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What's the one piece of advice you'd give a new porta potty driver?

Deb K.asked 0 viewsGeneral DiscussionVacuum truckService visitPlacementOdorService driver

I start my first route driving a vacuum truck next Monday. The training covered the pump, the hoses and the paperwork, but I know there's a lot they don't put in the manual. I'm curious about the real-world stuff that makes or breaks a day. Like, how do you handle a unit that's been placed in a mud pit? What's the trick for getting a stubborn hose cap unstuck when it's ten degrees outside? Is there a secret to keeping the blue deodorizer from sloshing all over the cab? So, for all the drivers who've been doing this for years, what's the single most important piece of advice you'd give someone on their first week? What do you wish you'd known from day one?

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Porta Potty Forum Team moderatorUnited States

Keep a clean two-gallon bucket with a lid in your truck, and you'll solve half your problems. That bucket is for the tools and tricks they don't teach you. Use it to carry gravel to pack under a unit's feet when it's sunk in a mud pit, preventing it from tipping when you pull the hose. Use it to hold a small propane torch for gently warming a frozen or stuck hose cap in winter, which is safer and faster than brute force. And when you're refilling the deodorizer tank, set the bucket on the floor of the cab, put the deodorizer jug inside it, and pour. Any slosh stays in the bucket. The single most important thing is to anticipate the mess and the variables. Check the placement before you even get out of the truck, is there truck access? Is the unit on level ground? A blocked unit means a missed service, and you're the one who has to explain it. Your job is about logistics as much as it is about pumping waste.

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