For a single machine, the 10-year major inspection is a planning exercise. For a fleet, it is a logistics problem. Get it wrong and several machines fall due at once, downtime stacks up, and availability collapses at exactly the wrong moment. Get it right and the majors become a predictable, staggered rhythm the business can absorb. This guide is written for the fleet and procurement managers who own that problem.
See the whole fleet at once
Fleet-level planning starts with visibility. Because the major inspection under AS 2550.10 is triggered at a set point from manufacture — 5 years for some equipment classes, 10 for others — every machine's due date is knowable in advance from its date of manufacture. The task is to have all of those dates in one place.
A single register listing every machine with its manufacture date, current position in the inspection cycle and next-due major gives you the forward view to plan rather than react. Without it, majors arrive as surprises; with it, they arrive as scheduled events.
Stagger to protect availability
The core risk in a fleet is clustering — several machines of a similar age reaching their major at the same time, each needing an extended spell out of service. Because a major inspection removes a machine from work for a meaningful period, simultaneous majors can gut your available capacity.
Staggering the work keeps the fleet productive:
- Spread majors across the calendar so only a manageable number of machines are out at any time.
- Sequence by machine class so you never lose all of one type at once.
- Align majors with quieter periods in your work cycle where you can.
- Book inspection slots ahead so the timing is your choice rather than the queue's.
Use due dates in procurement decisions
The inspection cycle should shape buying decisions, not just maintenance ones. When you acquire equipment, the manufacture date tells you where a machine will sit in your fleet's inspection rhythm — and buying several machines of the same age simply builds a future cluster of simultaneous majors.
Smart procurement uses this deliberately. Bringing in machines of staggered ages, or timing purchases so majors will fall due at manageable intervals, spreads both the downtime and the cost. When assessing a used machine in particular, its next-due major is a genuine input to what the asset is worth to you.
Budget the lead time, not just the money
A major inspection has two timelines that need planning: the workshop time and the parts time. The inspection itself can uncover worn components that need replacing, and where a machine is older or its parts are less common, sourcing those components can extend the machine's time out of service well beyond the inspection work.
Building lead time for parts into the plan — and starting the process before the machine is critically due rather than after — prevents an inspection from stretching into an open-ended outage. Talking to your major inspection provider early lets them anticipate likely parts and their availability.
Cover the gap with temporary hire
Even a well-staggered plan takes machines out of service, so the final piece is coverage. Temporary hire is the natural way to backfill capacity while an owned machine is away for its major, keeping projects moving without buying additional units you will not need long term.
Factoring the cost and availability of hire cover into the plan makes the majors genuinely painless from an operations standpoint — the work still gets done while each machine takes its turn through inspection. To coordinate scheduling across a fleet, plan lead times and stagger majors with a qualified inspection provider, a fleet manager can call 0416 689 689.
This guide is general information prepared by EWP Australia and is grounded in publicly available Australian Standards and Safe Work Australia material. It is not a substitute for the current published edition of the relevant standard or for site-specific engineering advice. Always work from the current standard and consult a competent person for your specific equipment and application.