Our plant hire Truro service covers excavators, dumpers, compaction kit, crushers, electric forklifts, scissor lifts and floor scrubbers, delivered across Cornwall’s city and out to Falmouth, Redruth, Camborne and the Roseland. Truro is a longer run from our Devon depot than most of our Devon work, so a little planning goes a long way. Send us the machine, your postcode and your dates on WhatsApp and we will tell you what is available and when it can be on site.
In this guide
Getting plant from Okehampton to Truro
Truro is around 70 miles down the A30 from Okehampton, with the final stretch via Carland Cross or Chiverton Cross depending on which side of the city you are on. The A30 makes it a straightforward journey for a lorry, and same-day delivery is often possible across much of Cornwall when the machine is in the yard. For a planned job, though, we would always rather know a few days ahead.
A few things help us get it right first time:
- Book early in the week for Monday starts. Friday afternoon requests for a Monday delivery are fine, but popular machines may already be committed.
- Group machines where you can. If you need a digger, a dumper and a plate compactor, booking them together means one delivery rather than three.
- Tell us the collection date as soon as you know it. Hire charges run until the machine is off-hired, so an early call saves you money.
- Give us site contact details. City sites often have gate codes, banksmen or delivery windows.
Delivery and collection are charged separately from the hire and are based on distance from the depot. We will always confirm the delivery cost before you commit.
Plant hire Truro: commercial and housing work
As Cornwall’s administrative and commercial centre, Truro generates a steady mix of work: refurbishment of shops and offices in the city centre, extensions and garden projects in the residential streets, and groundworks on new housing around the edges of the city. Each needs a different approach.
City-centre refurbishment
Tight streets, pedestrians and limited loading space mean compact kit and careful timing. A Sunward SWE 08B or SWE 18UF for breaking out and digging service runs, a Hyundai 500kg tracked dumper that fits through doorways and passages, and a Weber MT SM 82-3 pavement saw for clean cuts in paving are the usual choices.
Housing and estate groundworks
Bigger plots on the outskirts suit the Sunward SWE 35UF, SWE 60UF and SWE 90UF for foundations, drainage and roads, with the Merlo P40.14 telehandler (14m reach, 4 tonne lift) handling blocks, roof trusses and materials. Weber MT CR 3-III and CR 7 reversible plates take care of road sub-base and utility reinstatement.
Brownfield and demolition
Where an old building or yard is being cleared for redevelopment, the Dragon 400 and 450 tracked jaw crushers can turn broken concrete and brick into usable hardcore on site. That cuts the number of lorry loads going out and the amount of new stone coming in, which matters when every load has to travel Cornish roads. A 6 or 9 tonne excavator feeds the crusher, and the crushed material can go straight back down as sub-base.
Private homes and gardens
Truro’s older houses sit on sloping streets with steps and narrow side access. A zero tail swing excavator and a narrow dumper are usually the answer. Our construction equipment hire page has the full list.
Warehouse, retail and facility equipment
Not all of our Cornish hire is muddy. The industrial estates around Truro, Falmouth and Pool regularly need extra handling and cleaning kit for stocktakes, seasonal peaks, refits and new unit fit-outs. From our warehouse and cleaning equipment range:
| Machine | Capacity | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| EP F4 electric pump truck | 2,000kg | Moving pallets across the floor and to the dock |
| EP ESL 122 electric pallet stacker | 1,200kg, racking to 5m | Compact stores and stockrooms |
| EP EFL 253 electric forklift | 2,500kg | General warehouse handling indoors |
| CESAB B420 electric forklift | 2,000kg, side-shift | Busy distribution and logistics use |
| Sunward 0807DC scissor lift | 8m platform height | Racking work, lighting, maintenance |
| Eureka E50 / E36 scrubbers | Ride-on / walk-behind | Cleaning large or medium floor areas |
All of the handling kit is battery powered, so there are no exhaust fumes indoors. Operators still need proper training: HSE guidance on lift trucks sets out what employers are expected to provide. Check the current guidance for your situation.
Falmouth, Redruth and Camborne
Head west from Truro and the ground changes. Around the city itself, most digging is in the slates and shales Cornish builders call killas, which break out reasonably well with a toothed bucket but can be hard going in places. Towards Redruth and Camborne you are into the old mining district, and further south-west the granite of Carnmenellis comes closer to the surface.
That mining history matters for groundworks. Old shafts and workings are common in this part of Cornwall, so if you are building or digging deep, a mining search and proper ground investigation are sensible before you start. If you hit anything unexpected, such as voids, timber or a sudden change in the ground, stop and get advice.
