As business increased in the Marcellus formation natural gas fields, Calvin McCutcheon faced an increasingly perplexing dilemma: How to combine the power of a high-flow combination vacuum truck with the larger capacity of a big vacuum truck that would also help reduce drilling pad congestion—and decrease customer costs.

The owner of McCutcheon Enterprises Inc. in Apollo, Pa., which provides transportation, disposal and on-site environmental services, found a solution in customized vacuum trucks made by ITI Trailers & Truck Bodies Inc. The company took delivery of three trucks in April and May.

Built on 2012 Peterbilt 367 chassis and equipped with low-emission, fuel-efficient diesel PACCAR Inc. engines, the trucks feature 4,200-gallon stainless steel tanks, a hydraulic hoist for efficient dumping through a full-opening rear door, and a 921 cfm blower made by National Vacuum Equipment Inc.

Larger payload

"We went with a blower because we serve the oil and gas industries," McCutcheon says. "Pumps are good for moving liquids, but our specialty is hauling cuttings from drilling, so we need a little more power to move them faster from tanks or shakers into the truck tank.

"These trucks can haul much larger payloads than conventional high-flow vac trucks because there's no extra weight from all the blowers and silencers, which take up a lot of the capacity. This design keeps the equipment weight down so we can haul more payload for customers ... with fewer trips contributing to less traffic on congested secondary roads."

For some jobs, the company uses a high-flow combination truck in conjunction with multiple roll-off vacuum boxes. Crews use hoses and valves to fill the boxes with sludge, one at a time, without the truck ever shutting down. But each vacuum box also requires a roll-off truck for delivery and pickup, which contributes to congested work sites and increases manpower requirements, McCutcheon says.

"Because our ITI trucks are strong enough to pull material, we now can have just one truck entering and exiting a job site," he explains. "We also need just one operator and one truck to do the work that used to be performed by two operators and two trucks. That leaves more employees and equipment to service more clients."

Moreover, the ITI trucks are less expensive for customers than the high-flow vac trucks. That helps McCutcheon Enterprises reduce operating expenses to stay more in line with what customers want to pay, he notes.

That's not to say that the company no longer needs its four GapVax high-flow combo trucks. It just allows the company more flexibility to select the right truck for different applications, he says.

Fitting the niche

"These trucks fit a nice niche," McCutcheon says. "They're a good intermediate unit that works very well for us in the industry. They keep down the cost to customers and provide better service."

The trucks' full-opening rear doors boost productivity because they dump debris more efficiently, and don't require hiring a contractor to suck sludge out of the bottom of the tanks. McCutcheon also lauds the improved fuel economy, which reduces operating expenses; and the stainless steel tanks, which boost long-term durability.

McCutcheon also cites the trucks' reliability—a critical element in an industry where breakdowns can cost customers thousands of dollars per hour.

"Screw up once, and you might get a warning," he says. "Screw up twice, and you're probably not going to get another job. They're running on a tight schedule ... to get the next stage of a rig torn down or set up. Time is money."

Overall, McCutcheon says the three ITI trucks have established themselves as valuable pieces of equipment in a short amount of time.

"Ordering these trucks was a great decision," he says. "They've proved to be the right trucks for the job—not too big and not too small. They're just the right size to meet our customers' objectives and help us provide great service."