Renting equipment is often smarter than buying it. A contractor needs a telehandler for three weeks, an event company needs light towers for a weekend, a facilities team needs a scissor lift to change high lights. But rental costs can climb quickly when hire periods overrun, damage waivers are forgotten, or delivery charges appear on the invoice as a surprise. An Equipment Rental Purchase Order sets the dates, rates, and conditions before the machine arrives. This template is built around the rental timeline itself.
The Road at the Bottom of the Page
The template is US Letter portrait, 8.5 x 11 inches, and its structure is deliberately bottom-heavy. A deep asphalt-grey panel fills the foot of the page, crossed by a road with yellow centre dashes. Four orange markers sit on the road, each labelled above: DELIVERY 06/01, ON HIRE 06/01, OFF HIRE 06/19 and PICKUP 06/20. An orange forklift drives along the road between the first two stops. Below the road, a reminder about returning equipment sits beside our logo on a white plate.
At the top, a slim orange rule runs along the page edge. Equipment Rental is set in bold Titillium Web, with Purchase order · Hire of plant, tools & machinery in orange capitals, and an asphalt box on the right holds the PO number and issue date. Between the top and bottom, you will find:
- Rental Start, Rental End, Job Site, and Site Contact.
- Rental Company and Deliver To/Job Site details.
- Six Rental Conditions checkboxes.
- A 9-row table: Equipment, Qty, Rate Basis, Rate, Duration and Amount.
- A Site Access & Hours box and totals for Rental Subtotal, Delivery & Pickup, Damage Waiver, Sales Tax, and an orange TOTAL.
- Signature lines for the person authorising, the rental company and the date.
On Hire and Off Hire: What the Four Stops Mean
- Delivery: the day the equipment arrives on site.
- On hire: the day charges start, usually the delivery day.
- Off hire: the day you tell the rental company you have finished with the equipment. Charges normally stop here, so call it in as soon as the work is done.
- Pickup: the day the company collects it. The machine may sit on site after off-hire, but you should not be charged for that time, provided you called it off-hire as agreed.
Get an off-hire reference number when you call. It is your proof of the date if the invoice runs longer than it should. Each marker and its date are editable text, so update them for every rental.
Rate Basis and Duration, Calculated
Rental companies charge by the day, week, or month, and weekly or monthly rates are usually cheaper per day than daily ones. The template separates Rate Basis, Rate, and Duration so the calculation is transparent: Amount = Qty × Rate × Duration.
| Equipment | Qty | Rate | Duration | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telehandler forklift, 6,000 lb | 1 | 1,450.00/week | 3 weeks | 4,350.00 |
| Scissor lift, 26 ft, electric | 2 | 385.00/week | 3 weeks | 2,310.00 |
| Portable generator, 20 kW | 1 | 95.00/day | 12 days | 1,140.00 |
| Light tower, towable | 2 | 210.00/week | 2 weeks | 840.00 |
The rental subtotal is 8,640.00. Delivery and pickup add 350.00, the damage waiver at 12% of the rental is 1,036.80, and sales tax at 6% of the rental is 518.40, for a total of $10,545.20. How waivers and tax are charged varies by company and location, so copy the percentages and rules from your own quote. The editor will not calculate these amounts, so work them out first.
When the job length is uncertain, compare the costs: three separate weeks at a weekly rate may be cheaper than a month, or the other way round. Ask the rental company for their four-week or monthly price before you order.
The Rental Conditions Checklist
- Delivery & pickup by rental company: they transport the equipment, and the charge appears in the totals.
- Operator included: ticked when the rental comes with a driver or operator, usually at an hourly rate.
- Damage waiver: reduces your liability for accidental damage in exchange for a percentage fee. Read what it excludes.
- Fuel included: if unticked, return machines refuelled, as the footer says, or expect a refuelling charge.
- Operator certifications on file: confirms your operators hold the training or licences the equipment requires.
- Pre-hire inspection report: a record of the machine’s condition on delivery, which protects you from being charged for existing damage.
Preparing a Rental Order
- Update the PO number and issue date in the asphalt box.
- Enter the rental dates, the job site, and the site contact who will receive the machines.
- Fill in the rental company and delivery details, including gate or security instructions.
- Tick the conditions that apply. Ticked boxes are orange; set a box’s fill to white to untick it.
- Use the equipment table’s Edit Table Data window, opened by double-clicking it, to enter each machine with its rate basis, rate and duration.
- Type the totals, then change the road markers to your delivery, on-hire, off-hire and pickup dates.
Customizing the Road Panel
The road and its dashes are grouped, so they move together. The forklift is an editable vector: recolour it, move it along the road, or swap it for another icon if you rent tools or event equipment. The four markers can be moved to show a longer or shorter hire.
Printing for the Site
Print on US Letter at actual size. The asphalt panel prints well in greyscale if you want to save colour toner. Keep a copy on site so whoever receives the delivery can check the equipment against the order and note its condition.
Rental FAQs
What if we need the equipment longer?
Call the rental company before the planned off-hire date and issue a change to this PO with the new end date and amount.
Can I rent tools and small equipment on this form?
Yes. It works equally well for breakers, compactors, heaters, pumps, or event staging.
Hire With the Clock in View
Rates, dates, conditions, and the whole hire timeline on one page: this equipment rental purchase order helps you pay for the days you use and not a day more.
