Plant and equipment transport for hire kit – out to the site and back
Maxmove takes compact equipment from the hire depot to the site, collects it when the hire ends and moves it between sites – in a van, 3.5-tonne box van or 7.5-tonne truck up to 3,000 kg, with a signature and photos at every handover.
- Instant price before booking
- Live tracking on every drive
- Insured transports
Plant transport without a low-loader
Plant transport makes many people think of a low-loader carrying an excavator. Day-to-day work at a hire depot looks different: most jobs involve compact equipment – rammers, plate compactors, generators, dehumidifiers, core drills, cut-off saws, site distribution boards and barriers. They have to be on site when the hire starts and back at the depot quickly when it ends, so they can go out again.
What goes wrong: nobody is on site to receive the equipment. Skips or parking restrictions block the access. At collection, there is an argument about a cracked cover or missing accessories because nobody recorded the condition at delivery. And machines with combustion engines travel with fuel in the tank – which dangerous goods law regulates, as long as you know the conditions.
Maxmove moves hire equipment as a direct drive from the depot to the site, back again or straight on to the next site. You see the binding instant price and the earliest pickup window, add access details and a contact, and the digital proof of delivery records every handover with timestamp, signature and photos. Mini excavators, wheel loaders and anything above 3,000 kg are arranged as a special run on request.
Which equipment travels by van
Compact equipment from hire depots and yards that weighs up to 3,000 kg ready to load.
- Trench rammers
- Forward and light reversible plate compactors
- Generators and site distribution boards
- Dehumidifiers and space heaters
- Core drills and drill stands
- Cut-off saws and floor saws
- Drum mixers and paddle mixers
- Dirty-water pumps for dewatering
- Barriers, fence feet and traffic beacons
- Scaffold parts, ladders and cable reels
Hire equipment on the move in Dortmund, Bochum and Bonn
Delivery, transfer and collection – the three drives that make up every hire.
Delivery in Dortmund at the start of the hire
A hire depot at Dortmund's port delivers a plate compactor, a rammer and a site distribution board to a site in Dortmund-Hörde. The equipment is on a pallet, with fuel caps and fuel taps closed. The Sprinter drives directly, and the site foreman receives the equipment at the site entrance and signs digitally. The order states what should be photographed, such as the hour meter – turning the proof of delivery into the handover record.
Moving equipment between sites in Bochum
A contractor no longer needs a dehumidifier and two heaters at a site in Bochum-Wattenscheid, but needs them the next day at a shell build in Bochum-Langendreer. Instead of going back to the depot, the high-roof compact van drives directly from one site to the other. A contact is listed at both addresses, and the handover at the new site is recorded with signature and photos. The empty run via the depot disappears.
Collection in Bonn at the end of the hire
At the end of the hire, a generator, cable reels and barriers are ready for collection at a site in Bonn-Beuel. The hirer reports the return, and the depot books the collection for the next available pickup window. The driver secures the equipment in the 3.5-tonne box van with lashing straps and anti-slip mats and hands it over at the depot against signature, with photos in the proof of delivery. Damage can then be assigned to the right hire period.
What applies when moving site equipment
Fuel, load securing, loading, handover and limits – and what the depot, the hirer and the driver are each responsible for.
Fuel in the tank: ADR special provision 363
Equipment with a combustion engine, such as plate compactors, rammers and generators, falls under ADR special provision 363 when there is fuel in the tank. It is exempt from the remaining ADR rules if all valves and openings are closed, the machine is oriented so no fuel can escape, and it is fixed against movement. Hazard labels are only needed above 60 litres of fuel in tanks with more than 450 litres capacity. Loose fuel cans are not part of the machine – declare them separately when you book.
Load securing in the van
Under Section 22 of the German Road Traffic Regulations (StVO), every machine must be secured so it cannot slide, tip over or fall under emergency braking or a sudden evasive manoeuvre, following recognised engineering practice. For vans up to 7.5 t gross vehicle mass, guideline VDI 2700 Part 16 describes the methods. Top-heavy items such as rammers stand against the front wall and are lashed individually, and plates stand on anti-slip mats. Our drivers use lashing straps; lashing points and lifting eyes should be accessible.
