Renting equipment is easy, right? You search online, find the nearest rental provider with the lowest price, and book it.

Hold on. There's a right way and a wrong way to rent equipment like forklifts. And that's the wrong way for several reasons:

-No planning
-No schedule awareness
-The best value almost never comes with the lowest price

What's the right way then? It's this: Make the rental process efficient, and you save time as well as money.

Rental efficiency starts with a good plan, and ends with a helpful relationship. Let’s break it down.

First: Planning for Your Rental Needs

Planning starts with you. Ask yourself a few questions to identify the real rental needs and priorities.

1. What do you need the equipment to do?
   1. That’s not the same as, “What forklift/order picker/lift should I rent?”
   2. Identifying the real need determines the equipment. A smart rental provider will recommend the right product for the job—not what they prefer pushing.
       
2. How long will you need the rental?
   1. Short-Term rentals have rental terms under 30 days.
   2. Long-Term rentals have rental terms over 30 days.
   3. The next step will go into greater detail here. 
       
3. Where will you need the rental to operate? Make sure you know what to expect here, because it influences what type & capacity equipment you’ll need.
   1. Indoors/outdoors/both?
   2. What kind of yard surface will the rental have to navigate?
   3. What will the weather be like?
   4. How much product will you need to move? How frequently per shift?
       
4. Is renting the best course, or should you consider buying used equipment?
   1. Depending on how long the rental is for, and what’s involved, buying a used forklift might actually save you in the long run! (More on this later.)

Answered all those? Great. NOW it's time to talk with a rental provider.

Second: Convey Your Needs to Rental Providers

What’s the best way to find a good rental provider? We might be a little biased, but referrals work well for our customers.

Bring them the answers you’ve worked up. Spend a few minutes talking through your needs. The wrong rental providers will just push their preference. The right rental provider will listen to you first, then make recommendations based on those needs.

How do you make this discussion more efficient? Use the following ideas to add details to your planning. These are all points from the Forklifts Group’s Rental Team, based on their years of setting up rental contracts.

Primary Need: The Right Equipment for the Job

Make sure you talk with a rental provider who can meet your equipment needs. That means they have a broad inventory of forklifts by class/lift capacity, boom & scissor lifts, accessory equipment like pallet jacks & lift tables, and so on.

Pro Tip: Never underestimate the lift capacity just to save money. You risk straining the equipment and causing damage.

Rental Term: Short-Term, Long-Term?

Bring an estimated time interval for which you’ll need the rental. We’ll match that to the most efficient rental term.

That may not always be what you thought beforehand. Here are some “Rules of Thumb” to illustrate.

• Need the equipment for 1-3 days? Daily rental is the best.
• Need the equipment for 4-5 days? Weekly rental is cheaper.
• Need the equipment for 2 weeks? Monthly rental saves you more than weekly.
• Need the equipment for 1 month or longer? Monthly rental may work, but overestimate by 1 week and see what the provider can offer.
  • For instance, if you need equipment for 5 weeks, the provider may adjust the monthly rate, saving you almost 1 week’s cost.

Short-Term (Days to Weeks) is ideal for seasonal peaks, special projects, covers equipment down for maintenance, or testing a new equipment type. Focus on minimizing duration and avoiding extras to trim the daily cost.

Long-Term (Months to Years) offers the biggest per-day discounts and predictability—great for use in ongoing operations while preserving cash flow. Multi-month rates drop the cost/TCO ratio significantly.

Rental Logistics

Every rental has terms for things like maintenance, delivery/pickup, and so on. They don’t always come up in conversation though—so consider this a reminder to bring the following up!

• Delivery & Pick-Up: We address this right after determining the equipment to rent. That way we know which truck to use!
• Negotiations: We have established rates for specific rental agreements, but we’re flexible on some points. Let’s talk.
• Service/Maintenance: Standard rental contracts do come with limited service coverage. What’s covered and where may be open to negotiation.

Third: Build Your Rental Relationship

The Forklifts Group has rental customers going back decades. Why? Because we have good relationships with them that we built over time.

Building those relationships starts with transparency. The more we can clear up right away, the easier it is to do business.

To that end, here are some questions you can ask a potential rental partner—and a few questions they should ask you in return. These help clarify what’s what and work on the relationship from the start.

Questions to Ask a Rental Dealer

• What are your service hours in case we have issues with the equipment? Is there a 24-hour option, or is that standard for emergency service?
• When are the normal delivery/pick-up times?
• If we’re outside the delivery perimeter, what happens?
• When we’re finished with your forklift and it’s ready for pickup, how much notice is required so that they stop billing us for the rental as soon as possible?
• Do I need to set up a corporate account to rent a forklift?  How long does that take? What paperwork do you need from me?  Will I need a certificate of insurance?

Questions Dealers Should Ask You

• How will you keep the equipment safe on-site?
• What’s your preferred communication method for notices?
• What was your last rental experience like?

Cost Savings Ideas

Finally, let’s share some straight-up cost savers. Everybody likes saving money—and you CAN save on rentals after the deal’s signed, believe it or not. Just follow these tips.

1. Keep your rentals safe. It shows you value our equipment, and builds a good relationship. It can even result in better rates over time.
2. Track your actual usage. Did you rent for 6 weeks but only ended up using it for 5? You can save money by shortening the next rental period.
3. Schedule service dates in advance. Bundled rates save more.
4. Check competitor quotes. Go ahead; we'll wait.
5. Buying instead: If you have a consistent need for rental over years, compare your total rental spend against buying used. Buying may save you in TCO (factoring in maintenance & depreciation). Not sure? Ask us to run the TCO numbers on renting vs. buying.

More Efficient Rental Processes = Cost-Effective Rental Agreements

Rental rates vary by location, equipment type, capacity, and provider. Use smart planning, precisely matching your needs, and negotiation to keep those rates reasonable.

With some efficiency work like the above, you not only save, but you build a rental relationship that makes everything easier. And cheaper!

Looking to rent for the summer season (or book in advance for the holidays?): Submit a Request form on our Rental Request page.

Until next month!
-The Forklifts Group Team