Van, Tray or Tipper? A Melbourne Tradie's Guide to Hiring the Right Workhorse

Every tradie eventually hits the week their own vehicle can't cover — the ute's too small for the fit-out, the job needs a tipper for two days, or the van's in for repairs mid-contract. Hiring the right body type for that week beats owning the wrong one all year.

Cargo vans are the delivery and second-fix workhorses: dry, lockable, tie-down points everywhere. The two-tonne van swallows a kitchen's worth of flat-packs or a full day of courier drops; the high-roof HITOP adds standing height for cabinetry, glass and anything that must travel upright.

The tipper earns its rate on anything you'd otherwise shovel twice: green waste, soil, demolition offcuts, landscaping supplies in and spoil out. One hydraulic tip replaces a dozen trailer runs — and it drives on a car licence, so any of your crew can run it.

Tray trucks carry what boxes can't: lengths of steel, timber packs, scaffold, pallets loaded by forklift from the side. For dock work and event bump-ins, the roller-door courier truck is the specialist — a door that rolls straight up beats barn doors in any crowded loading bay.

The hire maths for trades is about downtime, not day rates. A $187 tipper day that saves six trailer trips pays for itself before smoko; a delivery van that keeps a contract running while your own is off the road is simply insurance that drives. Weekly rates kick in from day five for the longer jobs.

Tell us the job when you book, not just the vehicle — sometimes the right answer is a different body type at a lower rate, and we'd rather you come back next month than overpay this week.