Bespoke industrial tanker solutions

Staines Hire is part of the wider Staines Group, which began in 1992 when founder Eddie Staines designed and built his own agricultural trailer after struggling to find a suitable model. Demand quickly grew, leading to a successful manufacturing business that still operates from Torrington, Devon.
Building on this success, Staines expanded into construction and eventually launched Staines Hire to meet growing demand for plant hire services. Today, the company operates a fleet of around 350 machines, including tractors, trailers, dust suppression equipment, tankers, telehandlers, mowers and mulchers. This includes around 25 bespoke bowsers from Major Equipment.
Serving major projects such as HS2 and operating from bases in Torrington, Bridgwater, and Bicester, Staines Hire provides both short- and long-term hire, with options for self-drive or operator-supplied equipment. With such large-scale operations, reliability of equipment is critical to ensure contractor deadlines are met.

Major Equipment supplies Staines Hire with custom 2400LGP dust tankers tailored to its needs.  Key features requested by Staines include a 30” back door and 8,000 litre hydraulic pump.  The tankers run on Alliance tyres designed to provide excellent flotation on soft ground, reducing surface damage and improving stability.  A hot-dip galvanised finish on both the interior and exterior of the tanker, ensures maximum durability and long-term protection against corrosion. 

Currently, around 90% of Staines Hire’s fleet is deployed on a single major infrastructure project in south-west England. According to Plant Hire Manager Geoff Wyatt, the company has built its presence through reliability and responsiveness: “On projects like this, contractors often need equipment the next day, so we have to react quickly.”
The bowsers are used throughout the year, serving different purposes depending on the season. In winter, they support water management to combat site flooding, while in summer, they are essential for dust suppression.
Staines Hire also prioritises customer support. If a contractor requires equipment not currently available, the company will either source it externally or purchase it directly. Regular site presence and hands-on involvement from leadership help maintain strong relationships with contractors.

Staines Hire maintains a modern fleet with an average age of under 24 months, typically working with a single manufacturer for each equipment category - Major Equipment for bowsers and tankers among them.

“We continue to work with Major Equipment for several reasons. The most important is reliability - they are virtually bulletproof and there is very little that can go wrong. Almost all of the guys on site who use the Major tankers are now very experienced with them and that makes our job easier. About 80 to 90% of all the bowsers on site are from Major Equipment.

“It is a huge site, so transportability is also important. We can use a tractor to easily tow the units to wherever they are needed or deliver them from our Bridgwater depot.  The radial design and tread pattern of the Alliance tyres we specify, help absorb bumps and improves operator comfort.”

For Staines Hire, success depends on delivering reliable equipment exactly when and where it is needed. Downtime on projects of this scale is costly, making performance and support essential. “I have worked in plant hire for many years and have been on this project for 14 years now,” says Geoff. “To succeed as a hirer, you must be able to provide the customer with the right machine for the job, when they need it. It has to be a reliable machine and you have to be able to get it back up and running quickly if it stops working. We absolutely cannot afford to have reliability issues on this project as down time for the contractors is very costly.
“The Major tankers in our hire fleet underpin the reliability and performance that our business is built on and our clients expect,” concluded Geoff.