Noise mitigation strategies for vacuum excavators

Vacuum Excavators (Vac-truck/Hydrovac) are among the loudest pieces of equipment used during certain construction activities and are often required to run for extended periods of time. Noise from these trucks has the potential to exceed acceptable levels when operating close to sensitive receivers, particularly in dense urban areas. The noise generated by vac-trucks presents several options for unique mitigation strategies to reduce the impact to nearby noise sensitive receivers. Careful selection and preconstruction noise measurements of equipment, placement of noise blankets around each noise source, and orienting the truck to take advantage of noise shielding from nearby buildings or to direct the loudest side of the truck away from sensitive receivers can all help reduce the impact of noise to the surrounding communities.