Wet hire and dry hire sound simple until the job is moving, the machine is on site, and someone asks who is paying for the operator, fuel, inductions and lost time. I have seen good projects get sideways because the quote said one thing, the purchase order assumed another, and nobody clarified the scope before the float left Perth.
What wet hire means
Wet hire usually means the equipment comes with a competent operator. In many Australian hire arrangements it also includes fuel, routine maintenance and the operator's basic travel inside an agreed service area, but do not assume that. Some suppliers include fuel, some charge it at cost, and some quote an hourly machine-and-operator rate with a separate mobilisation line.
Wet hire is common for graders, cranes, large excavators, specialist compaction, vacuum trucks, water carts and mine site gear. The supplier is not just renting steel; they are delivering a productive service. That can be good value when the operator knows the machine, understands local ground, and can get the work done without a long learning curve.
What dry hire means
Dry hire is equipment only. You supply the operator, fuel, daily checks and the site supervision needed to use it properly. The hire company remains responsible for the machine being fit for purpose and maintained, but you carry more of the practical burden once it is on site.
Dry hire suits longer jobs where you already have ticketed operators and a maintenance rhythm. If your crew has been running 14 tonne excavators around subdivision work in Geraldton or Kalgoorlie all year, dry hire can save money. If your only available operator last drove a skid steer three years ago, dry hire is not saving money; it is creating risk.
When wet hire makes sense
Wet hire earns its keep on short jobs, remote sites and specialist equipment. A two day trenching job in Karratha, a crane lift in Port Hedland, or a grader package for a mine access road is usually better handled by people who do that work every week. Pilbara mining clients often mandate wet hire for complex equipment because they want known operators, current VOCs, mine inductions and clear supervision lines.
It also helps when compliance is tight. Under WHS duties, the PCBU managing the work must make sure workers are competent and risks are controlled. With wet hire, the supplier still has duties to its operator, and the principal contractor still has site duties. That split should be written into the SWMS, onboarding and purchase order. No worries if everyone is clear; painful if they are not.
When dry hire makes sense
Dry hire generally suits longer-term work, repeat use and crews with the right people already available. On a month-long civil package, the rate difference can be material. Wet hire can be 40 to 60 percent more expensive at face value, but that higher rate may include labour, fuel, servicing, minor repairs and productivity. Compare the full cost, not just the daily rate.
The grey area: damp hire
You will hear damp hire used for equipment supplied with fuel or servicing support but no operator. It is not a legal category, just industry shorthand. Spell it out. Does the supplier fill the tank? Who pays for AdBlue? Who does pre-starts? Who pays if contaminated fuel takes a generator down in the middle of a night shift?
Practical tips before you sign
- State wet or dry in the quote request. Do not leave it for the hire desk to guess.
- Ask what is included. Operator, fuel, maintenance, travel, accommodation, mobilisation and standby should each be clear.
- Check operator compliance. Ask for tickets, VOCs, licences and mine inductions where relevant.
- Get it in writing. A phone call is fine for speed, but the purchase order should match the agreed scope.
Fair dinkum, most hire disputes start with assumptions. A five minute clarification before the machine moves is cheaper than arguing over a variation after the work is done.