Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Hydrovac Hotline ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website hydrovachotline.org and related services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, use our services, or interact with us.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring transparency about our data practices. By using our services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at support@hydrovachotline.org or call us at 1-833-EASY-DIG.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in several ways depending on how you interact with our services:

Customer Quote Requests

When you request a quote for hydrovac services, we collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Project location and details
• Timeline and project requirements

Provider Registration

When hydrovac providers join our network — either through self-registration or when our team creates a listing on your behalf at your request — we collect:

• Company name and business information
• Contact person names and titles
• Business email addresses and phone numbers
• Regions and service areas
• Fleet information and equipment details
• Company photos and logos
• Payment information (processed securely via Stripe)

When our administrative team creates a provider listing on your behalf, we use only the information you have directly provided to us through your communications (email, phone, or other channels). You may review, update, or request deletion of this information at any time through your Provider Dashboard or by contacting us.

Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we automatically collect:

• Session identifiers
• IP addresses
• Browser type and version
• Device information
• Pages visited and time spent on pages

Phone Conversations

When you call our hotline, we may collect:

• Call recordings for quality assurance
• Call transcripts
• Phone numbers
• Information shared during the call

Chat Conversations

When you use our chat widget, we collect:

• Chat messages and conversation history
• Location queries
• Session information

SMS Conversations

When you communicate with us via SMS, we collect:

• Phone number
• Message content
• Conversation history

3. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Matching customers with providers: Connecting you with hydrovac service providers in your area who can meet your project needs
• Service delivery: Processing quote requests and facilitating communication between customers and providers
• Communications: Sending you relevant updates about your requests, confirmations, and service-related notifications
• Network management: Maintaining and displaying provider listings in our network
• Payment processing: Processing subscription payments for providers
• Service improvement: Analyzing usage patterns to improve our website, services, and user experience
• Customer support: Responding to your inquiries and providing assistance
• Legal compliance: Meeting our legal obligations and protecting our rights

4. Information Sharing

We share your information in the following circumstances:

With Matched Hydrovac Providers

When you submit a quote request, we share your project details and contact information with hydrovac providers in your area who may be able to fulfill your request.

Third-Party Service Providers

We use the following third-party services to operate our platform:

• Stripe: Payment processing for provider subscriptions
• Resend: Email delivery services
• Twilio: SMS messaging services
• Vapi: Voice AI and phone call handling
• Anthropic: AI-powered chat assistance
• Mapbox: Map and location services
• InstantDB: Database services

These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and only use it for the specific purposes we've engaged them for.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government regulation, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

5. SMS/Text Messaging Terms

Hydrovac Hotline offers an SMS-based service that connects you with hydrovac excavation providers in your area. When you use our SMS service, you will receive text messages containing provider contact information (company name and phone number) relevant to your location and project needs.

Opt-In / Consent

You may opt in to receive SMS messages from Hydrovac Hotline in the following ways:

• By calling our hotline: When you call 1-833-EASY-DIG (1-833-327-9344) and verbally request that provider contact information be texted to your phone number, our AI assistant will confirm your phone number before sending.
• By texting our number: When you send a text message to 1-833-EASY-DIG (1-833-327-9344) to initiate a conversation, you are consenting to receive SMS responses from Hydrovac Hotline.

Message Frequency

Message frequency varies. A typical conversation involves 1–5 messages. You will only receive messages in direct response to your request or as part of an active conversation you initiated.

Message & Data Rates

Message and data rates may apply. Please contact your wireless carrier for details about your text messaging plan.

Opt-Out

You may opt out of receiving SMS messages at any time by replying STOP to any message from Hydrovac Hotline. You will receive a one-time confirmation message, and no further messages will be sent unless you opt back in.

Help

For help, reply HELP to any message from Hydrovac Hotline. You can also contact us at support@hydrovachotline.org or call 1-833-EASY-DIG (1-833-327-9344).

No Sharing of SMS Data

We will not share your phone number or SMS opt-in consent with any third parties for their marketing purposes. Your information collected through our SMS program will only be used to deliver the hydrovac provider lookup service you requested.

Consent Not Required for Purchase

Your consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of purchasing any goods or services from Hydrovac Hotline. You may use our website and other services without opting in to SMS.

Carrier Disclaimer

Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. Message delivery is subject to effective transmission by your wireless carrier.

6. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience:

Session Cookie

We use a session cookie called hotline_session to maintain your session across our website. This cookie:

• Contains a JSON Web Token (JWT) for authentication
• Expires after 30 days
• Is set with HttpOnly and Secure flags for security

Local Storage

We use browser local storage to save form drafts, allowing you to continue quote requests if you navigate away from the page. This data is stored only on your device and is not transmitted to our servers until you submit the form.

7. Data Retention

We retain your information for different periods depending on the type:

• Quote requests: Retained for 2 years after the request is fulfilled or expires
• Provider accounts: Retained for the duration of the account plus 3 years after account closure
• Call recordings and transcripts: Retained for 1 year
• Chat conversations: Retained for 7 days after completion, then automatically deleted
• SMS conversations: Retained for 7 days after completion, then automatically deleted
• Session data: Retained for 30 days

Our administrators may permanently delete provider accounts, quote requests, and other records from our systems as part of routine data management. Deleted data cannot be recovered. All administrative deletion actions are logged in our audit system for accountability purposes.

We may retain certain information longer if required for legal compliance, dispute resolution, or fraud prevention.

8. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time
• Portability: Request your data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@hydrovachotline.org. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

9. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• Right to Know: You can request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected, the sources of that information, and how we use and share it
• Right to Delete: You can request that we delete your personal information, with certain exceptions
• Right to Correct: You can request that we correct inaccurate personal information that we maintain about you
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: You can opt out of the "sale" of your personal information. However, we do not sell personal information to third parties
• Right to Opt-Out of Sharing: You can opt out of the "sharing" of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes. We do not share personal information for such purposes
• Right to Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information: You can request that we limit the use and disclosure of your sensitive personal information to only what is necessary to perform the services you have requested
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights

To submit a CCPA/CPRA request, contact us at support@hydrovachotline.org or call 1-833-EASY-DIG.

10. Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information:

• Encryption: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS
• Passwordless Authentication: We use secure, passwordless authentication methods to protect provider accounts
• PCI-DSS Compliance: All payment processing is handled by Stripe, which is PCI-DSS Level 1 certified
• Access Controls: We limit access to personal information to authorized personnel only
• Secure Cookies: Session cookies are set with HttpOnly and Secure flags to prevent unauthorized access

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to maintaining industry-standard protections.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at support@hydrovachotline.org and we will promptly delete the information.

12. Policy Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors.

When we make changes:

• We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• For significant changes, we will provide notice through our website or by email to registered providers
• Continued use of our services after changes indicates acceptance of the updated policy

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

13. Contact Information

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

We will respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.