The rental rate is the first thing anyone asks about and almost the only thing anyone remembers. The trouble is that on its own it says nothing: two rates two hundred euro apart can mean completely different money in your pocket if the line between what is inside and what is outside is drawn differently.
What the rate actually is
There is no single rate. Each vehicle has its own, and its own deposit alongside it:
| Vehicle | Rate per month | Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| MAN 18.520 | 2 400 € | 3 000 € |
| Mercedes-Benz Actros 480 | 2 550 € | 3 100 € |
| Volvo FH500 | 2 550 € | 3 100 € |
| Ford F-MAX 500 | 2 200 € | 3 000 € |
| Krone Profi Liner (trailer) | 850 € | 1 050 € |
| Iveco Daily 3.0 (box van) | 1 856 € | not stated in the price list |
Source: the price list on Rent a tractor, which also carries each vehicle's specification. These values are current as at this article's update date; the price list decides, not this summary.
Three things that are easy to read out of that table incorrectly:
It is the price for one vehicle, not for a set. A tractor and a trailer add up. A Ford F-MAX 500 with a Krone Profi Liner comes to 3 050 € a month — which is the figure in the worked month on Rent a tractor, and it is not a tractor rate.
It is the price for a month, not for a week. The rate is paid monthly regardless of how far you drove.
Exactly one vehicle in the list has a mileage allowance. The Iveco Daily 3.0 includes 12 000 km a month, with 0.07 € per kilometre above that. The tractors have no mileage cap at all. That same vehicle has no deposit stated in the price list — ask about it before you sign rather than assuming there is none.
What is inside
Vehicle insurance. Third-party and comprehensive cover stay with the owner, which is us. You do not choose an insurer and you do not pay for one separately. The excess on the comprehensive policy is a specific figure and it is stated on Rent a tractor — read it before you need it.
If a wheel has to be changed on the road or the vehicle towed, roadside assistance is arranged by the insurer and you do not pay for it separately.
Scheduled servicing and inspections. Routine maintenance, consumables and brake pads are inside the rate. The truck goes in on a schedule, not when it breaks down on a run.
Repair of a technical fault. Any unexpected repair to a technical fault is inside the rate — including the one that stops you mid-run.
For a repair that drags on, we provide a replacement vehicle or a reduction in the rent.
Tyres. Replacement for wear is inside. A seasonal changeover is not on that list — budget for it yourself and ask about it before you sign. Wheel damage is explicitly outside; see below. On international mileage wear is a noticeable line, and one people leave out of their calculations with great regularity.
What is outside
Fuel. The largest cost a carrier has, and the one you genuinely influence — through your driving, your choice of filling stations and your route planning.
Tolls and ferries. Paid as you go and dependent on the direction. On Scandinavian routes a ferry can swallow the entire difference in the rate — which is what Scandinavia versus the west is about.
Fines. They land on you as an OSVČ, not on the company. That follows directly from working for yourself, and it is better known before you sign than after.
Washing, paid parking and wheel damage. Washing the vehicle and paid parking are yours, and can be put on the fuel card. And watch the distinction people get wrong most often: replacing a tyre for wear is in the rate, but a puncture or running over something is wheel damage, and that is an extra cost of yours.
Carrier’s liability insurance is separate
Insuring the vehicle is in the rate; insuring your liability for the cargo is taken out in your name — you carry it, so you answer for it. These are two different policies, and they get confused constantly.
The deposit
The deposit is not a down payment and not a payment for the truck. It is paid before handover, sits there for the duration of the cooperation, and comes back within 30 days of the tractor being returned, less any damage beyond normal wear. In a profitability calculation it is not a cost but frozen money: you need to have it, but it returns to you.
At the start, though, two amounts leave your account rather than one: the deposit and the first month's rent in advance. For a Ford F-MAX 500 with a Krone Profi Liner that is 4 050 € of deposit (3 000 € for the tractor and 1 050 € for the trailer) plus 3 050 € of rent for the first month. The deposit is not set against the rent — the difference between the two payments is that the deposit comes back and the rent does not.
What those lines look like across a whole month is on What is left, and whether renting beats buying at all is worked through in Buy a tractor or rent one.
