Water tanker hire
Last updated
Water truck and water bowser hire for sites, roads and mines
We hire out water trucks with drivers anywhere in South Africa, by the hour, day or month. A water truck, water tanker, water bowser and water cart are the same machine: a truck with a tank, a pump and spray bars, built to put water where a job needs it.
| Job | What the truck does |
|---|---|
| Dust suppression | Sprays haul roads, access roads and building sites so trucks and wind don't raise dust over neighbours and workers |
| Compaction water | Wets each layer of fill or road gravel to the right moisture before the roller compacts it |
| Mines and quarries | Waters haul roads all shift, often on a monthly hire |
| Firebreaks | Stands by while firebreaks are burnt and wets the edge of the line |
| Events and gravel parking | Keeps dust down on gravel parking, arenas and access roads |
| Site water | Fills site tanks for mixing, curing concrete and washing down |
Firebreaks matter in winter: the National Veld and Forest Fire Act places a duty on landowners to prepare and maintain firebreaks on their side of the boundary where a veldfire may start or spread.
Water tanker sizes
A litre of water weighs 1 kg, so the tank size sets the truck. The road traffic regulations allow 7,700 kg on a steering axle, 9,000 kg on a single axle with dual wheels and 18,000 kg on a tandem, which caps a two-axle truck at 16,700 kg gross before the water goes in.
| Size | Water weight full | Usual truck | Suits | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,000–12,000 litres | 8–12 t | Two- or three-axle rigid | Building sites, compaction on small roads, firebreak standby | R2,000–R2,300 |
| 14,000–18,000 litres | 14–18 t | Three- or four-axle rigid | Road layerworks, township roads, site dust control | R2,400–R2,800 |
| 23,000–25,000 litres | 23–25 t | Truck and trailer, semi-trailer tanker, or an off-road ADT bowser | Mines, long haul roads, big earthworks | R4,000–R5,800 |
An 18,000 litre tank is 18 t of water. On a three-axle truck (25,700 kg legal maximum by its axles) that leaves too little for the truck and the tank, so 16,000–18,000 litre tankers usually run on four axles. The 18,000 litre size people ask for most sits in our 14,000–18,000 litre class.
ADT water bowsers for mines
Off-road water bowsers are built on articulated dump trucks (ADTs) and drive where a road truck can't: pit ramps, soft haul roads and wet ground. Bell's range of ADT water tankers runs from 16,000 to 50,000 litres, the 50,000 litre tank on its B60E. ADT bowsers are priced per job: exact price on WhatsApp. See also ADT dump truck hire.
Spray bars and what a water truck can do
- Rear spray bar. A gravity-fed dribble bar spreads water evenly across the truck's width, good for compaction. A pressurised spray bar with nozzles pushes the water down hard, so wind doesn't blow it off a haul road.
- Side and batter sprays. Valves that widen the spray sideways, to cover a wide road or the edge of a bank in one pass.
- Water cannon. Throws a stream or fog more than 30 m, for stockpiles, firebreak edges and dust at a tip. Bell's cannons run at 1,100–3,200 litres a minute.
- Pump and suction hose. The truck fills itself from a dam, borehole tank or reservoir, and can pump water into site tanks.
Tell us the job when you book and the driver sets the truck up for it: a dribble bar for a road layer, pressurised bars and a cannon for a mine haul road.
Water tanker hire rates
Prices exclude VAT and include the driver. A day is normally an 8–9 hour working day.
| Size | Rate | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 8,000–12,000 litre water truck | Per day, with operator | R2,000–R2,300 |
| 8,000–12,000 litre water truck | Per hour, dry (operator included, you pay the diesel) | R230–R360 * |
| 14,000–18,000 litre water truck | Per day, with operator | R2,400–R2,800 |
| 14,000–18,000 litre water truck | Per hour, dry (operator included, you pay the diesel) | about R270 * |
| 23,000–25,000 litre water truck | Per day, with operator | R4,000–R5,800 * |
* Few price points for this one, so treat it as a guide; the exact price comes back on WhatsApp.
- Wet or dry. On dry hire you pay the diesel: about R230 an hour for an 8,000–12,000 litre truck and about R270 an hour for 14,000–18,000 litres. Day rates with a driver may or may not include diesel; it's confirmed in writing.
- The water. The hire covers the truck, the driver and the pumping. If the water has to be bought, from a municipal connection or another site, that's its own line.
- Standing time. A water truck on a day hire stands by between loads at no extra cost; waiting past the agreed hours is charged as written on the quote.
- Monthly hire for mines and long road contracts is priced on the number of trucks, shifts and months. Use the long-hire quote below.
| Example quote (for illustration only) | Amount |
|---|---|
| 14,000–18,000 litre water truck, 5 days at R2,400–R2,800 a day with operator | R12,000–R14,000 |
| Transport both ways to Secunda | R9,120–R11,020 |
| Example total, excl. VAT | R21,120–R25,020 |
How many water truck loads will you need?
