Sommer Bentley is the founder of Digga Dave Hire, a construction equipment rental business based in Ormeau, QLD, Australia. With a background in construction, Sommer and her partner Dave saw firsthand how often community builds and long term projects were delayed by unreliable equipment hire.
They decided to create a service that delivers reliable machines with clear processes from start to finish. Digga Dave Hire rents out excavators and skid steers to plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and other trades working on long term construction projects. Their customers often need quality machines for extended periods but do not want the weight of loans, insurance, maintenance, or storage.
Sommer also noticed that many hire companies struggled with compliance, which can lead to on site delays. So they built their business around well organised delivery, servicing, and pickup systems. From day one, Sommer knew they needed both digger rental software and a digger rental website that could handle upfront bookings and payments.
Rather than juggling multiple systems, they chose Booqable as their all in one platform. Its ease of set up, practical training tutorials, and ready made website templates made it possible to confidently launch a brand new rental business.
Setting up their rental system with confidence
Starting from scratch meant they needed structure fast. Sommer’s biggest concern was how to create a professional hire process without already having one in place. “We were starting fresh and needed a one stop shop option,” she explains.
Here’s how it works. After opening their account, they followed the new account checklist, which guides users step by step through adding equipment, defining rental durations, and configuring documents. The built in video tutorials showed them how to manage contracts digitally instead of printing paperwork. And when questions came up, the technical support channel helped them move forward quickly.
This easy set up achieves several important things for their team of three:
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They manage all hires digitally without printing contracts
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They have clear visibility over availability, deliveries, and collections
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They can prepare onsite drop offs and pickups using the mobile app
“The back end is so easy to use,” says Sommer. Instead of guessing their way through setup, they built a structured system that supports compliance and clear communication. That gave them confidence that their rental process would run smoothly from day one.
Using a website template to take online digger bookings
The next challenge was getting online quickly. Sommer needed a digger rental website that looked professional, worked on their own custom domain, and allowed customers to reserve equipment in advance. Hiring a developer would have meant extra cost and delays.
Booqable’s website templates gave them a practical starting point. They connected a custom domain, used the drag and drop theme customiser to build pages, and adjusted colours and branding with the styling customiser. Everything is directly connected to their digger rental software, so bookings feed straight into their system.
The website templates achieved several important things for the business:
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They launched a professional digger rental website without hiring a developer
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They accept upfront reservations and payments directly online
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They avoid double handling because bookings sync automatically with their system
Now customers can view excavators and skid steers, select dates, and secure their hire online. That removes back and forth emails and manual confirmations. For a small team, that clarity makes a real difference and sets them up for a smooth launch.
Ready to grow with the right foundation
Digga Dave Hire is preparing to officially launch, but the structure is already in place. With clearly defined roles across their team of three and systems covering bookings, contracts, and deliveries, they are building a strong base for growth. In the coming years, they plan to double their fleet and move toward greater automation.
Reflecting on their experience, Sommer says, “It has everything we need in the one location, including the website template. We’ve set it up with little challenge due to the simple training modules inside the platform.”
By choosing Booqable as both their digger rental software and digger rental website, Digga Dave Hire has turned a construction based idea into a ready to launch rental business. And they have done it with tools that make getting started feel manageable and clear.
