CMMS · MEWP rental
Which CMMS for an aerial work platform rental firm? The criteria checklist
An aerial work platform rental firm does not have a workshop’s needs: each mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) has its VGP (French periodic thorough examination) every 6 months, goes out and comes back, must be checked on return, must not go out again with an expired VGP or an uncleared safety-related finding, and must travel with its reports. To choose a CMMS, ask every vendor the same precise questions.
A CMMS (computerised maintenance management system, GMAO in French) tracks the maintenance and inspections of each machine. Here are 12 criteria for a rented-out fleet of aerial work platforms, with the question to ask each vendor.
Why a rental firm’s needs differ from a workshop’s
In a workshop, the machine stays within the company and the team that maintains it knows it. At a rental firm, the platform goes to a rental customer, comes back, goes through the workshop and leaves again. Between two rentals, you need to know what condition it is in and whether it can go out again.
The basic rule does not change: a MEWP (PEMP in French) has its VGP every 6 months (order of 1 March 2004, article 23). What changes is the volume and the proof. The French Labour Code makes the employer using the machine responsible for VGPs (article R4323-23), but INRS (the French occupational safety institute) notes that it is accepted that the rental firm carries out the periodic inspections; the user remains responsible and must make sure, at each handover, that they have been done (brochure ED 6419). Prévention BTP adds that following up and scheduling these inspections falls to the rental firm. The split of roles is set out in VGP for rented equipment, and the full rules in our guide VGP and lifting equipment.
Article 15 of the order also requires the instructions and copies of the latest reports to accompany the rented appliance: the CMMS must find them quickly, machine by machine.
The checklist: 12 criteria to compare CMMS tools
Ask each question word for word to each vendor and write down the answer. A vague answer is already an answer. The last column says what Trackary does, so you can judge it on the same checklist.
| Criterion | Why it matters for a rental firm | The question to ask the vendor | What Trackary does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. VGP every 6 months per MEWP, with alerts | Article 23 sets 6 months for MEWPs; each platform has its own date. Details: MEWP VGP; to check a date, use the VGP deadline calculator. | How is each inspection’s interval set, and am I alerted before the deadline? | Interval per inspection and per machine category; each machine has its own due date, with alerts before the date. |
| 2. Status and history per machine | The platform goes out, comes back and leaves again: you need to know where it stands. | Where do I see a platform’s status, hours and history? | A record per machine, hour meter, maintenance log and history of work orders. |
| 3. Condition on return | Impacts, leaks, hours: to be recorded and dated before the next rental. | How does a technician carry out a return inspection with a checklist, photos and a signed report? | No dedicated return-condition module: on return, you carry out a work order or inspection with a checklist, photos and a signed report, or the operator scans the QR code to report a problem. |
| 4. Findings and expired VGP | A platform with an expired VGP or an uncleared safety-related finding must not go out. At each handover, the user makes sure the VGPs have been done (INRS ED 6419); depending on the nature of the finding, the equipment may be kept in service or taken out of service (INRS ED 6339). | What does the tool show when a machine’s VGP has expired or a finding has not been cleared? | An expired VGP marked “blocking” makes the machine appear out of service; a failed inspection whose findings are not cleared stays blocking; the schedule shows a “VGP overdue” alert. Clearance is traced with a reason (and a photo if needed): see clearing findings. |
| 5. QR code on the machine | The rental customer’s operator has no account, but a defect must still be reported. | Can someone without an account do their pre-use check or report a defect with a photo from the machine? | Printable QR labels; the QR code opens a page without an account for a pre-use check (pre-use check) or a report with a photo, which lands in “Requests”. |
| 6. Field entries without a network | Depots, basements and remote sites have poor coverage. | What exactly works without a signal, and do I need to install an app? | As long as the app stays open, entries are kept and sent when the signal returns. The app runs in the phone’s browser, with nothing to install from a store. |
| 7. Signed work report | Dated proof of what was done before the platform is rented out again. | Can the technician have a report signed on the phone and get a PDF? | Reports signed on the phone: PDF with operations, checks, photo and signature. |
| 8. Documents to hand to the rental customer | Article 15: instructions, copies of the initial commissioning report and the latest VGP report, history of VGPs. | Where are these documents stored, and how do I get them out for a given platform? | Reports and documents are attached to the machine’s record and can be exported; handing them to the rental customer remains your job. |
| 9. Export and reversibility | Your data must follow you if you change tools; the register and reports may be kept on any medium (article R4323-27). | Can I export the whole fleet and its history to CSV or Excel whenever I want? | Data export to CSV and Excel. |
| 10. Pricing model | A rental firm has many technicians and drivers. Paying per user pushes you to leave the field staff out of the tool; paying per machine follows the size of the fleet. | Does the price depend on the number of machines, of users, or both? What counts as a machine? | Per active machine, unlimited users: €14 excl. VAT per machine per month (€11 above 50), 30-day trial. |
| 11. Importing your existing spreadsheet | Re-keying everything by hand discourages the team. No file yet? Start from our free Excel VGP tracker. | Do you import our file as it is, and what happens to what you cannot read? | Import of your fleet Excel file (first sheet) or CSV; skipped rows are flagged. |
| 12. AI reading of inspection reports | Copying out the findings of each report takes time. | Does the tool read our reports, and can we check everything before it is saved? | Trackary AI reads an imported VGP report and suggests findings and deadlines; nothing is saved before you approve it. |
What a CMMS will not do: the rental itself
Add a line to your checklist: what the tool does not cover. A CMMS tracks the technical condition of machines; bookings, contracts, quotes and invoices belong in rental management software. Ask each vendor what it does not do.
Rental is not the core of Trackary: no quotes or invoicing; keep contracts, quotes, bookings and invoices in your rental software. The difference between the two kinds of tool is explained in equipment rental software, and the choice between a VGP tracking tool and a full CMMS in VGP software or CMMS.
How to use the checklist?
- Shortlist three vendors: beyond that, the demos blur together.
- Send each one the same questions, in writing, and keep the answers.
- Ask for a trial on five of your real platforms, with their actual VGP dates, a return from rental and a finding to clear.
- Have a technician and a driver test the app, as well as the office.
- Check the export before signing: export the fleet and a history, and open the file.
- For the general method and a printable PDF checklist, see how to choose a CMMS.
What Trackary does and does not do
- Trackary is maintenance software for aerial work platforms and other machines: a record per machine, hour meter, configurable inspections and deadlines with alerts, VGP reports attached to the machine.
- It tracks findings until they are cleared, with clearance traced by a reason (and a photo if needed), and shows as out of service a machine whose blocking VGP has expired.
- It schedules maintenance by hours or by date: see aerial platform maintenance and the MEWP checklist.
- It does not carry out the VGP: that is the role of an inspection body or a competent person. It certifies nothing and does not transfer the employer’s responsibility.
- Rental is not the core of the tool: no quotes or invoicing. Its parts stock stays simple (stock in, stock out, reorder threshold), with no purchasing management, and it does not perform automatic fault diagnosis.
- Trackary costs €14 excl. VAT per active machine per month (€11 above 50 machines), unlimited users, with a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
Put Trackary through the checklist with your own platforms, then compare its answers with those of other vendors. Free trial ↗