THE SHORT ANSWER
Fair wear and tear is the age-related deterioration that happens while a forklift is used as designed, checked daily and serviced on schedule. Dents, cracked panels, bent forks, damaged mast chains, chunked tyres, a torn seat or an over-discharged battery are damage, and the hirer pays to make them good. The AFITA guide used across the Australian industry sets the thresholds; the way to avoid a bill is a documented handover, a daily pre-start, reporting faults the day they appear, and a clean machine at return.
The definition that decides who pays
The Australian Forklift and Industrial Truck Association (AFITA) publishes the guide most suppliers lean on. Its definition is worth quoting closely: fair wear and tear is the age-related deterioration that naturally occurs during the contract term — but only on equipment used in compliance with the operating instructions, with daily checks carried out by the operator and regular servicing done with recommended parts by an authorised agent. Damage and excessive wear from misuse, abuse, lack of preventative attention, poor application or environmental conditions are not fair wear and tear, and the user is financially responsible for making them good (AFITA Fair Wear and Tear Guide, v2 2018).
Three things in that definition do the work:
- Operated as designed — within the rated capacity on the nameplate, with the right attachments, not pushing or dragging loads along the ground.
- Checked daily — the pre-start inspection, recorded in a logbook or fleet system.
- Faults reported — the supplier is told as soon as something is worsening, so a small problem is fixed before it becomes a big one.
Miss any of the three and the supplier's position changes. Adaptalift's published policy states it plainly: if you do not notify them of an issue and it causes further damage, that damage is treated as customer damage and charged (Adaptalift fair wear and tear policy).
Component by component
The AFITA guide gives acceptable and unacceptable examples for each part of the truck. The table below summarises the ones that come up most at return time. Where the guide gives a measurement, it is included.
| Component | Acceptable at return | Chargeable damage |
|---|---|---|
| Body panels | Minor dents within 20 mm diameter; light scratches up to 25 mm that have not penetrated the paint; counterweight aligned | Multiple dents in one panel; dents over 20 mm; abrasions over 25 mm; cracked or deformed plastics; customer paint or graffiti; missing compliance or rating plates |
| Overhead guard and cabin | Intact, undeformed, all fixings present | Bent or cracked guard from impact or dropped loads — a safety structure that usually cannot be repaired, only replaced |
| Lights and lamps | Complete and working as supplied | Missing or broken lights; cracked lenses; bent mountings |
| Operator's compartment | Levers, display and gauges working; normal floor-plate wear and soiling | Broken or bent levers; display not working or badly scratched; holes or cracks in the dashboard; missing covers; strong chemical discolouration |
| Seat | Normal wear | Rips, holes, burns |
| Axles, wheels, tyres | Axles leak-free and quiet; rims undeformed; fixings complete; free of shrink wrap | Tread or wall deformation, chunking or deep cuts; damaged rims; wheel fixings sheared; shrink wrap bound inside wheels; non-compliant tyres fitted |
| Mast | Profiles, cross-members, hoses, cylinders and chains intact | Damage to profiles or cross-members; damaged chains, anchors or rollers; rollers broken through lack of lubrication; cylinder rods damaged by impact; hoses torn off |
| Forks | Within visible wear limits | Bent, cracked or worn beyond limits; heel wear from dragging |
| Electrical system | Drive and electrics working; cables and plugs undamaged | Impact or abuse damage; unauthorised repairs or modifications; water entry |
| Battery and charger | Correct electrolyte (lead-acid), no corrosion, plugs and cables undamaged, charger working | Over-discharged batteries; corrosion or acid damage; damaged plugs or cables; impact damage to the charger casing; damaged battery monitoring devices |
Two supplier-specific points sit on top of that table. Adaptalift's policy excludes tyres from fair wear and tear altogether and treats corrosive environments — salt and fisheries, acids, fertiliser, galvanising, waste and recycling, concrete handling among them — as chargeable unless the hire agreement specifically covers them. Check your own agreement for both. Our agreement clauses guide shows where to look.
What "misuse" looks like in practice
Both documents list the same patterns, and they are worth putting on the lunchroom wall:
- Operating with a warning indicator lit, or with an obvious fault, or after an accident without the supplier's approval.
- Lifting loads heavier, wider, unevenly loaded or higher than the machine is designed for — this is how masts, chains, carriages and forks get damaged, and how trucks tip.
- Badly stacked loads that fall during lifting or lowering and hit the mast, hydraulics or overhead guard.
- Pushing or dragging loads resting on the ground, especially with chains or ropes.
- Inadequate cleaning in fibrous, dusty or aggressive environments.
- Using an attachment for a load it was not designed for; unauthorised modifications.
Every item on that list is a training and supervision issue before it is a billing issue. Our pre-start checklist guide covers the daily routine that catches most of them early.
Lithium forklifts: what changes
Most of the table applies to any counterbalance truck. The battery row is where lithium differs. There is no electrolyte to top up and no acid corrosion, so the usual lead-acid return items disappear. What remains chargeable is physical damage to the pack housing, connectors or charger, and damage to the battery management system. Deep discharge is still a risk if a machine is left flat for weeks — our lithium battery care guide explains the charging habits that keep the pack healthy and the return inspection uneventful.
How to avoid an end-of-term bill
- Get the handover documented. A signed checklist, hour-meter reading and timestamped photos of every panel, the forks, the mast and the seat. AFITA's examples assume a new truck; if yours is not new, every existing mark must be noted by both parties before it goes to work.
- Run the pre-start every day and keep the log. It is both the supplier's condition for fair wear and tear and your evidence.
- Report faults the day they appear. A worn mast roller reported in month 6 is a service call; the same roller reported at return is damage to the mast profiles.
- Keep the machine clean. The guide asks for the truck to be returned suitably clean so its condition can be inspected; dust and debris build-up in the motor bay or vents is listed as chargeable housekeeping damage.
- Keep everything that came with it. Manuals, keys, charger, battery filling kit on lead-acid trucks, lights and mirrors. Missing items are charged.
- Walk the machine with the supplier at collection. Agree the condition on the spot and sign it. Disputes come from inspections done later, alone.
What Ecolift does at the end of a term
We inspect against the AFITA guide, with the handover photos next to the return photos, and we send the comparison to you before any charge is raised. Scheduled servicing, fair wear-and-tear repairs and breakdown response are inside the weekly rate for the whole term; damage, misuse, tyres beyond fair wear and excess hours are itemised in the agreement before you sign. If you would like to see that agreement, request a written quote.
Sources and review dates
- AFITA Fair Wear and Tear Guide, version 2 (2018) — Australian Forklift and Industrial Truck Association. Checked 20 October 2026. Definitions, responsibilities, misuse examples and component thresholds quoted above.
- Fair wear and tear policy, equipment less than 8 tonne — Adaptalift Group. Checked 20 October 2026. Tyre exclusion and corrosive-environment examples.
Thresholds are industry guidance, not law; your own hire agreement governs what is charged.