Guide
What drives the cost of vacuum excavation
Vacuum excavation and vac truck hire in Sydney is usually priced by the hour or by the hole, and the site drives the number more than the truck. Spot On Excavations, which runs four vacuum excavation trucks, lists the drivers here so quotes can be compared.
Hourly hire or per pothole
There are two common ways to price vacuum excavation. The first is an hourly rate for a truck and operator, charged from an agreed start, usually with a minimum. It suits work where the amount is hard to know in advance, such as cleaning pits, clearing a trench or supporting a crew through a day. The second is a price per pothole, or a lump sum for a set number of holes. It suits clear scopes, like proving ten crossings along a bore path.
Neither is better. Hourly pricing carries the risk of the unknown for the client, and per-hole pricing moves it to the contractor, who will usually price in an allowance for it. A per-hole price is easier to budget, and an hourly rate is fairer when the scope may change. Ask which one you are being quoted, and what is excluded. We do not publish a dollar rate on this page because it would be wrong for most sites, and a number without the conditions around it is not much use. Send us the details and we will quote against them.
What changes the price
- Number and depth of holes. More holes in one visit are cheaper per hole than a few visits. Deeper holes take longer, produce more spoil and may need a larger pit or shoring.
- Ground. Sand and loam dig quickly. Clay, gravel, road base, concrete edges and rock take longer and use more water.
- Spoil disposal and tipping. The material has to go somewhere. Clean fill, contaminated or unknown material and slurry have different disposal costs, and the distance to a tip matters.
- Water supply. Water-assisted digging needs water. If it is on site, that is simple. If the truck has to refill off site, time is added.
- Access and distance. Travel from our North Richmond base, narrow access, gates, steep ground and long hose runs all affect time on site.
- Traffic control. Work in or beside a road needs traffic management and often a permit. It is a separate cost, and it can be large.
- Standby. If the truck is on site and waiting for a locate, a permit, another trade or an inspection, the time is usually charged.
- Minimum hire. A truck and operator travelling to site and setting up have a fixed cost regardless of the number of holes.
- Mobilisation. A truck and operator driving to site and setting up cost the same whether you want one hole or ten, which is why a single hole on a distant site can look expensive per hole.
- Combining with HDD. When potholing is part of a horizontal directional drilling job, the visits can be planned together and mobilisation shared.
What a good quote includes
A quote you can compare states the basis (hourly or per hole), the minimum, the number of holes or hours allowed, who pays for tipping and traffic control, what happens on standby, and what is excluded, such as reinstatement or permits. It names the work and the site. If a quote is a single figure with nothing around it, ask for the assumptions.
Checklist: what to have ready when you ask
- Site address and access details, with photos if you have them.
- What you want exposed, cleaned or removed, and how many holes or how much material.
- Approximate depth and ground type, if known.
- BYDA plans or locate marks already on site.
- Where water is available and where spoil can go.
- Whether the site is in a road or other managed area.
- Your timing, and whether the work is linked to a bore or a pipe job.
Our page on potholing shows what we record for each hole. To get a price, request a quote and send the list above.
Questions
Vacuum excavation cost questions
Why do two vacuum excavation quotes for the same job differ?
Often they are not for the same job. One may include tipping and traffic control, the other not. One may have a short minimum, the other a half-day. Compare the basis, the allowances and the exclusions before the headline figure.
Is vac truck hire the same as dry hire?
No. Our hire is with an operator. The price covers a trained operator, the truck, the pre-starts and the safe work method statement.
Do you charge for travel?
Distance from North Richmond is one of the factors, so a job in Canberra or the South Coast is priced differently from one in the Hawkesbury. We show it in the quote.
Can I save by booking several holes in one visit?
Usually yes. Mobilisation and set-up are shared across the holes, and the truck stays in productive work longer. Group your holes where you can.
What if the job turns out bigger than quoted?
Tell us as early as you can. For an hourly job we keep you informed of time used. For a per-hole job, variations are agreed before extra work starts.
Related
Next step
Want a quote you can compare?
Send us the site, the number of holes and what is known about the services. We will put the assumptions in writing.