Falmouth has its own challenges: steep streets, waterfront sites and limited parking. Early deliveries are usually the easiest way to unload without blocking a road.
Choosing a hire period
For plant hire Truro customers, how long you hire for has a bigger effect on overall cost than it does closer to the depot. Matching the hire period to the job avoids paying for repeat deliveries.
- Daily hire for a one-off task, such as a day with a pavement saw.
- Weekly hire for most groundworks and refits, and our most popular option.
- Monthly hire for longer projects with better rates than weekly.
- Long-term rental for contracts of around four months or more, with servicing included.
- Flex Hire for contractors who want one flat monthly fee and the freedom to swap machines, from £795 +VAT and delivery per month for Tier 1.
A delivery timeline for Cornish jobs
Because every delivery to Truro is a longer round trip than a Devon one, a clear plan helps you get the right kit on site first time and avoids paying for a second journey. This is the timeline we suggest for planned plant hire Truro work:
- Two weeks or more ahead: send us the job, the site postcode, the dates and a list of machines. For multi-machine or multi-site work, use the contact form so we can put together a proposal.
- One week ahead: confirm any site rules, such as delivery windows, induction requirements, gate codes or a banksman for reversing. City-centre and retail sites often have strict loading times.
- Two days ahead: confirm the delivery time, the on-site contact and the exact drop-off point, with a what3words location if the site is large.
- Delivery day: check the machines over with the driver, note any existing marks and confirm fuel levels. Make sure whoever will operate the kit knows the controls.
- During the hire: if the programme changes, tell us early. An extension agreed before the end date is simple; a swap to a different machine is easier to plan with notice.
- End of hire: off-hire by phone or WhatsApp and get confirmation. Charges stop once the off-hire is confirmed, so do it as soon as the work is done.
Worked example: a shop refit in the city centre
This is an illustrative scenario, not a real customer, showing how construction and warehouse kit can combine on one job. Picture a retail unit near the centre of Truro being refitted over three weeks, with new racking in the stockroom, a replacement drain in the rear yard and a deep clean before reopening.
| Task | Kit | Week |
|---|---|---|
| Break out and replace a drain in the rear yard | Sunward SWE 08B micro excavator, Weber MT SM 82-3 pavement saw, CF 1-III Hd plate | Week 1 |
| Strip out and move old stock and fixtures | EP F4 electric pump truck | Weeks 1 to 3 |
| Install racking and high-level lighting | Sunward 0807DC electric scissor lift (8m platform height) | Week 2 |
| Restock shelves and stockroom | EP ESL 122 electric pallet stacker (1,200kg, racking to 5m) | Week 3 |
| Final floor clean before opening | Eureka E36 walk-behind scrubber | End of week 3 |
Planning it this way means the pallet truck stays on for the whole job, while each other machine is only on hire for the week it is needed. Ideally, everything for week one arrives on one delivery, and the scissor lift and stacker follow later. Anyone using the scissor lift, stacker or forklifts needs appropriate training, and powered access work needs a rescue plan in case someone is stranded at height.
Digging in the road or pavement
Many city jobs involve connecting to services under the public highway: a new drain to the sewer, a water connection or a duct across the pavement. You cannot simply hire a digger and start cutting. Excavating in a public road or footway normally needs a street works licence from the highway authority, often called a section 50 licence, along with traffic management and properly qualified operatives and supervisors. In Cornwall the highway authority is Cornwall Council.
Utility companies usually carry out the connection itself, and they will tell you what you need to prepare on your side of the boundary. The practical advice is to apply early, because licences and traffic management take time, and to book your machine around the confirmed dates rather than the hoped-for ones.
Plant hire Truro for growth on the edge of the city
Truro has been growing outwards, with new housing and community development planned to the west of the city at Langarth and smaller schemes around its other edges. Large projects like these bring years of groundworks, utilities and landscaping. For contractors working on them, the questions are less about which machine and more about how to hire efficiently:
- Long-term plant rental for fixed kit on one site for around four months or more, with monthly rates, servicing included and a named contact.
- Flex Hire for subcontractors moving between plots and jobs. Tier 2 (£895 +VAT and delivery per month) adds crushers and excavators to the compact kit in Tier 1, and Tier 3 (£995) adds large excavators and forklifts.
- Grouped deliveries so excavators, dumpers and compaction kit arrive together, reducing transport costs on the long run down the A30.
