Hydrovac Trucks → Slot Trenching / Narrow Trenching 30 Years Strong

Slot Trenching / Narrow Trenching

Precise Trenches. Minimal Disruption.

Narrow, precisely cut trenches for conduit, cable, fibre, water lines, and pipeline tie-ins — with less surface disturbed and less to restore than conventional trenching. Delivered with 30 years of Ontario field experience.

OE crew cutting a narrow hydrovac slot trench
Narrow · Precise · Low-Impact
Hydrovac slot trenching for clean, controlled utility installation
The Process

What Slot Trenching Is

Slot trenching — also called narrow trenching — uses pressurised water and a high-flow vacuum to cut a clean, narrow trench exactly where it's needed, removing only the soil the work requires.

Because the trench is narrow and precisely controlled, the surrounding ground stays largely intact. That means a smaller footprint to open, tighter control around existing utilities, and far less surface to put back once the new line is in.

Locates first: Because slot trenching is a form of excavation, valid locates are required before work begins. OE manages this end-to-end, including Ontario Dig Authority submissions.
Applications

Slot Trenching Applications

🧰

Conduit and duct bank installation

⚡

Electrical and communications cable runs

🧵

Fibre-optic line installation

💧

Water service and small-diameter water line installation

🔗

Pipeline tie-ins and connections

⚠️

Trenching alongside live, in-service utilities

🏙️

Narrow trenching in congested urban corridors

🌿

Work near sensitive surfaces where restoration must be minimized

Why OE

The Integrated Difference

Most providers cut the trench and move on. OE cuts the trench — and stays on site for the install, the tie-in, the backfill, and the restoration that follow.

Typical competitor
Excavate handoff · new contract Install handoff · new crew Backfill handoff · delay Restore
Excavate
handoff · new contract
Install
handoff · new crew
Backfill
handoff · delay
Restore
The same project with OE
The only end-to-end solution in Canada
Locates Ontario DigAuthority managed Excavate precise, non-destructivehydrovac Install new infrastructureplaced Tie-in connected tolive services Backfill backfilled andcompacted Restore surface returnedto service Spoil recycled ECA-approvedGTA facility
Locates — Ontario Dig Authority managed
Excavate — precise, non-destructive hydrovac
Install — new infrastructure placed
Tie-in — connected to live services
Backfill — backfilled and compacted
Restore — surface returned to service
Spoil recycled — ECA-approved GTA facility
ONE
crew
ONE
company
30
Years Strong

GET MORE OUT with OE Utility Services

drawing on a fleet of over 200 units and 6 Ontario locations

That single-source model keeps narrow-trenching projects moving: the same crew that opens the trench can place conduit or pipe, backfill, and restore the surface — same contract, same project lead. Customers get one point of accountability, drawing on a fleet of over 200 units and 6 Ontario locations.

Bundling the trench with the work on either side of it is where OE's LEAN approach pays off — up to 10% cost savings and 50% productivity gains when Customers book the full job with OE. Spoil is hauled to the ECA-approved central GTA soil recycling facility OE utilizes, and co-location and on-premises soil disposal and recycling reduce travel, emissions and cost. OE's NextGen units are still working trucks, but roughly ten decibels quieter than conventional ones.

10% cost savings
50% productivity gains
200+ fleet units, dig to disposal
100% hydrovac waste upgraded for value-added use
Project Example

Representative Work

Placeholder for a photo of a real OE slot trenching job
Slot Trenching

[Job name to be confirmed]

[Job details to be confirmed by OE: Customer type, location, scope, and the trenching provided.]

Ready to trench with minimal surface disruption?

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