Northbeam Standard HE-4
Eight checks, one unannounced visit, and a record of who signed it.
HE-4 applies to dealers in agricultural, earthmoving, materials handling and forestry machinery. It is deliberately narrow. We would rather hold 5 records we have stood in front of than ten thousand we have not.
The eight checks
All must pass
HE-4.1
Trading identity
The legal entity is registered and in good standing with its state of incorporation, the trading name matches the entity or a filed DBA, and the entity has not been dissolved or reinstated within the last twelve months.
HE-4.2
Premises and yard
A named officer stands in the yard unannounced during posted trading hours. The address is a working equipment yard or workshop under the dealer’s control, not a mailbox, a shared lot or a residential driveway.
HE-4.3
Stock actually held
Machines advertised as in stock are physically present, or the dealer discloses on the listing that a unit is held off-site or arriving. Sold units are removed from advertised stock within five working days.
HE-4.4
Hour and service history
Used machines carry a written hour reading, and the dealer can produce the source of that reading — dealer service records, telematics export or a signed owner declaration. Unverifiable hours must be stated as unverified on the listing.
HE-4.5
Mechanical disclosure
Known faults, deferred repairs and structural repairs are written down and given to the buyer before money changes hands. A machine sold as inspected has a dated inspection sheet naming the technician.
HE-4.6
Licensing and insurance
State dealer licence, sales tax registration and current liability cover are all verified directly against the issuing body — never from a certificate the dealer supplies us.
HE-4.7
Service capability
A dealer claiming to service what it sells has the bay, the tooling and at least one qualified technician on the payroll. Claims of factory-authorised service are checked with the manufacturer.
HE-4.8
Trade references
Three references from named operators who bought or serviced a machine in the last eighteen months. We match each reference against an invoice or work order before it is published.
How a record moves
01
Record is filed
Records enter the register as listed, unaudited. We file them from state dealer licence rolls and manufacturer dealer lists, whether or not the business asks us to. A listed record means only that the business exists.
02
Application and desk check
A dealer applies, or accepts our invitation. We verify the entity, licence, tax registration and insurance against the issuing bodies before anyone travels.
03
Unannounced field inspection
An officer arrives during posted hours without notice, walks the yard, counts advertised stock against what is present, and pulls service and hour records at random on machines they choose — not machines the dealer offers.
04
References, then a decision
Three operator references are taken and matched to paperwork. The officer files a recommendation. A record is admitted, admitted with a published condition, or refused with the reason recorded.
05
Review every twelve months
Verification lapses on its review date unless a fresh inspection is filed. Nothing renews automatically and nothing renews on paperwork alone.
What loses verification
- Advertised stock that is not in the yard and not disclosed as off-site.
- Hour readings presented as verified with no source behind them.
- A known structural repair left off a written disclosure.
- A lapsed state licence, tax registration or liability policy.
- Refusing an officer entry during posted trading hours.
- Two upheld complaints of the same kind inside a review period.
A suspension is filed to the record's trail with the reason attached. It stays there permanently, including after the dealer puts it right.
Why you can trust the result
Northbeam is independent of every dealer, manufacturer and finance house on the register. We take no advertising, no listing fees, no commission on a machine sale and no payment for a favourable outcome.
Inspection fees are flat, published, and charged whether the dealer passes or fails. A refused application is not refunded, which removes any incentive for us to pass a yard that should not pass.
No dealer can pay to remove an entry from its trail, and no dealer sees the officer's report before it is filed.
Correcting the register
If a record is wrong, the business or a member of the public can challenge it. We re-check it, and if we got it wrong we file a dated correction beneath the original entry. We do not quietly rewrite history.
Read the full audit ledger