Member Spotlight – Tanker Rent UK

Company name: Tanker Rent UK
Company representative: Lennon Compton
Job title: Director

What services do you deliver to the water jetting industry?

Tanker Rent UK supplies specialist tanker equipment to businesses across the water jetting, drainage and waste sectors. That includes vacuum tankers, gully tankers, combination units and other specialist vehicles on both short and long-term hire, rent-to-buy, or outright purchase.

Tanker hire gives customers the flexibility to add capacity without committing to another vehicle full-time.

Some need extra equipment for a busy period, a new contract or a seasonal increase in work. Others need a replacement while their own tanker is off the road.

Hiring from Tanker Rent UK allows businesses to respond quickly, protect cashflow and match the vehicle to the work in front of them.

What new service developments should we look out for from you in the next year or so? Ones you can tell us about!

We’re continuing to expand the range of specialist equipment available for hire, with more attention on the configurations operators find most effective in day-to-day work.

We’re speaking more directly with operators about the features that matter in practice, from configurations, controls, access and general usability. That feedback will help shape the vehicles we add to the fleet and give customers access to equipment that is better suited to the work their teams are carrying out.

What are the three most important elements of service delivery for your customers and why?

Availability: Tankers are often needed because a contract has started, workload has increased or a vehicle is unexpectedly off the road. Customers need to know that suitable equipment can be provided quickly.

Clear terms and communication: Customers should know exactly what they are hiring, when it will arrive, what it will cost and what is expected when the vehicle is returned. Clear off-hire timings and condition standards help avoid disputes later.

Reliability: The vehicle has to arrive inspected, workshop-checked and ready to work. If equipment is being brought in to protect a contract or replace a vehicle at short notice, it has to perform from the outset.

What have been the business highlights for Tanker Rent UK over the last 12 months?

It’s been a busy year. We’ve grown our customer base across the drainage, waste and industrial sectors, expanded the range of specialist equipment available for hire and strengthened the industry network we rely on to source specialist vehicles when customers need something outside our own fleet.

We’ve also joined the Water Jetting Association, which is an important step for the business. Many of our customers are WJA members, so becoming part of the association helps us stay closer to the industry and better understand the challenges they face.

Tell us something that you think anyone outside the industry will find amazing about your products and/or services or what they can achieve.

Most people don’t realise how much essential work depends on specialist tankers.

From keeping drainage networks operating to supporting emergency pollution incidents, infrastructure maintenance and industrial cleaning, they’re often working behind the scenes. People tend to notice the problem when they’re absent rather than when everything is working as it should.

What’s the biggest change in technology or process you have witnessed in your service sector in recent years?

One of the biggest changes has been how much more specialised tanker fleets have become.

Customers are much clearer about the type of equipment they need for particular jobs, and operators have a far greater influence over vehicle specification than they used to.

As a hire business, that’s changed the way we build our fleet. It’s no longer about having more vehicles, it’s about having the right vehicles in the right configurations for the work our customers are carrying out.

What do you think will be the biggest changes or challenges over the next 10 years?

I think we’ll see specialist tanker hire become a bigger part of fleet management.

As vehicles become more specialised, more expensive and more complex, it won’t always make commercial sense for operators to own every type of tanker they might need.

Hiring tankers gives businesses the flexibility to add capacity for new contracts, seasonal demand or specialist work without making a long-term investment in equipment they may only need occasionally.

What are you most proud of about the way your team supports your customers?

I’m most proud of the way the team takes ownership. As a family business, our customers can speak directly to people who know the vehicles, understand the job and have the authority to make decisions.

We stay involved throughout the hire, respond quickly when requirements change and deal with problems without passing the customer from one department to another. That level of access and accountability makes a real difference when a vehicle is supporting time-critical work.

Why did you decide to join the WJA?

It gives us more opportunities to listen to contractors and operators, understand how their needs are changing and make better decisions about the specialist equipment we add to our hire fleet.

Supporting the WJA’s work on safety, training and professional standards has also been an important part of the decision to join.

What advantages do you expect to get from being a member of the WJA?

The biggest advantage will be closer contact with the contractors and operators using this equipment every day.

Through WJA events, training and conversations with other members, we can keep up with changes in working practices and understand where demand is heading. That will help us make better decisions about the vehicles we add to the fleet and the support customers need around them.

What do you think are the WJA’s key achievements?

The WJA has played a major role in promoting safe working practices and improving professional standards across the industry.

Its work on training, guidance and bringing businesses together has helped create greater consistency throughout the sector.

Why is it important to have a member organisation for the water jetting industry?

Every specialist industry benefits from having an organisation that promotes best practice, shares knowledge and represents the interests of its members.

The WJA helps businesses improve standards while giving customers greater confidence in the companies they choose to work with.

What key issues do you think the WJA should focus on over the next three years, and why?

Continuing to promote high standards of training and competence will always be important.

Alongside that, helping attract the next generation into the industry and sharing practical guidance as technology and legislation develop will benefit both members and the wider sector.

If Tanker Rent UK were an animal, what kind would it be?

A peregrine falcon.

Like Tanker Rent UK, it’s responsive and precise, with the ability to change direction quickly when the situation calls for it.

Is there a final point you’d like to make?

Owning the core fleet will always make sense for many operators, but demand does not always stick to the fleet plan.

A new contract may start before another vehicle can be sourced. A tanker may be off the road for some time. Seasonal work creates short-term peaks. Or a customer may need specialist equipment that’s difficult to justify buying for one job.

Hiring gives operators a way to overcome these challenges. That is where Tanker Rent UK can help.

Telephone: +44 (0)1525 374 732.
Website: www.tankers-r-us.com.