Arrow Board Hire: Costs and When a Board Is Required

Arrow board hire is usually priced by the day, week or month, plus delivery, collection and any overnight checks. Whether you need a board at all comes from the traffic guidance scheme, not the budget: boards are commonly specified for lane closures on multi-lane roads and for mobile works. Prices vary, so get written quotes for the same dates.

This guide is for builders, civil contractors, councils and event organisers hiring an arrow board for road works. It explains when a plan calls for one, what drives the hire cost, how to choose between daily and weekly hire, and walks through a worked example of a weekend lane closure.

What an arrow board does

An arrow board is an illuminated display that tells drivers to move left or right out of a closed lane, or warns them of a hazard ahead. Depending on the unit, the display modes usually include an arrow to the left, an arrow to the right and a caution display. Our guide to arrow boards at road works covers how crews check the display and the driver's view.

Boards come in two main forms:

An arrow board is not the same as a variable message sign. A VMS shows text or symbols and is often used for advance warning. Our guide to VMS board hire explains the difference. Do not swap one for the other unless the plan allows it.

When is an arrow board required?

The traffic guidance scheme decides, based on the road's speed, number of lanes, traffic volume, sight distance and the work method. It is prepared by a suitably qualified person using your state's current documents. In NSW, that is Transport for NSW's TS 05492:1.0 Traffic Control at Work Sites, which replaced the TCAWS manual on 25 June 2026, although some contracts still reference older documents. Other states adopt the national Austroads guide with their own supplements, and AS 1742.3 covers traffic control devices for works on roads (available through Standards Australia).

As a practical guide to when you are likely to see one specified:

• Lane closures on multi-lane roads, where drivers must merge out of a closed lane.
• Mobile works, such as line marking, patching or inspections, where a board on the vehicle warns approaching traffic.
• Higher-speed roads, where drivers need earlier, clearer information.
• Night works, where a lit display is far more visible than a sign alone.

On a two-lane, two-way road, an arrow pointing into the opposing lane would direct drivers into oncoming traffic, so boards on those roads are used only in the way the plan shows, if at all. Our guide to the lane closure traffic plan explains how closures are designed.

For mobile works, the board usually travels on a vehicle behind or ahead of the work, and on higher-speed roads that vehicle may also be a truck-mounted attenuator if the plan specifies one. The cost then sits in the vehicle package rather than a separate hire line. Our guide to mobile vs static traffic management explains how the two approaches differ and why they are priced differently.

This article is general information, not engineering advice. If you think a board is unnecessary or in the wrong place, raise it with the plan author rather than changing it on site.

What drives arrow board hire cost

Ask suppliers to price these lines separately:

• Board type. Trailer-mounted or vehicle-mounted.
• Hire period. Daily, weekly or monthly, and any minimum hire.
• Delivery and collection. Distance from the depot, after-hours delivery.
• Power. Solar, battery or both; who swaps batteries on long hires.
• Operator. For vehicle-mounted boards, the vehicle and operator usually come with a minimum charge, often 6–8 hours.
• Overnight inspections. Checks of display, mode and position if the board is left on site.
• After-hours call-out. Response to faults or damage.
• Damage and theft. Who pays if the board is hit or stolen.

Daily or weekly hire? Example calculation

Using made-up figures purely to show the arithmetic: suppose a supplier charges $150 per day or $450 per week. For a 2-day job, daily is $300 and cheaper. For a 4-day job, daily is $600 and the weekly rate of $450 is cheaper. The break-even here is 3 days. Do the same calculation with your real quotes, and add delivery and collection to both options.

Worked example: weekend lane closure on a multi-lane road

Here is how an arrow board hire plays out on a typical job. This is an example scenario with made-up figures to show the process.

The site. A contractor is replacing a damaged stormwater pit in the kerbside lane of a divided road with two lanes each way. The work runs from Friday night to Monday morning, with the kerbside lane closed throughout. The TGS specifies a trailer-mounted arrow board at the start of the lane closure, showing a right arrow to move traffic out of the closed kerbside lane.

Step 1: the booking. The traffic provider includes the arrow board as a separate line on its quote, with delivery on Friday afternoon and collection on Monday morning. Because the board is on site for four days, the weekly rate applies.

Step 2: set-up. On Friday night the crew installs the advance warning signs first, then the board and the lane closure devices in the order set by the plan and the provider's procedure. The team leader sets the board to the mode shown on the TGS and checks it from the driver's view by driving the approach. TC 1 radios: "Board showing right arrow, visible from the last advance sign." The team leader records the start-of-shift inspection.

Step 3: overnight checks. The plan and the provider's procedures require the closure to be inspected at intervals while it is in place, including overnight. Each check covers the board's display, mode, power and position, as well as the signs and devices.

Step 4: what goes wrong. Early on Sunday, the inspecting controller notices the board display is dim and flickering. Overhanging trees have shaded the solar panel since the board was set up, and the battery is low. The controller calls the team leader, who arranges a charged battery swap and records the fault, time and fix. The team leader adds a note to position boards clear of shade on future set-ups where the plan allows.

Step 5: the stage change. On Sunday afternoon the work needs to use part of the adjacent lane for a crane lift. This changes the arrangement and needs the plan's approved stage, not an improvised change. The crew installs the approved second stage, updates the board mode as that stage shows, and repeats the drive-through check. A wrong arrow after a stage change is one of the most serious and most common board errors.

Step 6: pack-down and records. On Monday morning, devices are removed in the reverse order of installation, and the board is switched off and collected. The records show each inspection, the battery fault, the stage change and the final inspection.

Arrow board hire checklist

What to send when you hire a board

Suppliers can quote faster and more accurately with the right details. Send:

• The site address, road and which lane or direction the board will serve.
• The TGS, or the plan author's specification of board type, position and mode.
• Delivery date and time, and the collection date and time.
• Whether the board will be left on site overnight or packed up each shift.
• Who will inspect it overnight and who the supplier should call about faults.
• Access for the delivery vehicle and trailer, especially in narrow streets.

The crew's board check

When a board is set up, and again at each inspection, the crew checks:

1. The mode matches the TGS for the current stage.
2. Every display element is lit and the board is not dim or flickering.
3. The board is upright, level and aimed at approaching traffic.
4. Nothing blocks the view: vegetation, parked vehicles, plant or other signs.
5. Power is adequate: battery level and solar panel clear of shade.
6. The trailer is chocked or secured as the supplier requires, and the controls are locked.

Record the result with the time. A board that was correct at 6:00 pm can be wrong at midnight if someone has moved it or the battery has run down.

Common arrow board mistakes

• Wrong mode. An arrow pointing into the closed lane, or left on after the lane reopens.
• Wrong place. A board hidden by a bend, a parked truck or vegetation.
• Shaded solar panel. The board runs flat overnight.
• No one responsible overnight. A board left on site without agreed checks.
• Using a VMS as an arrow board. Only if the plan allows it.

Next steps

Get the plan prepared first, so the board type, position and mode are set. Then compare daily and weekly rates for your real hire period. If you run a traffic control company with your own boards, TrafWise keeps them in an equipment register with renewal reminders and printable QR labels that crew can scan on site.