Equipment rental
Roll-Off Vacuum Tanks for Rent
A roll-off vacuum tank, also called a vacuum box or vac box, is a sealed, vacuum-rated steel container that a vacuum or hydrovac truck discharges into on site. When it is full, a roll-off truck hauls the sealed tank away to a treatment or disposal facility, so the vacuum truck stays on the job instead of driving to the dump.
A vacuum tank is a liquid-tight roll-off container built to be loaded and emptied under vacuum. Unlike an open-top roll-off dumpster, it is sealed: the shell is welded steel plate, the rear gate closes on a gasket and ratchet-locking mechanism, and flanged ports on the ends let a vacuum hose connect directly. That construction is what lets it hold wet, high-solids material such as hydro excavation slurry, tank-cleaning sludge, and free liquid without leaking on the road or requiring secondary containment during transport.
The reason crews rent them is production. A vacuum or hydrovac truck that has to stop digging, drive to a disposal site, offload, and drive back spends much of the shift in transit rather than working. With vacuum tanks staged on site, the truck discharges into a tank and immediately goes back to the excavation, filling tank after tank, while a comparatively inexpensive roll-off truck swaps a full tank for an empty one and runs the disposal trips. The expensive vacuum unit stays productive, and several tanks can be staged at once to add temporary storage when the job generates more material than a single load. Dewatering versions of the same container add an internal filter cage so free water can be drawn off and only the settled solids are hauled, which can reduce disposal volume.
Vac4Rent connects renters with the companies that own this equipment. Describe the job once - how much material you expect to generate, what you are handling, and where the tanks need to sit - and rental companies covering that area respond to you directly by email or phone. Vac4Rent takes no commission and charges no booking fee, and it does not publish rental rates, so delivery, swap-out, and disposal terms are agreed between you and the rental company. The platform is operated by the Hydrovac News family of brands.
How it works
A roll-off truck delivers the empty tank and sets it on level, accessible ground near the work area. Material gets in one of two ways. In the mode the equipment is named and ported for, the vacuum truck pulls suction on one flanged port while the work hose feeds the other, so material is drawn straight into the sealed tank and the truck never fills its own body. On excavation work it is more common for the truck to dig as usual and then discharge its full debris body into the tank between loads. Either way the truck goes back to work rather than driving to a disposal site. Solids settle inside the tank while free liquid stays contained, and on dewatering configurations an internal filter cage lets water be drawn back off so the remaining load is denser and smaller. When the tank is full, the rear gate is confirmed sealed and latched, the roll-off truck winches it back onto the chassis, and it is hauled to the treatment or disposal facility as a closed unit. An empty tank is usually dropped in the same trip so work continues without waiting.
This is equipment rental
You rent the equipment and run the job with your own crew, supplying an operator where the equipment needs one (some rental companies can include one, or handle hauling). Vac4Rent does not arrange crews to perform the work for you.
Typical specifications
Typical ranges only. Exact specs vary by make, model, and configuration.
- Capacity
- 20-25 cubic yards, with 30 cubic yard units also offered
- Liquid volume
- About 5,000 gallons of rated volume at 25 cubic yards; road weight limits, not volume, usually govern how full a liquid load runs
- Construction
- 1/4 inch A36 steel plate, welded and vacuum rated
- Inlet and outlet
- 8 inch flanged ports for vacuum loading and offloading
- Rear gate
- Gasketed, ratchet-locked liquid-tight door
- Empty weight
- About 9,200 lbs empty for a plain tank; dewatering configurations run heavier, roughly 12,000 to 14,000 lbs
- Transport
- Standard roll-off chassis, hauled by a roll-off truck or trailer
What a roll-off vacuum tank is used for
Hydro excavation spoils
Holding the wet slurry a hydrovac truck produces while daylighting and potholing, so the hydrovac keeps digging instead of running its own loads to a disposal site.
