Frequently Asked Questions

For Cherry Pickers this is 4 hours where time starts when the truck leaves the depot and finishes on its return to depot.

For scissors, booms, trailer lifts and personnel lifts the minimum hire charge is one day plus transport costs to and from site.

If we have inspected the site and the equipment doesn’t reach then there is no charge provided there have not been any changes to the site conditions from the time we inspected the site.  You must let us know if there have been any changes likely to affect the placement or reach of the machinery.

If we have not inspected the site then you are liable for the minimum hire rate applicable to that machinery.

We ask as a matter of courtesy that you give us as much notice as possible if circumstances change but we require the following notice on all cancellations

For Cherry Pickers you need to cancel 3 hours before the machine is due on site. For Scissors and Booms we require 5 hours before the machine is due on site. This is to ensure that transport arrangements can be cancelled at no cost.  If you have made special arrangements for early delivery then cancellation must be the day before.

If you require us to organize permits or traffic control for your site we will do so at your request.  There will be a charge for the permits, & traffic control as well as fee for their preparation.  You may organize your own permits and traffic control for the site but you must forward us copies of the permits and any traffic control plan so we can check the machinery placement on the plan and coordinate with you.

The RTA, Council & Work Cover can fine not only the principal contractor but the subcontractor and machinery operator if they do not have the correct permits and plans to avoid this we permit copies for our operators.

Off Hires

Scissors & Boom Lifts must be off hired when you are finished with them.  It is your absolute responsibility to contact us when you are finished using your machine.  We will not call you, even if you have only hired it for one day or told the allocator you will only be a few hours.  We will continue to charge until you phone us the machine is off hire.

We require this so that we do not arrive ‘after a couple of hours’ to pick up the machine only to find you are still using it. This avoids you incurring aborted pick up charges.

Stand Down’s

Some jobs require the machine to be off hired on days it is not used or for bad weather.  You must call with your off hire before 9am to be eligible for stand down credit on your hire charges.  Stand down rate for calls before 9am on for the day the off hire is requested will be 50% unless otherwise agreed.

We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, EFT, PayPal, Cheque (account customers only)

Please note that if you do not have an account with us a credit card will be required to secure payment.  We do not accept cheques for COD accounts due to high percentage of defaults in recent years.

Pre-authorization

When you provide a credit card we will only charge your card when the job is complete unless otherwise agreed.  However we do perform a pre-authorization, this allows us to check that the card is valid for the estimated hire amount (or min hire charge).  This is not a payment; it is set aside on your card limit and will not be converted to a payment until the job is complete.

We realise that access to some site require a number of premobilisation and site specific WHS documentation to be filled out.  Unfortunately, many of these forms are not standard across the industry but vary widely site to site.  We understand your frustration particularly when you only need the machine for relatively short time or where actual works are unrelated to major works on site.  If you require us to fill these forms out for you as they relate to our equipment – there may be a charge involved.  Information that can be sent in our standard form or for machinery that has previously been on the same site – will not incur a charge.  However Forms that are not usual to our operations and which require a specific format or online lodgement process (including online inductions) will attract a fee.  Please contact us to discuss, we will make every effort to minimise the fee and assist you where possible.

The Damage Waiver’s purpose is to offer the customer an opportunity to cap their exposure in the event they damage the machine while on hire. The damage waiver only Caps the QUANTUM of the damage to Universal’s Plant and Equipment. It does not provide any indemnity nor does it provide any public liability or product’s type insurance cover for activities or damage that you may do while you have the machine on hire to any 3rd parties or employees. So, if your operators damage another vehicle, a building, a person – the damage waiver does not assist you or provide any cover to you. It caps to the unit at a percentage of its value, generally between $2,500.00 to $5,000.00. So, any damage to the unit below the cap you are liable for, but you would not be liable for the damage to the unit above the cap.

You are not obligated to take the damage waiver. You can eliminate the damage waiver if you can provide us with proof that you are covered for property damage to ‘Hired in Plant’ to at least the value of the unit that you are hiring. If you do not take the damage waiver there is NO cap you are fully liable for the total damage you do to the unit.