What's the hardest part of being a porta potty service driver?

Question

I've been driving a vacuum truck for nine years, servicing 40 to 60 units a day. The hardest part isn't the smell, you get used to that. It's the access. I've pulled up to construction sites where they moved a pile of gravel right in front of the cluster, or a festival where the catering truck parked six inches from my hose reel. Mud is a close second. Last week, a spring thaw turned a wedding venue into a swamp, and I had to winch the truck out after sinking to the axles. Then there's winter: frozen tanks, slushy door latches, and trying to service a standard unit on a hillside covered in ice. What's the toughest situation you've faced on your route? Any tricks for dealing with blocked units or bad weather?

Luis A. · Answer

The hardest part is bad truck access and blocked units. A standard unit needs a service truck to get close enough to run the hose, and a clear path to pump it. When a construction crew blocks the cluster with equipment or a festival parks a food truck right in front, it wastes time and the rental company bills the customer for a missed service. Mud and ice are a close second. A vacuum truck is heavy, and soft ground turns into a trap. I carry recovery gear for that. Winter brings frozen holding tanks and slush in the door latches. For a frozen tank, the operator adds brine to the deodorizer, but if it is solid, we skip the service. The best trick for blocked units is to talk to the site supervisor before the first delivery and mark a clear access route. For bad weather, a four-wheel-drive truck and knowing when to say no to a muddy field save a lot of trouble.

What's the hardest part of being a porta potty service driver?

1 answer