What Ukforks does

UK Forks is a specialist telehandler and roto telehandler equipment hire company operating as a wholly-owned division of Vp plc, a UK-listed diversified equipment rental group with 70 years of operating history, approximately 3,000 employees, and a footprint spanning 10 countries and 250+ sites. UK Forks itself operates exclusively within the United Kingdom, offering nationwide depot coverage from Aberdeen to Penzance, and positions itself as 'The Telehandler and Roto Hire Specialists' with a self-described most diverse fleet in the industry spanning 4M to 35M lift heights and capacities up to 12 tonnes across brands including JCB, Manitou, and Merlo.

The company's core offering comprises five equipment categories: Telehandler Hire (4M-20M), Roto Hire (21M-35M rotating telehandlers), Heavy Lift Hire (7.2T-12T Merlo machines), Electric Machine Hire (zero-emission JCB telehandlers and teletruks), and Teletruk Hire (compact forklift-style machines). Supplementary offerings include Hire Options and Attachments (winches, man platforms, safety cameras, telematics), an online Machine Picker Tool, a Plant Sales sub-brand for pre-owned equipment, and integrated AI Human Form Recognition safety camera technology sourced from VUE. UK Forks also maintains a purpose-built training academy in Milton Keynes and a regional depot in West Bromwich.

UK Forks generates revenue primarily through usage-based short-term and long-term equipment rental on daily, weekly, and monthly terms, supplemented by one-time machine sales through its Plant Sales division. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with credit account applications available for regular enterprise customers. The company operates a sales-led go-to-market model via account managers, site surveys, phone inquiries (0800 123 101), website forms, and a customer portal (ukforksonline.co.uk). Primary customer segments are national and regional housebuilders, construction contractors, and industrial/warehouse operators, with named enterprise customers including Barratt Redrow, Dandara, Miller Homes, Border Oak Construction, and Marshall Construction. Strategic partnerships with JCB (hydrogen technology trial), Barratt Redrow (sustainable housebuilding), and Dandara (five-year AI safety deployment) anchor recent commercial activity. The business holds ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certifications alongside Plant Charter Gold status for sustainability.

Name

Ukforks

Legal name

Vp plc

Website

https://ukforks.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UK Forks is a specialist UK telehandler and roto telehandler equipment hire division of Vp plc, serving national housebuilders, construction contractors, and industrial operators with nationwide depot coverage, the industry's most diverse fleet (4M-35M lift heights), and emerging electric and hydrogen machine offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Equipment Rental

NAICS

Construction, Transportation, Mining, and Forestry Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (53241), Construction, Mining, and Forestry Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (532412)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Site Vehicles (Dumpers, Site Carriers, Telehandlers) (IMAHAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dump & Tip Trucks Leasing & Rental (TLABAEAD), Forklifts & Industrial Trucks (IC & Electric) (IMAHABAA)

Keywords

• Telehandler hire
• Roto telehandler rental
• Construction equipment hire
• Heavy lift machinery
• Material handling equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Harrogate

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rental: Short-term and long-term hire of telehandlers, roto telehandlers, heavy lift machines, electric telehandlers, and teletruks. Revenue generated through daily, weekly, and monthly rental periods with various attachment options.
2. Machine Sales: Sale of pre-owned and rental-return equipment through the UK Forks Plant Sales division. Customers can purchase machines from the fleet.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UK Forks rents telehandlers, roto telehandlers (360-degree rotating), heavy lift telehandlers, electric machines, and teletruks to construction, housebuilding, and industrial customers across the UK. The fleet spans 4M to 35M lift heights with capacities up to 12 tonnes, sourced from manufacturers including JCB, Manitou, and Merlo. Hires are available on daily, weekly, and monthly terms with optional attachments and safety accessories, complemented by a Plant Sales sub-brand selling pre-owned machines.

Product overview

UK Forks operates as a specialist telehandler and roto equipment hire company offering a diverse fleet of material handling machinery. The core offering consists of five main product categories: Telehandler Hire (4M-20M lift heights), Roto Hire (21M-35M rotating telehandlers), Heavy Lift Hire (7.2T-12T capacity), Electric Machine Hire (zero-emission electric telehandlers and teletruks), and Teletruk Hire (compact forklift-style machines). These are supplemented by hire attachments/accessories (safety cameras, winches, buckets, platforms) and a Machine Picker Tool for specification-based filtering. A Plant Sales sub-brand also offers pre-owned machines for purchase. The company operates as part of Vp plc and provides nationwide coverage across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Plant Sales: A separate machine sales division of UK Forks operating from plant-sales.ukforks.com, selling used telehandlers, rotos, and heavy lift equipment including brands like JCB, Merlo, and Manitou.

