Hireco: delivering certainty through fleet partnerships
Contract hire specialist Hireco says it is anticipating a high-demand year ahead as operators seek to refresh fleets, improve reliability and secure supply in advance.
The company says the contract hire market is entering a decisive phase – with fleets under pressure from rising compliance demands, tighter margins, supply chain constraints and increasing service expectations – and that in this environment, scale alone is not enough.
“The challenge isn’t just fleet size,” said James Smith, CEO of Hireco.
“It’s how well that fleet is supported, structured and protected across its entire lifecycle.”
Growth is important, says James, but unmanaged growth creates risk. The industry does not need fewer assets; it needs assets delivered with discipline, transparency and operational certainty.
Confidence in the market is returning, he adds, and Hireco is positioning accordingly.
In January, the company placed orders for over 1,200 new assets for 2026 delivery, spanning trailers, trucks and light commercial vehicles.
“We are investing early because we expect demand to be strong,” Smith explained. “But investment only matters if it is backed by structure, funding certainty, maintenance capability and lifecycle control.”
This forward ordering strategy ensures availability while maintaining fleet age discipline and protecting uptime standards.
A younger fleet is not cosmetic, the firm contends – it is operational strategy. With an average tractor age of two years and trailer age of three years, Hireco operates one of the youngest fleets in the market. It says younger assets reduce breakdown frequency, stabilise utilisation, improve fuel efficiency and minimise reactive maintenance exposure.
“If a fleet strategy doesn’t actively reduce downtime risk, the operator absorbs volatility,” said Smith. “We design that volatility out wherever possible.”
Certainty drives performance, which in turn protects margin, says Hireco; reactive reporting is no longer sufficient, and continuous asset visibility is becoming a baseline expectation.
With 99 per cent of Hireco’s fleet tracked and equipped with systems such as electronic braking performance monitoring systems (EBPMS) and tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), potential issues can be identified before they escalate into prohibitions or operational failure.
“Technology should prevent disruption, not simply record it,” Smith added. “Data is only valuable if it protects uptime.”
This proactive model is said to support compliance, reduce unnecessary downtime and strengthen SLA performance.
Fleet partnership is defined by response under pressure, says the firm, and to this end it provides 24/7 nationwide support, a structured aftersales framework, named contacts and proactive site engagement. When issues arise, they are managed decisively and transparently, ensuring operators are not left coordinating fragmented supplier networks.
“Accountability is not about absorbing every cost,” Smith explained. “It’s about clarity, speed of resolution and removing operational friction.”
A fleet strategy is incomplete without disciplined end-of-life management. Hireco’s dedicated Used Asset Disposal Centre provides structured remarketing across domestic and export markets for trailers, trucks and LCVs.
By managing residual performance internally and maintaining asset presentation standards, the company says it can reduce end-of-term volatility and protect value throughout the asset lifecycle.
“Lifecycle control is fundamental,” said Smith. “We don’t just supply assets; we manage their performance from delivery to redeployment.”
This integrated approach strengthens funding relationships, improves residual stability and provides operators with transparency at contract end.
Hireco operates nationally across trailers, trucks and LCVs, and emphasises its ability to combine fleet scale with proactive maintenance, forward ordering discipline and lifecycle management. Operators should not have to choose between growth and reliability, it says.
“As demand increases, standards must rise with it,” Smith concluded.
“Our focus is simple: invest early, maintain discipline and deliver certainty. In a market where pressure is increasing, structured partnership makes the difference.”
