REF / GLOSSARY
Plant hire glossary
26 terms you will hear on Australian sites and in hire quotes.
- Wet hire
- Plant hired with an operator supplied by the hire company, usually charged per hour with a minimum.
- Dry hire
- Plant hired without an operator; the hirer supplies a competent operator and usually takes on damage risk.
- Float
- A low-loader trailer used to transport heavy plant such as excavators and dozers.
- Tilt tray
- A truck with a tilting deck used to carry smaller plant, EWPs and containers.
- Franna
- A brand name commonly used for Australian articulated pick-and-carry cranes.
- EWP
- Elevating work platform—scissor lifts, boom lifts, vertical lifts and spider lifts.
- HRWL
- High Risk Work Licence, required for forklifts, cranes, boom EWPs of 11 m or more, dogging and rigging.
- VOC
- Verification of competency—an assessment confirming an operator can safely run a specific machine.
- White Card
- General construction induction (CPCWHS1001) required for all construction work in Australia.
- BYDA
- Before You Dig Australia—the free service to request underground service plans before excavating.
- SWMS
- Safe work method statement, required for high-risk construction work such as trenches deeper than 1.5 m.
- Zero swing
- An excavator whose counterweight stays within the track width when slewing—ideal beside walls.
- Posi-track
- Common name for a compact tracked loader, similar to a skid steer on rubber tracks.
- Tilt batter bucket
- A wide, smooth-edged bucket that tilts to shape batters and trim to level.
- Truck and dog
- A tipper truck towing a tipping trailer, used for high-volume haulage.
- Water cart
- A truck with a water tank and sprays used for dust suppression and moisture conditioning.
- Mobilisation
- Moving plant and people to site, including transport, permits and set-up.
- Standby rate
- A reduced rate paid when plant is on site but cannot work because of weather or delays.
- Damage waiver
- A fee that limits the hirer's liability for accidental damage to an excess amount.
- Off-hire
- Notifying the supplier that hire has ended; usually confirmed with an off-hire number.
- Load chart
- A manufacturer's chart showing safe lifting capacity at each radius and configuration.
- Outriggers
- Extendable legs that stabilise cranes and some EWPs, imposing high point loads on the ground.
- OSOM
- Oversize/overmass—vehicles or loads exceeding general limits and requiring a permit.
- NHVR
- National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, which issues heavy vehicle permits in most states (not WA or NT).
- Mine spec
- Plant fitted to a mine site's safety standards, including fire suppression, lighting and isolation.
- Compaction test
- A field or lab test measuring achieved density against the specification.
Turn the job into a clear hire brief.
Suppliers answer faster and quote more accurately when they get the outcome, access, ground and dates up front.