Products and services

• Telehandler Hire Rental of telehandlers with lift heights from 4M to 20M (JCB 520-40, 525-60, 531-70, 533-105, 540-140, 540-170, 540-180, 540-200) for material handling on construction sites. Targeted at construction companies, housebuilders, and industrial operations.
• Roto Telehandler Hire Rental of 360-degree rotating telehandlers with extended reach from 21M to 35M (JCB 555-210R, 555-260R; Manitou MRT 2150, 2470, 2550, 2660; Merlo 60.24 MCSS, 50.30 S Plus, 50.35 S Plus). Suited to projects requiring rotation and extended reach capabilities.
• Heavy Lift Telehandler Hire Rental of high-capacity telehandlers including Merlo P72.10 (7.2T capacity, 9.60M lift) and Merlo P120.10 (12T capacity, 9.80M lift) for heavy lifting applications.
• Electric Machine Hire Zero-emission electric equipment hire including JCB electric telehandlers (525-60E, 6M lift) and JCB electric teletruks (30-19E 4M/3T, 35-22E 4M/3.5T) for indoor use and air-quality sensitive environments.
• Teletruk Hire Rental of compact counterbalance forklift-style machines with a single telescopic boom, including JCB TLT30D (3T, 4M lift) and JCB TLT35D (3.5T, 4.35M lift). Suited to warehouses and tight spaces.
• Plant Sales Sale of pre-owned telehandlers and roto machines, including JCB 520-40, 540-140, 540-180; Merlo P60.10, 40.30 MCSS, 60.24 MCSS; and Manitou MRT 2470 models. Pricing ranges from £22,500 to £100,000.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero downtime through rapid field service response
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• JCBcoreTechnology or Integration · 31 March 2025UK Forks partnered with JCB for the first on-site trial of the hydrogen-powered JCB 540-180H Telehandler on a Barratt Redrow construction site. JCB provides the hydrogen combustion engine technology that delivers the same performance as diesel counterparts with zero emissions.
• Barratt Redrow plccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2025UK Forks partnered with JCB and Barratt Redrow plc for the first on-site trial of the hydrogen-powered JCB 540-180H Telehandler at a housebuilding site in Hampton in Arden, Midlands. Barratt Redrow is trialling the technology to achieve sustainable construction while maintaining production levels.
• VUE (Manchester)majorTechnology or IntegrationUK Forks introduced VUE's AI Human Form Recognition (HFR) camera technology to customer Dandara for site safety enhancement. VUE provides the AI-powered detection system that identifies human presence around operating machines.
• DandaramajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive-year partnership with Dandara, a leading UK private housebuilder, for telehandler hire and AI safety camera solutions across their sites in England, Wales, and Scotland. UK Forks provides both equipment and safety technology integration services.
• Tyseley Park (Hydrogen Supplier)minorOthersJCB's hydrogen supply partner for on-site refuelling of the hydrogen telehandler trial. Tyseley Park in the Midlands supplies hydrogen which is delivered to site via bowser.
• Vp plccoreOthersUK Forks is an operating division of Vp plc, a leader in equipment rental with 70 years of experience. Vp plc is the parent company providing corporate structure, resources, and group-wide sustainability initiatives including science-based emission reduction targets.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Speedy Hire: UK-listed equipment rental provider offering tools, plant and specialist equipment hire to construction and infrastructure customers. Directly comparable to UK Forks in plant-hire market, though broader in scope (tools, lifting, powered access) and less telehandler-specialised.
• GAP Group: UK independent plant and tool hire company with national depot coverage across telehandlers, powered access and non-mechanical plant. Comparable to UK Forks on geographic reach and customer overlap, though broader in product mix.
• Brandon Hire Station: UK tool and equipment hire business operating as a subsidiary of UK Forks' parent Vp plc. Direct peer in equipment rental with shared corporate infrastructure and overlapping customer base in construction.
• Sunbelt Rentals UK: UK arm of the world's largest equipment rental company following the A-Plant and Hewden acquisitions. Competes with UK Forks in telehandler and general plant hire, with a larger fleet but less specialist positioning in roto and hydrogen/electric telehandlers.
• Nationwide Platforms: UK's largest powered access platform rental company with national depot network. Comparable to UK Forks on UK depot footprint and contractor customer base, with overlapping adjacency in telehandler and site-lifting categories.
• AFI Rentals: UK provider of aerial lifts, telehandlers and specialist access equipment with national coverage. Comparable to UK Forks in telehandler hire for construction and infrastructure customers, with similar emphasis on operator safety and training.
• HSS Hire: UK tool and equipment hire provider with national depot coverage serving construction, industrial and trade customers. Comparable in equipment-rental model and customer base to UK Forks, though broader in product range and less specialist in telehandlers/rotos.
• Hewden: UK plant hire specialist (excavators, telehandlers, access platforms) now part of Sunbelt Rentals. Direct competitor to UK Forks in telehandler hire for construction contractors and housebuilders across the UK.
• Riwal: European aerial work platform and telehandler rental specialist with UK operations. Comparable to UK Forks in telehandler/roto focus and operator-safety emphasis, though headquartered in the Netherlands with broader EMEA footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Manitou: Global OEM of telehandlers, rotos and material handling equipment that is both a key fleet supplier to UK Forks and a competitor through its own Manitou rental dealer network. Broadly comparable as a global telehandler specialist with vertically integrated manufacturing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/uk-forks
• Xx.com/ukforks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ukforks