Guide
Construction equipment rental software: bookings, check-out and check-in
Updated 23.10.2026
Construction equipment rental software does three jobs: shows which machine is free and when, records its condition at check-out and check-in, and backs up any charge for what changed in between. Required photos, an hour meter reading and two signatures settle most damage disputes. Here is how to organise it, with a ready-to-use check-out checklist.
Plant hire: the problems that keep coming back
Whether you run a hire business or a contractor who hires out part of the fleet when it is standing idle, the same headaches come back. They rarely come from the machine. They come from information nobody wrote down at the right moment.
A booking taken over the phone and kept in someone’s head. A scratch that was «already there». An hour meter nobody read at check-out. In the end it is your word against the customer’s, and without evidence the hire company often pays.
- Double booking: the same mini digger promised to two customers for the same Monday.
- Disputed damage: a cracked bucket, a chipped window or a cut tyre the customer says was already there.
- Hour meter not read: you can neither charge the real hours nor show heavy use.
- Fuel not topped up: the machine comes back a quarter full, with no record of the level at check-out.
- Transport forgotten: the wheel loader is ready, but nobody booked the low-loader.
- Missing attachments: keys, quick coupler, ditching bucket or extension leads that never come back.
Hire planning: how to avoid double bookings
The clearest hire planner has one row per machine and one column per day. Each hire shows as a bar with the customer, the site, the dates and how the machine changes hands (delivered by you or collected by the customer). If two bars overlap, you see the clash before you say yes.
Block out the days a machine cannot go out: planned service, open repair, annual inspection. An excavator that reaches its 500-hour service during a three-week hire should be serviced before it leaves, not halfway through the customer’s job. That means the hire planner and the maintenance log need to talk to each other.
Book the transport at the same time as the hire. A delivery with no lorry or driver booked is a problem you otherwise find out about on the morning itself.
Equipment hire check-out and check-in: the checklist
A good check-out is done at the machine, with the customer or their operator present, and always follows the same order. Use the same list at check-out and check-in: that is what lets you compare them line by line. Adapt it to the type of plant (excavator, loader, dumper, access platform), but keep a common core.
- Identification: machine, serial or fleet number, customer, site, date and time.
- Hour meter: exact reading, with a photo of the meter.
- Fuel: gauge level (full, 3/4, 1/2…) with a photo; AdBlue if fitted.
- Bodywork and cab: scratches, dents, glass, mirrors, seat, cleanliness.
- Undercarriage: tracks or tyres (cuts, wear), rollers, sprockets.
- Equipment: boom, rams, hoses (leaks), bucket teeth and cutting edge, quick coupler.
- Function: start-up, warning lights on the dash, work lights, beacon, reversing alarm.
- Attachments handed over: extra buckets, breaker, number of keys, on-board documents.
- Terms and conditions accepted, signed by both the customer and the hire company.
Photos and signatures: what counts in a damage dispute
A photo beats any description, as long as it is taken in the right place at the right time. Always require the same views: front, rear, left side, right side, hour meter and fuel gauge. Add close-ups of every existing defect. A short video with the engine running and the hydraulics moving rounds off the record nicely.
The customer’s signature on the check-out sheet shows they saw the machine and accepted its condition. Have the check-in signed too, even if the customer disputes a point: they can sign and note their objection. Send them a copy the same day. A damage report that arrived by e-mail on the evening of the return is much harder to dispute three weeks later.
Off-hire inspection: compare check-out and check-in
At check-in, go through the check-out list line by line and take photos from the same angles. Every difference is either fair wear and tear or damage to discuss. Hire hours come from the difference between the two hour meter readings, and fuel from the difference between the two gauge readings.
Draw a clear line between fair wear and tear (bucket teeth, light working marks) and damage (broken glass, torn hose, bent ram). Put those rules in your terms and conditions before the hire starts. Note the simple extra charges as well: refuelling, or cleaning a machine that comes back caked in mud.
Do the inspection with the customer whenever you can. If the machine is dropped off out of hours, photograph it as soon as you arrive and let the customer know straight away.
Machine returned broken down: what to do
A machine that comes back broken down should be taken out of service at once, even if the fault looks minor. Record what you find (photos, video, fault codes on the display), note the hour meter and open a repair. Do not hire it out again until you know the cause.
Then check the next bookings. If the machine is due out again in two days, warn the next customer or line up a replacement. A breakdown handled early stays a workshop matter; found on the morning of delivery, it becomes a customer problem.
Who pays often comes down to one question: wear or misuse? A complete service history shows the machine was maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions. That is the whole point of a construction equipment maintenance log kept without gaps.
How the Godet Rental option handles all this
The Rental option in Godet follows exactly this workflow. The hire calendar shows one row per machine. Each booking holds the customer, the site and the handover type (delivery or collection). A small red or green lorry shows whether the transport for each delivery is organised.
Check-out is done on a tablet: inspection points suited to the machine (OK, Defect or Not applicable), fuel, hour meter, required photos (front, rear, left, right, meter, gauge), up to 20 photos and 2 videos, attachments, keys, terms accepted, then the customer and the hire company sign with a finger. At check-in, the comparison with check-out shows new defects in red and works out the hire hours. You add the charges (fuel, cleaning, damage) and the PDF report goes to the customer by e-mail.
If the machine comes back broken down, a repair is opened in its log and the following bookings are flagged «at risk». The option costs CHF 29 a month on top of your plan and is included in the 15-day free trial, no credit card needed. The quickest way to see it is the Rental option demo, with no account required.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need dedicated software if I only hire out a few machines?
Not necessarily. But once more than one person takes bookings, a whiteboard or a shared spreadsheet soon shows its limits. What matters is a single hire planner everyone can see, and check-outs done the same way every time.
What should an equipment hire check-out sheet include?
At least: machine and customer details, hour meter reading, fuel level, condition of bodywork, undercarriage and equipment, attachments handed over, photos from fixed angles and the signatures of both parties.
How do I prove damage happened during the hire?
With two matching documents: the check-out sheet signed by the customer and the check-in sheet, both with photos from the same angles. If the defect is missing at check-out and present at check-in, the conversation is much shorter.
How are hire hours on an excavator worked out?
From the difference between the hour meter at check-in and at check-out. That is why both sheets need a photo of the meter: a figure written by hand is easy to dispute.
How much does the Godet Rental option cost?
CHF 29 a month on top of your plan (Essentiel CHF 29, Pro CHF 59 or Parc CHF 99 a month, same amounts in euros), with no commitment. It is included in the 15-day free trial. For a specific question, get in touch.