Forklift rental/lease in one form or another is still the most popular form of forklift acquisition in Britain, accounting for about 70% of all trucks sold. But of the many snares lurking in the small print of rental agreements there is one, perhaps, that is overlooked more than the others and is particularly relevant in short-term hire deals to get users over seasonal peaks, for example. The reason is that short-term hire relies heavily on second hand trucks where the quality can vary so widely that the user not only often gets compromised on site efficiency but a threat to safety issues.
To protect against this, truck hirers should check the age profile of the supplier’s fleet. Some suppliers, believes Jungheinrich UK’s Neil Warren, director of their used equipment and short-term rental division, are operating what is, in effect, two-tier rental fleets – a mix of reasonably new equipment and very old trucks. This is an important issue because in just five years forklift technology has progressed sharply, meaning, for example, that the fuel efficiency difference between a new ic-engine counterbalance truck and a five-year old model is significant and so, therefore, higher running costs could be incurred, not to mention break-down issues. It’s also sensible to see if the small print bases truck rental charges on hours run per week or month.
It is not, however, just the age profile to be considered but also the overall truck condition. It has long been a bone of contention with renting new trucks on five-year contracts that when the trucks are returned to the supplier astonishingly high bills follow for very minor damage like a nick to a seat. Hirers, therefore, need to make a note of any such minor defects and point them out to the supplier before signing agreements. The Fork Lift Truck Association offers a useful guide on what is and what is not fair wear and tear. There would be no harm either in hirers finding out the work history of the trucks about to be hired. It’s not much use being just told that the average age of the trucks to be supplied is only two years if the trucks have been worked far more hours than average and in particularly harsh conditions like corrosive abattoirs. If hiring for cold store work it is worthwhile finding out how well they have been cold-store proofed. The maintenance history of the truck to be hired should also be checked. If this has been poor and a breakdown occurs during the hire contract period, leading to an accident, it is the user rather than the supplier that will be held to account.
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