National Grid is using a pair of specially modified Daf LF45s to reduce disruption caused by essential road repairs. Designed to be used back to back to protect the crews, the trucks operate a technique known as "core and vac" to access damaged utility services.
One truck first removes a 650mm diameter plug of the top layer of asphalt and concrete, then the second loosens and vacuums out the earth above the fault. It can handle 35 of the most
common underground faults, and can reduce a previous five-day job to just five hours.
National Grid says that in its East Midland region alone, the new technique is suitable for 1,500 of the 5,000 annual leaks it has to attend, and that it has a 90% first-time success rate in finding the fault location.
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