Loading: dock, forklift or tail lift
Unless agreed otherwise, Section 412 of the German Commercial Code (HGB) makes the sender responsible for loading safely for carriage, while the carrier ensures loading that keeps the vehicle safe to operate. At the depot, that means your staff put heavy equipment into the vehicle by forklift or over the dock. On site, collection also needs a forklift, a wheel loader with pallet forks or enough people; carrying help can be booked. The 3.5-tonne box van is available with a tail lift on request, but its capacity is limited.
Record the condition at delivery and return
Visible damage must be reported at delivery at the latest, hidden damage in text form within seven days (Section 438 HGB). For the depot, the record towards the hirer matters too. The proof of delivery contains timestamp, signature and photos; note in the order what should be photographed – housing, rating plate, hour meter. For your own records, there is a damage report template.
Instruction, inspection and weight limits
The driver transports and documents the handover; instructing the hirer, commissioning and periodic inspections stay with the hire depot. Equipment up to 1,200 kg can be booked online in the 3.5-tonne box van and up to 3,000 kg in the 7.5-tonne truck. Mini excavators, dumpers, wheel loaders, telehandlers and heavy reversible plates need a trailer, flatbed or low-loader – we arrange those as a special run on request.
Which vehicle for which hire item
A single rammer, cut-off saw or dehumidifier fits into the high-roof compact van up to 400 kg. A plate compactor with accessories or several small items on a pallet travel in the van up to 900 kg or the Sprinter up to 1,000 kg. Mixed deliveries with barriers, a generator and heaters, or weights up to 1,200 kg, go in the 3.5-tonne box van, with a tail lift on request. Heavier machines up to 3,000 kg and lengths up to about 6 m travel in the 7.5-tonne truck.
| Vehicle | Maks. kaal | Euroaluseid | Maks. veose suurus | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small VanSobib nt Washing machine, armchair, moving boxes | 400 kg | 1–2 | 160 × 120 × 120 cm | from €94.05Base fare €29.90 | Book |
| VanSobib nt Sofa, 1–2 room move, moving boxes | 900 kg | 2–3 | 270 × 160 × 130 cm | from €112.95Base fare €44.90 | Book |
| Large VanSobib nt Wardrobe, 2–3 room move, bulky furniture | 1000 kg | 3–4 | 330 × 180 × 170 cm | from €130.05Base fare €54.90 | Book |
| 3.5t Box LorrySobib nt Retail goods, tail lift, large furniture | 1200 kg | 6–8 | 430 × 210 × 210 cm | from €211.24Base fare €129 | Book |
| 7.5t LorrySobib nt Full house move, bulky retail goods, site material | 3000 kg | 12–15 | 610 × 245 × 240 cm | from €366.72Base fare €249 | Book |
Published examples for Köln → Düsseldorf, weekdays at 10:00 (Berlin time). The binding price for your addresses is shown before booking.
Bigger, open-bed or heavier than 3 t? On request as a special run
How a hire equipment drive works
- 01
Book the drive
Enter the depot, the site, the equipment with weights and notes on access. You see the instant price, the right vehicle and the earliest pickup window, and can book the collection at the same time.
- 02
Collection at the depot
Your staff load the equipment ready to go with tanks closed, and the driver secures it in the vehicle with lashing straps and anti-slip mats.
- 03
Direct drive to the site
Straight to the site with no detours. The site foreman or hirer sees the arrival in live tracking and is ready at the site entrance.
- 04
Handover with photos
Handover to the named person with signature, timestamp and photos – your record for the start or end of the hire, available in the order straight away.
Why Maxmove for Plant & equipment transport
Delivery and collection as one cycle
Every delivery has a matching collection. You book both drives the same way, with the return timed to the end of the hire. Equipment does not sit on site longer than it is billed for and is back in circulation sooner.
Condition recorded, disputes avoided
Signature, timestamp and photos at every handover – with the hour meter and accessories in the picture if you ask for it. That lets you assign damage to the right hire period instead of arguing with the hirer about the condition.
Moving between sites without the depot detour
When equipment is needed on the next site, it travels directly from one location to the other. That saves an entire leg, and the handover at the new site is documented.