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Jason Pruitt Septic Tank Services refurbishes abandoned septic trucks and tanks to build their fleet.

Finding an abandoned pumper tank in the woods is not an everyday occurrence. However, for Jason Pruitt, a South Carolinian septic pumper, it happens enough to supply two of his three waste service trucks.

Jason Pruitt Septic Tank Services started in 2019 by Jason Pruitt, an industry veteran of over 20 years. After a family company split, Pruitt decided to start his own septic service business focused on educating and delighting the customer.

“An emergency gets us in the door. Great service carries through and gets us to repair,” Pruitt said. “At that point, we try to inform and educate the customer about maintenance and why they had the issue in the first place. Most people just don’t know because they’ve never been taught.”

Pruitt needed the right equipment to move his mission forward.

The First Septic Truck Build

“I bought my first truck from a place in Miami. It was fine in the beginning, but I wasn’t particularly enthused with it as time progressed,” Pruitt said.

As the business grew, it needed a bigger truck. However, the company had no credit being only two years old. Also, Pruitt did not love the manufactured trucks on the market. A solution caught Pruitt’s engineering brain; build his own trucks. His search for parts began. Thankfully, his area provided a few opportunities.

“I had my eye on a chassis sitting on my friend’s property for some time, and I happened to run across a tank just sitting in the woods!” Pruitt said.

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It took some time, but Pruitt contacted the property owners to arrange a purchase. According to them, other companies had expressed interest but were unable to move the tank.

“I said, ‘Well, I want the tank. We’ll be out there, and we’ll pick it up,’” Pruitt said.

Pruitt completed this project and knew he was onto something.

The Abandoned Progress Tank

In June 2021, Pruitt completed his second build, a refurbishment of an old 2000-gallon portable restroom truck (PRT) originally produced by Progress Tank, a manufacturer of septic vacuum equipment based in Kansas City, KS.

Pruitt’s friend informed him of a truck sitting in the woods. Pruitt gave the owner a call, met to check out the truck, settled on a price, and began restoration. The truck was abandoned after a rollover. Miraculously, only the cab sustained significant damage. While he knew little about the truck, Pruitt did receive the original information on the truck from Progress Tank after posting about the building process on Facebook.

The build wasn’t difficult, but it was demanding. The crew ended up converting the PRT into a septic truck. The original tank was split into a 1500-gallon waste compartment and 500-gallon water storage. Pruitt converted the 500-gallon water compartment for use as a jetter. Additionally, they replaced the cab and wiring harness. Thankfully, the old Progress Tank proved durable as everything else still worked well.

Pruitt found the project exciting as engineering is a passion of his.

“I enjoy the engineering aspect more than anything. I can look at something and know exactly what I need,” Pruitt explained. “I’ll go out to the shop, jot down some notes, go back inside, and have plans for in just a few minutes.”

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Additional cosmetic changes were made to match the rest of the fleet. These included a custom bumper design, a smooth tank finish, and the Jason Pruitt Septic trademark bright red paint job.

“I’m picky and meticulous with things, so we take the extra time to do little things to make the finish on our trucks as good as the finish on a car,” Pruitt said.

The Future

His trucks are not the only thing about which Pruitt is picky. Pruitt and his team work to improve an industry with a historically poor reputation. His company embraces innovation large and small to meet their customers’ needs. For example, they utilize an electronic customer management system in an industry filled with papers and pens. This helps the crew follow up with clients months and even years in the future. Building their own fleet allows Pruitt’s team to serve their customers their way.

“I enjoy making people happy. When we have a happy customer, that brings joy to me,” Pruitt said.

With an attitude like this, Jason Pruitt Septic Tank Services strives to stand out just like their bright red trucks.

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Progress Tank thanks Jason Pruitt Septic Tank Services for the opportunity to share their story. Progress Tank builds durable, dependable, and ready-to-use pumping equipment for septic and waste collection businesses. Customers receive our premier customer experience through on-time delivery, initial quality, and consistent reliability. To learn more visit progresstank.com or call (913) 279-3014.