When you hire or lease a car, your expectations are well understood. Damage the bodywork or leave the tank empty, and drivers are well aware of the likely costs they might incur at the end of that term.  

 

The same can’t be said when renting lift trucks, where confusion over the term 'fair wear and tear' is putting companies renting equipment at real risk of large and unexpected end-of-contract repair bills and acrimonious disputes.

Disputes over 'fair wear and tear' and 'excessive damage' can spoil even the best working relationship between truck owners and hirers. As a customer you need to be aware of two important things to avoid added costs: 

•  You are financially responsible for any repairs outside normal 'wear and tear' – on top of your contract hire fees 

•  When a forklift truck is damaged, it can cost much more to fix than you might think

A truck may be on hire as long as five years and during this time predictable deterioration, known as ‘wear and tear’, will naturally occur. Importantly, this term refers to a truck being used in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines. It should not – under any circumstances – be confused with damage, which is caused by misuse or abuse.

The cost of the problem

The nature of forklift design means that what appears to be superficial damage often results in commensurate damage to other, often more expensive, components. 

The exterior for example, protects its hydraulic and electronic systems. So when this protection is compromised, more valuable items are at risk. 

Equally, safety-related structures, such as overhead guards, often cannot legally be repaired. Replacement prices vary between models, but can cost up to several thousand pounds.

Seats are among the most frequently abused. Genuine wear is accepted at the end of a contract, but holes and rips are not. They are chargeable damage and fitting a replacement will cost several hundred pounds.

Even when repairing/replacing less expensive options, costs can quickly mount up. Hire companies are businesses, so their charges reflect overheads – including valuable service engineer time. 

Avoid the pitfalls

Awareness of how forklift truck hire works, the options available and potential problems is key to avoiding surprises at the end of a contract. 

With this in mind, we have released the Good Hire Guide. Available from the FLTA website (www.fork-truck.org.uk), it explains – in terms anyone can comprehend, the types of hire available, the terms and outlines the advantages and disadvantages of purchase and hire.

Alongside this, to help clear up the confusion over what is excessive wear or damage, we have produced an unbiased 32-page illustrated guide – Fair Wear and Tear – which defines the term ‘fair wear and tear’ in relation to the hire of forklift trucks. 

This is available through FLTA member companies, details of which are available from the FLTA website.

Truck rental dos and don’ts

Do:

Ensure you have read and understood your written hire agreement 

Check the truck on delivery and record any damage or deficiencies 

Confirm that you and your hiring company have copies of the same handover certificate

Ensure all operators know how to operate and look after the truck

Establish and maintain a system of recorded pre-use checks.

Deal with faults and damage as they occur 

Keep your truck serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements by allowing hiring company access to complete work when necessary. 

Make your operators and supervisors aware of damage costs

Don’t:

Hire trucks on verbal agreement

Allow untrained personnel to operate

Authorise truck use on unsuitable ground or in unsuitable areas

Permit overloading

Ignore inappropriate use

Neglect unwanted drips of oil and other fluids that are symptomatic of something more serious developing 

Overlook minor scratches as these are the tell-tale signs of careless operators