed at higher payload applications and tougher operating conditions.
At the larger end of the range, the 8×4 DiggerVac delivers a 9000L waste capacity and 4000L water capacity, matched with a Jurop 6000m³/h helix blower vacuum pump and an UDOR NDD pump rated at 17L/min at 300bar.
The 6×4 DrainVac is configured with an 8000L waste tank and 4000L water capacity, supported by a Pratissoli drain-cleaning system producing 346L/min at 170bar, a 4000m³/h CVS aluminium liquid ring vacuum pump, and the same UDOR NDD pump used in the DiggerVac.
Across both models, VTS specifies stainless steel waste and water tanks, tipping tank design, full-opening rear doors, and its hallmark non-computer control system.
This design philosophy prioritises mechanical and hydraulic reliability over complex electronic architecture, helping operators maintain uptime and simplify serviceability in the field.
“VTS has designed its own simple non-computer control system which is fitted to all of our models across the VTS range,” VTS Managing Director Rod Glue told Trenchless Australasia.
“The Australian NDD market has long had a plethora of European-imported vacuum trucks which are hugely complex, with software issues sometimes challenging even the simplest of tasks.”
He added, “This often results in unnecessary, lengthy and costly downtime while they are fixed. Customers won’t have these issues with our trucks.”
That approach translates to faster diagnostics, easier maintenance, and reduced whole-of-life ownership pressure for contractors managing tight project schedules.
One operator seeing these benefits firsthand is DA Beretta Plumbing and Gasfitting in Geelong, Victoria. The family-owned business services industrial and commercial clients across utilities, government and council, road and rail, and civil infrastructure.
Beretta purchased its first VTS vacuum truck in 2009 and a second in 2019. When the DrainVac launched in Australia in 2024, the company didn’t hesitate to add one to its fleet.
“Our previous trucks had been dedicated VTS hydro excavation trucks, and we had to rely on additional jetting equipment to deliver drain cleaning works,” Beretta Plumbing owner Chris Beretta told Trenchless Australasia.
“The DrainVac can deliver both hydro excavation and drain cleaning, which has given us broader coverage of our industry and what we do.”
Beretta said the unit is in near-daily use on a major water utility replacement project, where safe service identification is critical.
It’s deployed predominantly for hydro excavation purposes according to Beretta.
“We’re working around services that we need to identify in the ground. We use this machine to eliminate the risk of damaging these services, which can easily happen through mechanical excavation,” he said.
“Beyond that, we can roll it out for drain cleaning operations, which we do a fair bit of in the rail industry.”
He also highlighted the practical benefits of the control system in live operations.
“We’ve had zero problems with the operation of our DrainVac,” Beretta said.
“European vacuum trucks have many sensors, and if one of those sensors starts to malfunction, it can affect the operation of the whole truck. In our case, the DrainVac has a remote control that runs the system. If the remote happens to fail for any reason, there’s a failsafe control panel on the truck so you can still operate it manually.”
Beretta added that the truck integrated smoothly into the wider fleet.
“The particular vacuum truck that we purchased is built on the solid foundation of a Volvo FE series,” he said.
“The truck has had really good acceptance from our crew. With online training videos available the crew have found the system is easy to operate, is efficient, and digs very well. If we need back-up or parts support, VTS is more than happy to help. Their ethos is that they offer exceptional support for their products and customers.”
For trenchless contractors balancing risk, productivity, and asset longevity, the formula is straightforward: robust engineering, practical controls, and local support that keeps trucks working where they are needed most, on the job, with new units ready for immediate delivery when timelines are tight.
For more information, visit vacuumtrucks.com.au
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