Guide
Operated versus self-drive plant hire: what actually transfers
Updated
The price difference is obvious. The difference that matters is who carries the operator, their competence and the responsibility for how the machine is used on your site.
The two arrangements
- Operated hire
- The hire company supplies the machine and a driver. You get output rather than a machine: the operator's training, competence, hours and supervision arrangements sit with the supplier, and you are buying a shift.
- Self-drive hire
- The machine arrives and your people run it. Cheaper by the day, and the training, competence, pre-use checks and site supervision are all yours. So is the damage risk, subject to the waiver.
The competence question, said accurately
HSE's guidance on training and competence states that employers must 'ensure that all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for the purposes of health and safety, including training in the methods which may be adopted when using work equipment, and risks which such use may entail and the precautions to be taken', which is regulation 9 of PUWER. It adds that it is not possible to detail what constitutes adequate training, because requirements vary with the job, the existing competence of workers, the circumstances of the work and the equipment itself (HSE).
- On driving plant, HSE quotes the PUWER Approved Code of Practice: 'You should ensure that self-propelled work equipment, including any attachments or towed equipment, is only driven by workers who have received appropriate training in the safe driving of such work equipment.'
- On rider-operated lift trucks, HSE quotes a further Approved Code of Practice stating that employers should not allow anyone to operate, even on a very occasional basis, lift trucks within the scope of that ACOP who have not satisfactorily completed basic training and testing as described in it. Three stages of training are mentioned: basic, specific job, and familiarisation.
- Industry card schemes are not what HSE's guidance names. That page sets out a duty of adequate training and competence rather than a particular certificate. Hire companies and principal contractors very often require a card as their own evidence of competence, so expect to be asked for one even where no page of guidance names it.
- Competence is broader than a course. HSE states people should be competent for the work they undertake, that training along with knowledge, experience and skill helps develop competence, and that competence may in some cases include medical fitness and physical or mental aptitude.
Choosing between them, honestly
| Situation | Usually better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One-off job, no trained operator in the business | Operated | You are buying the competence with the machine rather than arranging it |
| Regular groundworks with trained staff | Self-drive | Lower day rate, and your people are already competent and insured |
| Large or unfamiliar machine | Operated | Familiarisation on an unfamiliar machine is a real duty, not a formality |
| Long programme with steady utilisation | Self-drive on weekly or contract hire | Weekly rates and long-term terms improve sharply with duration |
| Tight or hazardous site | Operated | An experienced operator who knows the machine's limits is cheap insurance against damage |
Ask for both quoted on the same enquiry. The gap is rarely what people expect once transport and a full shift are in the same number. Get both priced.