# Plant Hire Rates

> Plant hire rates explained: operated versus self-drive, what a day rate does and does not include, and why transport is the biggest hidden cost on short hires.

## Key facts

- On short plant hires, transport to and from site is frequently the largest single item on the invoice, because delivery and collection are two separate priced movements charged from the depot regardless of how long the machine is used.
- HSE states that lifting equipment thorough examinations should be conducted every 6 months for lifting accessories and for equipment used to lift people, and every 12 months for all other lifting equipment, unless an examination scheme specifies other intervals.
- HSE states that employers must ensure all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for the purposes of health and safety, under regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

## Key pages

- [What do plant hire rates actually cover?](https://planthirerates.co.uk/): the main tool, answer above the fold.
- [Operated versus self-drive plant hire: what actually transfers](https://planthirerates.co.uk/operated-vs-self-drive-hire/): Operated hire supplies the machine and the operator. Self-drive supplies the machine only, and the training, competence and supervision duties stay with you.
- [What a plant hire day rate includes, and the six things it does not](https://planthirerates.co.uk/what-a-day-rate-includes/): A plant hire day rate is the machine only. Delivery, collection, fuel, damage waiver, minimum hire periods and idle time usually sit outside it. How to compare quotes.
- [Mini digger hire rates: what changes the price on a small machine](https://planthirerates.co.uk/mini-digger-hire-rates/): Mini digger hire rates step by machine weight, hire duration and depot distance. Why a 1.5 tonne machine and a 3 tonne machine are different hires, not sizes.
- [Plant hire transport costs: the biggest hidden cost on a short hire](https://planthirerates.co.uk/plant-hire-transport-costs/): Delivery and collection are two separate charges priced from the depot. On one and two day hires transport often exceeds the machine rate. How to cut it down.
- [What sits inside a plant hire rate, and what sits outside it](https://planthirerates.co.uk/#data): original data table, updated 2026-08-14.
- [Full site content as markdown](https://planthirerates.co.uk/llms-full.txt)

## Data

- What sits inside a plant hire rate, and what sits outside it. Methodology: No rates appear in this table. There is no official UK schedule of plant hire rates, and published rate cards vary by machine size, region, depot, duration and account status by more than any single figure could honestly represent. So we set out what is charged and how it behaves, and get you quotes for your actual job. Safety and inspection statements are as published by HSE and were read on 14 August 2026.
- Last updated: 2026-08-14. Every figure cites its source inline.
- Source: HSE, thorough examinations and inspections of lifting equipment (LOLER): https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/thorough-examinations-lifting-equipment.htm
- Source: HSE, Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 overview: https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/loler-overview.htm
- Source: HSE, PUWER training and competence: https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/training-competence.htm
- Source: legislation.gov.uk, Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2306/contents
- Source: legislation.gov.uk, Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2307/contents

## Citation

Cite as: "What sits inside a plant hire rate, and what sits outside it", Plant Hire Rates, https://planthirerates.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14).

## About

- Plant Hire Rates is a free introduction service; we pass your details to plant hire companies who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are not a hire company and we are not affiliated with HSE, the Construction Plant-hire Association or any body named here. Nothing here is health and safety or legal advice: duties are summarised from HSE guidance read on 14 August 2026 and must be followed in full from the source. We publish no rates because there is no official UK plant hire rate schedule.
- Operated by planthirerates.co.uk. Contact: quotes@planthirerates.co.uk