Hire and Rental News - February 2019

NOW AVAILABLE FROM Call 1300.650.659 for more information DRUM, EDGE & ORBITAL SANDERS SUITED FOR HIRE w w w . c r o m m e l i n s . c o m . a u The whole idea of a stand down is to assist the customer. I can’t see it ever disappearing from our industry but us as the operators we need to stay vigilant... stand down but it wouldn’t be for any length of time. Mark did note however, Stand Downs for Camden Hire are never retrospective, meaning they must be rung in prior to 8am-9am for them to be considered. “The whole idea of a stand down is to assist the customer. I can’t see it ever disappearing from our industry but as the operators we need to stay vigilant so we are not losing revenue from missing other opportunities,” Mark said. International practice Interestingly similar policies exist internationally but are apparently not common practice. Leigh Sparrow, Publisher/ Consultant for Vertikal said stand down policies are used occasionally but not on an official basis. He said during the Christmas period in particular (winter in the UK and Europe), a contractor might call late in the day and ‘off hire’ a machine, saying it will be needed again in January. “Some companies will say OK, others will say OK we will collect it and you will have to pay new delivery charges. Others again might suggest a deal to leave it on site and some hire companies actually are happy to leave it on site over the holidays because they do not have space when all machines come back to their yards,” Leigh said. “Increasingly rental companies are using technology to lock the machine remotely when it is off hired so customers cannot cheat. They also reserve the right to collect it if they need it.” Leigh did point to a new practice which is becoming much more common on UK and European work sites. “Interestingly a new practice is coming into play in Europe. It is early days yet but on larger sites a rental company with telematics enabled machines can leave them on site and only charge when the machines are used. So standing down becomes obsolete,” Leigh said. Did you know? The EWPA has an official ‘Stand Down Policy’ available in its Information Sheets under Miscellaneous, in its Member Services. This policy was first uploaded to the EWPA website by the EWPA back in 2007 and there have been subsequent updates uploaded in September 2011 and the latest in December 2013. Stand down guide for EWPs This stand down guide is being issued to member companies of the EWPAA. The table below is a reflection of the policies currently being used by a majority of member companies who have a policy in place. This guide is being issued as a guide only. It is up to individual companies to decide whether to adopt the guide in full, in part, or not at all. We trust that you will find it a useful document. The table below reflects the % credit applied to normal charge rate that applies under varying conditions. n CIRCUMSTANCE % Industrial Action 50 Public Holidays 100 RDO’s 50 * Inclement Weather 50 ** Equipment Breakdowns 100* Inclement Weather notification must be received prior to 9.00am on the day **Equipment Breakdowns applies to down time only HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS FEBRUARY 2019 P25 INDUSTRY IN FOCUS