Plant Hire with Delivery in Melksham, Wiltshire
A narrow towpath lane is an awkward place to reverse a trailer, let alone park one for the day. Book delivery and the machine simply turns up ready to use, with Coppard collecting it again once the job wraps up.
The hire and the delivery are booked in the same call. Give the Melksham depot your dates and the site address, and we will time the drop-off and pickup to suit the job.
Why Not Tow It Yourself
A trailer along a narrow canal-side lane needs the right licence category and a confident hand, and parking it anywhere afterwards is its own problem where there is barely room for one vehicle, let alone two.
Delivery removes the whole issue. Coppard’s driver loads, secures and brings the machine out, then returns for it once the hire ends, leaving your own van free for everything else the job needs.
On a mill or barn conversion where several deliveries are already squeezed through one stone gateway, cutting a trailer run out of the mix clearly frees up space on site. A trailer left on a towpath lane overnight can also be in the way of walkers and cyclists using the path early the next morning.
What Can Be Delivered
Most machines in the fleet, not just the largest, go out and come back by delivery. See the Melksham Equipment Rental Agency page for the full list this depot stocks, and the Plant & Machinery collection for current availability.
Early slots tend to suit best where a canal-side road fills up later in the day with towpath walkers and cyclists. Tell us the window that actually works for the site rather than taking the default.
We will need the full address and a sense of the access, such as a narrow stone gateway or a track down to the plot. Ring 01380 828988 once dates are set to lock in a slot. A second machine can be added to the same run where a job needs more than one piece of kit at once, which saves arranging a separate delivery later in the week.
Access Around Melksham, Chippenham and Devizes
Plots backing onto the Kennet and Avon Canal often have no space to unload directly outside the building, meaning the lorry stops nearby and the machine is walked the rest of the way in.
Barn conversions towards Chippenham or Devizes sometimes sit at the end of a farm track that softens after rain, in which case an alternative drop point closer to the road may suit better.
Any current flood alert on the Avon should be mentioned at booking, since it can close off certain roads to the delivery lorry on the day itself. Where a track is too narrow to judge from a phone call alone, a quick photo often settles it faster than trying to describe the gap in words.
What Happens on Delivery Day
Before unloading, the driver checks the ground, since soft going near the canal or a tight stone gateway can both shift exactly where the machine ends up being set down.
A short handover follows, covering how to run the machine and anything specific to the site worth knowing, usually only a few minutes but enough to avoid confusion once work gets going.
If access changes between booking and the actual delivery, such as a different gateway being used, call 01380 828988 and the route will usually be reworked with a little notice. Settling on the yard before unloading matters more than people expect: stonework knocked by a careless drop can cost far more to repair than the hire itself.
The Coppard Difference
Fifty-four years delivering across Wiltshire means our drivers already know the canal-side lanes, the old stone gateways, and the floodplain roads around Melksham, Chippenham and Devizes.
Every load is secured to the same standard whatever the distance or the size of the machine, because a short local run deserves the same care as a longer one.
CPA membership and Constructionline registration mean the paperwork a site needs is already sorted. Call 01380 828988 to book a delivery slot. Ring ahead of a first delivery to any new address, since a quick description of the lane helps plan the right vehicle before the actual day. We also keep track of which lanes near the canal narrow suddenly after a bend, so the right size of lorry is booked from the start.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early should a delivery slot be booked?
A few days’ notice gives the best chance of an early slot, which matters most on a towpath road that gets busier later in the day. Shorter notice is often still workable, so it is worth calling even close to the date needed. The depot will confirm straight away whether a suitable slot can be found. Where the towpath gets properly busy by mid-morning, booking an earlier slot tends to work out easier for everyone than trying to squeeze a delivery in later.
What does the delivery lorry need to get onto the plot?
Enough width to pass through safely and firm enough ground to unload on. Mention a narrow stone gateway, a canal-side lane, or any recent flooding when booking, so the right vehicle gets sent the first time rather than discovering a problem on arrival. A phone photo of the gateway taken beforehand settles most sizing questions faster than describing it, and avoids sending the wrong lorry out on the day.
Can collection be pushed back if the job overruns?
Yes, a quick call is all that is needed. Tell the depot as soon as the hire looks set to run longer and collection will be moved to suit, rather than someone turning up to collect a machine still in use on a tight canal-side plot. Letting the depot know as soon as the overrun is likely, rather than once it has already happened, keeps the cost of the extended hire predictable.
Is the machine checked before it leaves for delivery?
Yes, every machine is checked and fuelled before leaving the yard. For anything specific the site needs, such as a particular attachment already fitted for known ground conditions, call 01380 828988 ahead of the day rather than raising it once the lorry has already arrived. Nothing leaves the Melksham yard unchecked, whether the delivery is a short hop down the valley or further out towards Chippenham or Devizes.
What UK rules cover safely loading plant onto a delivery vehicle?
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 govern how a load must be secured during transport, plant included. Coppard’s drivers follow this as standard practice on every delivery from the Melksham depot, meaning there is nothing further for you to arrange or check around how the machine is strapped down for the trip. It runs in addition to, not in place of, the separate check carried out on the machine itself before the lorry sets off.
Looking for Plant Hire with Delivery near me?
Call Coppard at 01380 828988 to discuss delivery and collection for your job, and to check slots at the Melksham depot.
