Dorset-based Express Hire was formed in 1990 by Judy and Martin Tollerfield, and the business was purchased late in 2024 through a management buyout and is now owned by current Directors Andy George and Gary Knight.
“We quickly established a pattern of replacement for the fleet,” said Mr George. “In that first year we bought 37 Kubota 1.5-tonne mini excavators.”
The business now has a fleet of more than 450 machines, taking delivery of four U50-5 excavators in December 2025 and four KX085s in January. A further ten U17-5 minis and five U27s will join the fleet by the end of the month. Express Hire has since updated its telehandler fleet, added compact crushers and increased its tracked carrier range.
Working from a head office site in Poole, Express Hire has its own delivery fleet and a team of engineers to provide back-up. Customers range from weekend DIYers to major construction and civil engineering contractors.
“We’ve also got a good working relationship with all of the local builders’ merchants, who use us to provide a plant hire service to their customers,” said Mr George. “We’ve got a good core of customers and we do a lot of business through the merchants.”
The company is aiming to replace the majority of its machinery on a rolling 4-5 year programme and the latest Kubota excavators are the first to bear a new livery that will be repeated across the fleet. Express Hire has also taken a novel approach to bucket supply with the excavators, having the buckets delivered in hard-wearing colours like red, orange and purple. Not only does this make it easier to find buckets on busy sites, but it fixes the company in the minds of customers.
“The only diggers we will buy are Kubotas. We’ve tried others throughout our years of hire, but they are just not as good,” he added. “Reliability, resale values and the service we’ve had from the dealer are the main plus points. We have a very good rapport with Lister Wilder.”
Kubota’s KX085-5 midi is currently the company’s largest model, although it has access to crawler excavators up to 14-tonnes through cooperation with another hire business. Express Hire is also considering the new 14-tonne U145 that will be arriving later this year.
https://www.express-hire.co.uk/