Dust suppression
Water needed per pass = area × litres per square metre. Example: a haul road 1 km long and 8 m wide is 8,000 m². At 0.5 litres per m² a pass, that's 4,000 litres, so a 16,000 litre truck does four passes per load.
How often you water decides the result. US Bureau of Mines field tests on unpaved haul roads found that watering once an hour cut airborne dust by about 40%, and doubling the water raised that to about 55%. On hot, windy days in the dry season, a busy haul road may need a truck on it all shift.
Compaction water
Water needed = layer volume × dry density × the moisture to add. Example: a 150 mm layer over 1,000 m² is 150 m³. If the material compacts at about 2,000 kg per m³ and needs 3% more moisture to reach the optimum moisture content from your soil lab's test, that's 150 × 2,000 × 0.03 = 9,000 litres, about one 10,000 litre load, plus extra on a hot day for evaporation.
More worked examples and a size chart are in the water tanker size guide. For the whole dust job, including binders and planning, see dust suppression.
Water trucks for mines and long contracts
Mines, quarries and road contracts hire water trucks by the month, often several at once with drivers on shifts. Send the number of trucks, the size, the shift pattern and the months; the formal quote comes back with diesel terms, deposit and minimum term. Company documents on request.
Other machines for the same site: mining plant hire, 34 ton side tippers, ADTs and graders to keep haul roads in shape.
Water tanker service near you
Water trucks drive to your site. Inside a main centre, travel is small and confirmed with your price; further out, travel is its own line. Secunda is about 106 km from eMalahleni (Witbank) by road. Transport for a water truck there and back usually comes to R9,120–R11,020, shown as its own line on your quote.
Local pages: plant hire in Johannesburg, Witbank, Rustenburg, Durban and Cape Town, or every town on areas we cover.
Water tanker trailers
A tanker trailer behind a tractor or truck works on farms and small sites. Exact price on WhatsApp: send the litres, the job and the town.
What every water truck hire includes
- A driver with a professional driving permit (PrDP), who knows how to set the sprays for your job.
- Price in writing before the truck moves, with travel as its own line.
- A replacement truck on breakdown, or no charge for downtime.
Need a crane truck, a TLB, an excavator or tippers on the same job? See crane truck hire, TLB hire, excavator hire and tipper truck hire. ADT bowsers and other off-road machines travel on a lowbed. How booking works: how it works.
WhatsApp us the job and the townQuestions people ask
How much does a water tanker hold?
Our water tankers hold 8,000–12,000 litres, 14,000–18,000 litres or 23,000–25,000 litres. Off-road ADT water bowsers for mines go bigger, from about 16,000 up to 50,000 litres. A litre of water weighs 1 kg, so a full 18,000 litre tanker carries 18 t of water.
How much does a 10,000 litre water tank cost?
To hire, a 10,000 litre water truck with a driver costs R2,000–R2,300 a day (our 8,000–12,000 litre class), or about R230 an hour dry, where you pay the diesel. Prices exclude VAT; travel is its own line on the quote.
How much to hire a crane truck per day?
An 8–10 t crane truck with an operator costs R2,500–R5,200 a day with operator. Bigger crane trucks and the full price list are on crane truck hire.
Who is supplying South Africa with water?
The Department of Water and Sanitation manages the country's water resources and its big dams and schemes. Water boards such as Rand Water treat bulk water and deliver it to municipalities, mines and industry; Rand Water serves Gauteng and the areas around it. Municipalities then run the pipes to homes and businesses. For a building site or a mine, the water in a water truck usually comes from the site's own borehole or dam, or a municipal connection approved for construction use.
Can I hire a water truck dry?
Yes. Dry hire means the driver is included and you pay the diesel: about R230 an hour for an 8,000–12,000 litre truck and about R270 an hour for 14,000–18,000 litres. We confirm the basis in writing before the truck moves. More on the difference: wet vs dry hire.
How long does a water tanker take to empty?
It depends on how it's spraying. A rear spray bar on a haul road lays the water down over a few kilometres of driving. A water cannon empties fast: Bell's cannons run at 1,100–3,200 litres a minute, so an 18,000 litre tank lasts roughly 6 to 16 minutes on the cannon.
Related
Sources we checked
- Engineering News (Nov 2022), Bell E-series water tankers, capacities and spray systems
- US Bureau of Mines Open File Report 106(1)-85, cost-effectiveness of dust controls on unpaved haul roads
- National Veld and Forest Fire Act 101 of 1998, section 12 (duty to prepare and maintain firebreaks)
- National Road Traffic Regulations reg 240, axle massload limits
- GCIS South Africa Yearbook pocket guide, water and sanitation (DWS, water boards, Rand Water)
Need a water truck?
WhatsApp us the job, the town and the dates. We confirm the machine, the start date and the price in writing before the machine moves.
WhatsApp us now