Got gear sitting idle? Put it to work.
Trailer, digger, bobcat, whatever's parked up doing nothing. Put it on TrailerMates and it earns without you being there for it. We run the bookings, the payments and the customers, and give you the locks, the software and the backup so you are not carrying the risk on your own. You own the asset and earn the income , without ever meeting a hirer.
Book a discovery call →No experience needed, and no big buy-in. We'll walk you through how it works and the numbers.
Your gear should earn while you sleep
We run this model ourselves, every day. Any hire site will take your listing, that part is easy. It is what happens after somebody books it that catches owners out, and that is the part we built.
- Facebook Marketplace: tyre-kickers, no-shows, haggling over ten bucks.
- Cash and transfers, and chasing the ones that never turn up.
- No ID checks, so every hire is a gamble on who shows up.
- Texting lock codes and arranging every handover by hand.
- No tracking, no backup, no one to call when it goes wrong.
- The app takes the booking, then you still do the handover in person.
- Someone is at your gate at 7am Saturday, and you have to be there for it.
- Keys passed hand to hand. No smart lock, no code, nothing automated.
- Your availability is only the hours you can personally be there.
- You knock back the bookings that land while you are out.
- Customers find your gear online and book themselves .
- They verify ID and pay before they arrive. No cash, no dodgy hirers.
- Smart locks are automatic, you never meet a hirer . No 7am doorbell.
- We collect every payment and pay you monthly. Never chase a cent.
- We answer the customers, day and night. Not you.
- You set your own hours. Run it 24/7, or evenings and weekends only.
What you're actually getting
Anyone can buy a trailer. What earns from it safely is the system behind it, and that is what We supply. Set out below as a schedule, because it is the product. What each part does is stated plainly. How it is built is not.
Identity, licence and risk screening
Every hirer is verified before an access code exists. Not a photo of a licence emailed over and filed somewhere, a real check that the document is genuine and that the person holding it is the person on it.
Verification is only one gate. Bookings are also screened for risk and for the patterns that tend to show up before a bad hire, and one that does not stand up never reaches your gear . Someone who has already caused a problem does not quietly come back under a new booking.
No verified identity, no code. It is not a warning someone has to notice. Every check and every attempt is recorded and dated, so if a hire goes wrong later you are not relying on memory.
Contactless release control
Smart lock and single-use access code, fitted to Our specification so that release runs through the platform rather than through you. You are welcome to meet a hirer if you want to. You just never have to.
If you would rather not be there, the hirer is automatically sent full video instructions for the exact piece of equipment they are collecting the moment their booking is confirmed, so they can get it hooked up and away without you. No handover, no licence to inspect, no key to hand over.
The hardware, its ownership and its cost are set out in your agreement and settled before anything is fitted.
Condition capture on every hire
The platform makes the hirer document the gear at pickup and again at return. Every hire, no exceptions, and nothing required from you.
Your own operator software: OIS
You are licensed to use OIS, the system We run Our own fleet on . It is where your side of the hire lives. Take your own pickup condition report and your own return condition report , photograph and document any damage, and keep your repair quote requests, matter files and fleet maintenance in the one place instead of across a phone, a notebook and an inbox.
Everything you record is evidence grade . Once a photo or a report is captured it is locked and cannot be edited or deleted afterwards , not by a hirer, not by you, not by Us. That is what makes it worth something months later when somebody disputes it.
It is Our own software. It is not sold separately and it is not available anywhere else.
Incident and fault tools
When something happens mid-hire, you are not left guessing . OIS walks you through it step by step so you know what to do, what to record and what to send, whatever the situation turns out to be. Everything you capture stays attached to that one hire instead of scattering across texts and camera rolls.
Damage reporting and repairer quotes
Report damage against the hire record, then send a quote request to repairers in a few taps with the right photos already attached. You issue it, you pick the quote, you deal with the repairer direct.
Repair network access
Introductions to the repairers TrailerMates already works with, so you are not starting from a cold search the first time something needs fixing. Any terms remain between you and the repairer.