- Breakdown support: if a machine stops, call or WhatsApp us. We assess the problem and arrange repair or replacement as quickly as we can.
What affects the cost of a Truro hire
We do not list prices, because each quote depends on the job; WhatsApp us for a current quote. The main factors for Cornish work are:
- Transport distance. Delivery and collection are priced by distance from the depot, and Truro is one of our longer regular runs.
- Machine size. Larger excavators and crushers need bigger vehicles and cost more to move.
- Hire length. Weekly, monthly and long-term rates all improve on daily rates, and on longer hires transport becomes a smaller share of the total.
- Out-of-hours delivery. Evening or weekend drops for retail and city sites may carry an extra charge.
- Fuel, cleaning and damage. Machines go out full and should come back full, clean and undamaged.
- Insurance. Not included. You need cover for hired-in plant, and we can refer you to insurance4plant.co.uk.
Ground and site checks before you dig
Beyond the mining history around Redruth and Camborne, a few checks apply to almost every Truro site:
- Buried services. Get utility plans and scan the area with a cable locator. HSE guidance on avoiding underground services recommends both, plus careful hand-dug trial holes near known services.
- Overhead lines. Telehandlers, excavators on full reach and scissor lifts can all reach overhead cables. Plan exclusion zones before work starts.
- Ground bearing. Soft spots, old backfilled trenches and cellars can collapse under a machine or an outrigger. If in doubt, probe or dig a trial hole first.
- Watercourses. The Kenwyn and Allen rivers run through the city into the tidal Truro River. Work close to a watercourse may need consent from the Environment Agency or Cornwall Council depending on its status, so check before excavating near the bank.
- Neighbours. On tight terraced streets, excavating close to an adjoining building may need notice under the Party Wall Act.
The Roseland, the Fal and rural mid Cornwall
Not every plant hire Truro enquiry is for the city itself. A lot of our mid Cornwall work is on farms, smallholdings and private houses around the Fal estuary, the Roseland peninsula and the countryside between Truro and St Agnes. These jobs have their own pattern.
- Narrow lanes and river crossings. Much of the Roseland is reached by single-track lanes with high hedges. We plan routes by road rather than relying on a ferry crossing, so tell us exactly where the site is and allow a little more notice.
- Farm and estate jobs. Track repairs, gateway rebuilding, field drainage and topping are common. The John Deere 6155R with the Valentini 2.3 Leon stone crusher, the SaMASZ toppers and the Venieri 1.63D pivot loader are on our agricultural equipment hire page.
- Waterside properties. Gardens running down to the creeks are often steep and soft at the bottom. Tracked machines and a planned route avoid getting stuck at the water’s edge, and work close to the foreshore or a watercourse may need consent.
- Holiday properties. As on the north coast, groundworks on lets and parks are easiest between October and March, when properties are empty and lanes are quiet.
For a remote site, it is worth thinking about everything you might need for the whole job at the start. A forgotten bucket or a second dumper is a quick fix near the depot, but a long round trip to the Roseland.
Frequently asked questions
Can you deliver to Truro the same day?
Often, if the machine is available and you call early. For planned work, a few days’ notice gives you the best choice of machines and delivery times.
Do you cover the Roseland and the Lizard?
Yes, we deliver across the whole of Cornwall. Some Roseland lanes are narrow, so tell us about access when you book.
Do your forklifts need a trained operator?
Yes. Hire is self-drive, and anyone using a forklift, stacker or scissor lift needs appropriate training. Ask us if you are unsure what applies.
Can I set up an account for several Cornish sites?
Yes. Use our contact form for multi-machine or multi-site enquiries and we will put together a proposal with a named account manager.
Can you deliver scissor lifts and forklifts to Falmouth and Penryn?
Yes. The warehouse and access kit can go anywhere we deliver in Cornwall, including the industrial estates around Falmouth and Penryn. Tell us about loading bays and floor conditions when you book.
How much notice do you need for a Truro delivery?
For planned work, a few days to a week gives you the best choice of machines and times. Same-day delivery is sometimes possible if the machine is in the yard and you contact us early.
Do I need a licence to dig in the pavement outside my property?
Usually, yes. Excavating in the public highway normally needs a street works licence from Cornwall Council as highway authority, and the work must be done by suitably qualified people. Check with the council before you plan the job.
Book plant hire in Truro and mid Cornwall
WhatsApp or call 07841 036064 (Mon–Fri 7:30am–5:30pm) with the machine, site postcode and dates, or use our contact form for fleet and account enquiries. Written quotes are available by email.
