Enter Rental Details
Example Data Table
Sample inputs and a typical output summary.
| Scenario | Duration | Rates entered | Key fees | Output highlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City street milling | 3 days, 8 hrs/day | Daily 950, Weekly 5200 | Transport 250, Insurance 18/day | Chooses daily, then adds tax and discount |
| Highway patching | 9 days, 10 hrs/day | Hourly 140, Weekly 5200 | Fuel 6%, Maintenance 3% | Chooses lowest base option automatically |
| Large resurfacing | 1 month | Monthly 18500, Weekly 5200 | Env fee 120 | Rounds to the needed billing period |
Formula Used
The calculator compares rate plans, then builds a full cost breakdown.
- Total days = days + (weeks × 7) + (months × 30).
- Total hours = total days × hours per day.
- Base rental = minimum of available rate options:
- Hourly base = hourly rate × total hours
- Daily base = daily rate × total days
- Weekly base = weekly rate × ceil(total days ÷ 7)
- Monthly base = monthly rate × ceil(total days ÷ 30)
- Fuel surcharge = (fuel % × base rental) + fuel flat.
- Maintenance = (maintenance % × base rental) + maintenance flat.
- Subtotal before discount = base + operator + transport + insurance + environmental + fuel + maintenance.
- Discount amount = discount % × subtotal before discount.
- Tax amount = tax % × (subtotal before discount − discount amount).
- Grand total = (subtotal before discount − discount amount) + tax amount.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the rental duration in days, weeks, and months.
- Set hours per day to match planned milling shifts.
- Fill the rates you have; leave unknown rates at zero.
- Choose whether an operator is included in your quote.
- Add transport, insurance, and any environmental charges.
- Use fuel and maintenance fields for surcharge policies.
- Apply discount and tax to match your contract terms.
- Press calculate and download CSV or PDF for reporting.
Rental Planning Notes for Milling Machines
1) Define the milling scope clearly
Start with the pavement area, target depth, and whether the work is full‑lane, shoulder, or spot repair. Scope drives drum size, hauling needs, and traffic control. Even a small change in depth can increase loading cycles and trucking time, which often shows up as “extra” hours and fees.
2) Match equipment class to the job
Common rental fleets include compact units for tight urban work and larger cold planers for production milling. Larger machines can reduce total shifts, but they usually come with higher transport, fuel surcharges, and stricter availability windows. Use the rate fields to compare “fewer days at a higher rate” versus “more days at a lower rate.”
3) Use hours per day to reflect real shifts
Milling rarely runs at a perfect eight-hour pace. Set hours per day to match night work, lane closures, or staggered shifts. This calculator uses hours per day for hourly billing and operator cost, so aligning it with your work plan improves the cost per hour and cost per day indicators.
4) Understand what the rental rate includes
Quotes may include the machine only, or the machine plus a trained operator. If the operator is not included, labor can be a major line item. Many suppliers also separate teeth wear, water usage, and jobsite service calls; treat these as flat charges or percentage adders when your contract expects them.
5) Model transport, insurance, and compliance costs
Mobilization depends on haul distance, permits, and whether an escort is required. Insurance or damage waiver is often charged per day, making longer schedules more sensitive to duration. If your site has dust, slurry, or disposal requirements, an environmental fee helps keep the estimate realistic.
6) Apply fuel and maintenance policies consistently
Fuel surcharges are frequently applied as a percentage of base rental, sometimes with an additional flat amount. Maintenance adders can represent planned service, consumables, or standby support. Keeping these inputs consistent across bids makes it easier to compare suppliers on an “apples to apples” basis.
7) Discounts, tax, and deposit affect cash flow
Discounts typically apply before tax, while tax is calculated on the discounted subtotal. A deposit percentage does not change the total cost, but it affects working capital. Use these fields to anticipate payments, especially when rentals overlap multiple crews or phases.
8) Optional productivity estimate for schedule checks
If you know the job area and expected production, the optional section estimates hours and days needed after utilization. Utilization accounts for move‑ups, truck swaps, and safety holds. Compare the estimated days needed with your entered rental duration to decide whether to extend the booking or add shifts.
FAQs
1) Which rate should I enter: hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly?
Enter any rates you have. The calculator compares available options and selects the lowest base rental for the duration, then adds fees, discounts, and tax.
2) Why does the weekly or monthly option “round up”?
Many rental agreements bill full periods. A 9‑day rental can be charged as two weeks, and a 31‑day rental can be charged as two 30‑day months.
3) What should I put for hours per day?
Use planned operating hours, not clock time onsite. If your lane closure is 10 hours but milling runs 7 hours, enter 7 for better hourly and operator estimates.
4) How do I handle an operator included in the quote?
Check “Operator included.” The calculator will set operator cost to zero while still calculating hours for other items and productivity checks.
5) Are fuel and maintenance percentages applied to everything?
In this tool, percentages apply to base rental only, which mirrors common surcharge policies. If your supplier applies surcharges to the entire subtotal, you can approximate using a flat amount.
6) How accurate is the productivity estimate?
It is a planning indicator, not a guarantee. Production varies by depth, pavement condition, truck cycle time, and traffic control. Use utilization to reflect expected delays.
7) What goes into the CSV and PDF downloads?
Downloads include your key inputs, the chosen rate basis, fee breakdown, discount, tax, total cost, and effective costs per day and per hour for quick reporting.
Accurate estimates reduce surprises and keep crews productive daily.