Tank and vessel cleaning sludge
Containing heavy sludge, solids, and residual product pulled out of storage tanks, sumps, separators, and process vessels during industrial cleaning.
Refinery and plant turnarounds
Staging several sealed containers during a shutdown so multiple vacuum crews can offload continuously without queuing for a single truck or disposal run.
Drilling mud and cuttings
Collecting mud, cuttings, and wash water on drilling and boring work where the material has to leave the site in a closed, liquid-tight container.
Contaminated soil and remediation
Moving impacted soil and recovered liquid off a remediation site in a sealed unit that goes straight to the receiving facility without an intermediate transfer.
Dewatering wet spoils
Using a dewatering configuration with an internal filter cage to draw free water off the load, so the hauled volume is reduced before the disposal trip.
Temporary on-site storage
Adding surge capacity when a job produces more liquid or sludge than can be hauled at once, keeping work moving between disposal runs.
When to choose a roll-off vacuum tank
Choose a vacuum tank when the job produces more wet material than your vacuum truck can economically haul itself, or when the material has to travel sealed. It is a container, not a machine: it has no vacuum source of its own, so it is rented alongside a vacuum truck or hydrovac truck rather than instead of one. If you need to store clean water or bulk liquid rather than load high-solids waste under vacuum, a frac tank is the usual choice. If your material is dry and does not need a sealed, liquid-tight container, a standard open-top roll-off is cheaper. If your spoils carry a lot of free water and disposal is charged by volume, ask about a dewatering configuration. Match the tank size to how fast your crew generates material and how far the disposal facility is, and confirm the receiving facility accepts your waste stream before the tank is delivered.
Compare related equipment
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Roll-Off Vacuum Tank rental FAQ
What is a roll-off vacuum tank?+
A roll-off vacuum tank, commonly called a vac box or vacuum box, is a sealed steel roll-off container rated to be loaded and emptied under vacuum. A vacuum or hydrovac truck discharges into it on site, and a roll-off truck hauls the sealed container to a disposal or treatment facility.
Is a vac box the same as a roll-off vacuum tank?+
Yes. Vac box, vacuum box, roll-off vacuum box, and vacuum tight box all describe the same equipment: a sealed, vacuum-rated roll-off container that a vacuum or hydrovac truck loads and a roll-off truck hauls. Rental companies use the terms interchangeably, so a request naming any of them reaches the same companies.
How is a roll-off vacuum tank different from a frac tank?+
A roll-off vacuum tank is a container built for vacuum loading of high-solids waste like sludge and hydro excavation spoils, and it leaves on a roll-off truck. A frac tank is a much larger towed tank used mainly for bulk liquid storage. They solve different problems and are often rented for different stages of the same job.
Can a hydrovac truck discharge into a vacuum tank?+
Yes. That is one of the most common uses. Staging tanks on site lets the hydrovac offload and go straight back to digging rather than spending shift hours driving to a disposal site and back, while a roll-off truck handles the hauling.
What size roll-off vacuum tank do I need?+
Most rentals are 20 to 25 cubic yard tanks, with 30 cubic yard units also offered; a 25 cubic yard tank holds roughly 5,000 gallons of rated volume. Past that, sizing comes down to how much material your crew generates per shift and how far the disposal facility is. Describe the job and the material in your request, and rental companies serving your area will recommend a size and how many tanks to stage.
Do I need a roll-off truck to move it?+
A roll-off vacuum tank is a passive container with no drivetrain, so it needs a roll-off truck or trailer to place and haul it. Some rental companies include delivery, pickup, and disposal runs while others expect you to arrange hauling, so confirm what is included when they reply.
How much does it cost to rent a roll-off vacuum tank?+
Vac4Rent does not set or publish rental rates. Send one request describing the job, and rental companies covering your area reply to you directly by email or phone with their own pricing, delivery, and swap-out terms. There is no commission and no booking fee to use Vac4Rent.
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