Recovery tools
If a hire goes bad, the record is already built . Every photo, report and note from that hire is sitting there in order, and you export the lot as a single package to use however you need to.
GPS tracking, for maximum protection
You can add GPS tracking to any piece of equipment . You see where it is, where it has been and when it moved, which counts for most in exactly the situations that cost the most: gear that has not come back, a hirer whose story does not match where the equipment actually went, or something you simply cannot find.
Trackers are an optional extra and carry an additional cost , set out in your agreement. Plenty of owners run without them. The ones with higher value gear rarely do.
Why this can't just be copied
Anyone can buy a trailer and a padlock in an afternoon. The verification, the record-keeping and the software sitting behind them took years and real money, and none of it works on its own. It only works because all of it exists together.
Where the line sits. TrailerMates supplies the platform, the access hardware and the software, and runs the booking, verification and payment layer. You own your gear and it never leaves your possession. It is only ever released to a hirer who has passed Our checks, and any decision about repair, recovery or a dispute over your equipment is yours to make. We are not your agent, your insurer, your repairer or your lawyer. What is included, what it costs, and what applies to your particular equipment and location are set out in full in your written agreement before you sign anything.
Why it works
Real income from gear you already own, without the overheads, the staff or the guesswork.
Low cost to start
There's no buy-in fee and no franchise cost. Your gear stays yours, on your books, and you can sell it whenever you like.
Barely any time
Fully unmanned and contactless. You're never tied to the place waiting on someone. A few hours a week keeping it clean, fuelled and ready is all it takes.
We run the hard part
Bookings, payments, customer questions, marketing, the website, all us. You never have to chase a customer or answer the phone at 9pm.
Proven tech, handled for you
Smart locks, online booking and ID checks, all set up and managed by us, with GPS tracking available on top. High-tech for your customers, zero tech headaches for you.
How it works
Four steps from "interested" to earning.
Have the gear
A trailer, a mini digger, a bobcat, a scissor lift, whatever's in demand near you. Already own it? Even better. We'll tell you what earns best in your area.
We kit it out
We fit the smart lock and TrailerMates signage, add GPS tracking if you want it, and list your gear on the TrailerMates site.
Customers book you
Our customers book your gear online, verify their ID and pay, all through our platform. You set which hours it's available.
You earn
You earn from every hire of your gear. We collect the payments, handle the customers and the support, and pay you monthly.
Who does what
You bring
- The gear (yours, and it stays yours)
- Somewhere secure to keep it, at home or on your yard
- A few hours a week to keep it clean and ready
We bring
- The TrailerMates brand and our existing customers, already booking every week
- The booking platform , payments and ID verification
- Smart locks fitted and managed, GPS available
- All the customer service , we answer the calls, not you
- Marketing, the website and the bookings
- Onboarding and the systems to run it all
Foundation locations
We're signing our first partners now, and they get our best rates and first pick of areas and equipment types. Get in early and lock in terms the later ones won't get.
Keen to know more?
Book a no-pressure chat. We'll walk you through the model, the numbers, and whether your gear and your site are a fit. No obligation.
Book a discovery call →Or reach us directly: 0420 399 277 · support@trailermates.com.au
The TrailerMates Partner Program is not a franchise. You are not buying a business, a territory or the right to trade under our brand, and there is no buy-in fee. TrailerMates operates a hire marketplace. Your equipment is yours at all times and stays in your possession. TrailerMates provides the booking platform, the access hardware, the software and the support around it, and holds the relationship with the hirer. TrailerMates does not lease, rent, or take possession of your equipment. Partner places are subject to eligibility, site suitability and approval. Earnings depend on demand and are not guaranteed. Partners are responsible for holding appropriate insurance for their equipment and for checking any local council or planning requirements that apply to keeping hire equipment at their property. Some equipment types require the hirer to hold a licence or competency ticket, and TrailerMates will set those conditions per item. This page is general information only and does not form part of any agreement.