Streamlining Utility Maintenance with Map My Sheet
A Success Story from Knox HydroVac, LLC
Quick facts
Industry: Construction
Founded: 2021
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee, US
Knox Hydrovac specializes in precise, safe, and efficient solutions, including utility location, potholing, hydro jet pipe cleaning, and emergency safe excavation.
About Knox HydroVac LLC
Knox Hydrovac delivers cutting-edge excavation and utility solutions designed for safety, precision, and efficiency. Our services include utility location and potholing, using advanced technology to map and inspect underground infrastructure with accuracy. We specialize in CCTV mainline and lateral pipe inspections with GPS mapping, ensuring detailed insights into utility networks.
With hydro jet pipe cleaning, they provide thorough maintenance for optimal flow and performance, while their stormwater structure maintenance and debris removal keep systems clear and functional. They also excel in the safe discovery and mapping of unlocatable underground facilities, remote excavation, and the precise excavation of pole holes and pilings.
Whether it’s emergency excavation, debris removal, or silt cleanup, Knox Hydrovac ensures minimal environmental impact while maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety.
The Challenge
Knox HydroVac, LLC, led by owner Wade Sexton, specializes in utility maintenance and inspection projects that involve managing large volumes of service locations across widespread areas.
Two of their ongoing projects highlighted key operational challenges:
Condemning Old Natural Gas Service Lines:
This project required addressing approximately 2,000 unused natural gas service lines scattered across the utility’s service territory.
Efficiently routing crews and dispatching them to multiple locations was critical to remaining competitive in bidding and ensuring timely project completion.
Grease Trap Inspections for Restaurants:
Wade’s team managed routine inspections of approximately 300 restaurant grease traps every two years for a utility customer.
Self-routing these inspections and tracking completion were necessary to meet requirements while maintaining operational efficiency.
Manual processes for mapping, scheduling, and tracking tasks created inefficiencies, consuming time and resources and increasing the risk of errors.
Seeking an improved solution:
Knox HydroVac, LLC, needed a solution that could:
Simplify the visualization of multiple service and inspection locations.
Optimize route planning for field crews.
Enable real-time task tracking for better accountability.
Minimize the training required for schedulers and operators.
Adoption of Map My Sheet:
Wade Sexton turned to Map My Sheet, a Google Workspace add-on, to address these challenges effectively.
This powerful tool transforms Google Sheets data into dynamic Google Maps with several practical features:
Interactive Maps: Data from Google Sheets was instantly converted into an interactive map, offering a consolidated view of all project locations.
Custom Markers: Configurable markers differentiated locations, improving clarity and navigation.
Efficient Routing: Field crews could access Google Maps directly on their phones, simplifying navigation and allowing for self-routing of tasks.
Real-Time Tracking: The progress of grease trap inspections and gas service line condemnations was monitored with ease.
Ease of Use: Minimal training was needed for schedulers and operators, ensuring a smooth transition.
Results
Streamlined Operations:
Wade’s schedulers and field crews could efficiently route and dispatch to over 2,000 service line locations and 300 grease trap sites, reducing travel time and boosting productivity.
Cost-Effective Maintenance:
Efficient route planning allowed Knox HydroVac to remain competitive, ensuring project profitability while meeting deadlines.
Improved Task Tracking:
Tracking progress on grease trap inspections ensured all tasks were completed within the utility district’s requirements, enhancing accountability and performance.
Simplified Workflow:
The intuitive integration with Google Maps enabled seamless navigation, saving time for both schedulers and operators.
Testimonial
"I utilize " Map My Sheet" for two ongoing Utility maintenance projects for two of my utility customers.
The first project is the condemning of old unused natural gas service lines. I receive approximately 2000 of these service line condemnations per bid letting. The locations are scattered throughout my customer's service territory. To be competitive in being awarded this work, the efficiency of traveling and dispatching to 2000 different addresses is crucial. Map My Sheet allows my scheduler and crew members to work from the same map with the simplicity of utilizing Google Maps on their phones.
The second project is inspecting restaurant grease traps for one of my utility customers. The Utility District routinely inspects approximately 300 restaurant grease traps every two years. They allow me to self-route the inspections. I use Map My Sheet to route my trucks efficiently and track the completion of each inspection. The Map My Sheet works excellently with Google Maps on my truck operator's phones. There is virtually no training involved for the schedulers or operators."
~Wade Sexton
About Wade Sexton
Wade Sexton is the owner of Knox Hydrovac, a leading provider of hydro excavation and utility services based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Since founding the company in January 2021, he has built a reputation for delivering precise, safe, and innovative solutions in the construction and environmental services industry.
With over 20 years of experience, Wade previously served as Vice President of a prominent pipeline construction company, where he honed his expertise in large-scale infrastructure projects and leadership.
Wade's technical knowledge and hands-on experience position him as a trusted expert in the excavation and construction sectors, committed to driving efficiency and excellence in every project.
About Jivrus Technologies and Mp My Sheet
Jivrus Technologies is a software products company focused on intelligent integration and hyper-automation. Our goal is to connect people and software platforms to streamline processes and drive growth. Our products are designed to provide a seamless and efficient user experience.
"Map My Sheet" is an add-on application for Google Workspace that presents Google Sheets data into Google Maps with configurable location, markers, and info window.