The Tornado Infrastructure Equipment brand began operations in 1984 and has evolved considerably over time. Having started as a specialized hydrovac truck company, the company’s suite of core products and services has stayed relatively similar, indicating a continuous need for these services. Since the 1980s, the excavation industry’s demand for these solutions has only increased, so the company has made sure to provide the best in contact-free excavation solutions to its clients.
Brand and Marketing Manager, Ryland Thiel, says that Tornado Infrastructure Equipment’s solutions have become even more capable with the evolution of technology over the years. This is key, as, when an excavation operation digs a hole as part of a project, it will typically run across hidden electric or gas lines when using a backhoe or dozer machine. This can result in strikes to these lines, leading to a potentially hazardous or dangerous situation with impacts to nearby infrastructure.
Hydrovac technology is the answer to this, avoiding such impacts by offering a more controlled dig site that effectively resolves the risks of digging. Hydraulic excavation applies high-pressure water to break up the soil and create a slurry, and unlike digging, this method will not damage underground utilities. A vacuum system on the truck suctions up that slurry into a debris tank that can then be transported for disposal offsite. Because the excavation is precise, only removing the necessary amount of soil, less backfill is needed when the job is done. It even works in winter, where hot water swiftly loosens frozen soil.
Many North American municipalities are now calling for companies with these capabilities to provide excavation services using hydrovac trucks, and requirements like these have, in turn, created a clear pathway for Tornado’s products to find clients while further accelerating its market growth.
Over the past few years, the company has seen huge gains in its production rates, increasing production from around 80 trucks annually to around 120, with a 2025 target of 180 trucks and an additional milestone of having sold over 1,800 hydrovac trucks since 2008.
This growth in production rates has meant year-on-year profit growth as well, especially thanks to strong deals made with business partners who supply Tornado vehicles to their clients through a dealership infrastructure. Thiel tells us that unit sales have more than tripled—from 87 units in 2021 to 320 in 2024—and profit has grown by over $100 million.
The business has also expanded through mergers and acquisitions; just this year, Tornado acquired CustomVac Services, which has dealt with hydrovac services in the hazardous waste space. Tornado is also set on growing its operations facilities and is building another 5,000-square-foot facility in Red Deer, Alberta that will focus on production and help the company meet the growing demand for its products. Finally, the company has recently signed new deals with partners such as Ascend Hydrovacs out of Calgary, Alberta, to produce a new type of truck to be launched this year under the Ascend brand.
When it comes to what makes the company distinct in its field, Thiel says, “Quite simply, our products are the best in the industry.” Being of extremely high quality, all components needed to produce the best Tornado end products are sourced from top name brands.
Thiel is appreciative of the company’s suppliers, who give Tornado a competitive edge thanks to quick turnaround, leading to reliable and durable products. For example, the company employs a 24”-diameter core drill that makes for easier concrete removal on job sites as well as site repair that will reduce job time and not impact the environment.
At present, Tornado is looking to keep pace with rapidly evolving innovation in the industry by introducing the Vortex System 2.0, which has only recently arrived to market. Vortex 2.0 is a centralized information system that reports on the monitoring of different components on the vehicle and provides diagnostics, including a troubleshooting process directly in a van body. Thiel explains that this is an onboard interface/screen that displays the results of more than 100 sensors on a vehicle to report diagnostics and performance information—anything from a complex blower’s cubic feet per minute (CFM) rate to whether or not a filter needs to be changed. One can control functional vehicle components through electrical wire or even operate the vehicle itself using the system.
The Vortex 2.0 system serves to benefit operators, Thiel says, and can operate in any climate across Canada and the United States. For those who operate and manage a fleet of hydrovac trucks in a city, the real-time monitoring system permits all trucks to be tracked remotely via a global positioning system. This allows for a greater degree of planning in preventative maintenance scheduling, which in turn, keeps downtime to a minimum.
Certainly, this has been a volatile and unpredictable year for countless businesses, but thus far, for Tornado, there have not been any negative effects to production-related growth alongside its growing client demands. Thiel notes that, although there is ongoing uncertainty in the North American market (as well as globally) with challenges relating to the tariffs imposed by the United States, Tornado has not seen any tariff-related consequences or risks to its growth projections, and is proceeding with a sense of momentum and confidence.
This dynamism is evident as the company continues to expand its existing product lines and introduce new ones as well. For example, when it comes to hydrovac truck operations, spraying water into the soil creates a mixture that cannot be disposed of like typical concrete or asphalt; this newly created material needs to be disposed of at specific locations, which can often mean expensive dumping fees that are passed on to the customer.
There is a solution to this, however. Thiel tells us that at a utility event in October 2025, the company will be announcing its line of trucks which use compressed air instead of pressurized water to break down material. He points out that, although these have seen wide use in the European market, these trucks essentially do not yet exist in North America, so this fleet will be a huge asset to the excavation industry in the coming years.
Never resting on its laurels, Tornado Infrastructure Equipment will continue to focus on research and development, as well as providing a customer-centric approach, Thiel affirms. Continuing to provide the highest quality product in its industry is made possible by focusing on client needs and designing products with intent, while also providing relevant solutions to support customers’ daily operations.
To this end, Thiel says that digital and technological solutions are increasingly finding a home within the company’s wheelhouse. “It’s a digital age, and we are venturing rapidly into it,” he affirms. This includes finding solutions through technology to connect companies, truck operators, operations management workers, as well as customers and partners into a platform that will let Tornado further boost the quality of its service and product delivery while addressing manufacturing and supply chain challenges.
Adopting technological solutions will be a continued focus in the future to provide a more optimal customer journey, as well as tracking and monitoring the company’s performance through each point of interaction with customers over the typical 25-year life-cycle of a Tornado product. And as always, to address customers’ challenges, the company makes use of direct feedback to help gather intelligence on where it needs to focus its attention. Thiel believes that this approach will ensure that the team is aiming at providing quality end products while simultaneously searching for new business opportunities and markets to diversify its excavation equipment products. “Improving our customers’ journey, wherever that can be achieved” has been and remains the calling card of Tornado’s one-of-a-kind service in its field, he says.
As Tornado Infrastructure Equipment looks to the years ahead, its commitment to innovation, customer satisfaction, and product excellence remains unwavering. From its humble beginnings in 1984 to its position today as a leader in hydrovac technology, the company has never lost sight of the values that built its success: quality craftsmanship, responsive service, and continuous improvement.
