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HIAB hire

A HIAB is a lorry with its own crane: it can carry the load to site and lift it into place in one visit. Tell us the job and we pass it to firms that cover your area.

  • Free to use, no obligation
  • One short form, about a minute
  • We pass your request to crane hire firms that cover your area
  • We are not a crane hire company and do not plan lifts

Request crane hire

Free, no obligation. About a minute.

What kind of crane do you need?
When do you need it?
For how long?
Contract lift or crane hire with operator?

What is the difference?

Where is the lift, and what is it?
Who should the crane hire firms contact?

Hire Crane is an introduction service. We do not hire out cranes or plan lifts, and we never sell your details to marketing lists.

What is a HIAB?

HIAB is a brand of lorry loader crane, and the name is widely used for any lorry with a crane mounted on it.

The same machine is also called a lorry loader, a crane lorry or a lorry-mounted crane. Because it carries its load, it suits jobs where something has to be collected or delivered and then lifted: steel, timber, cabins, plant, garden buildings and building materials.

HIAB or mobile crane?

HIAB (lorry loader)Mobile crane
Carries the loadYes, on its own bedNo, the load is delivered separately
Typical useDelivering and placing materials, cabins and plantHeavier lifts and longer reach
Reach and capacitySmallerLarger, up to very heavy lifts
Lift planningRequired either way under LOLER

Lift planning still applies

Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), every lifting operation has to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. BS 7121, the British Standard code of practice for the safe use of cranes, sets out how that is usually done. BS 7121 has a separate part for lorry loaders. For a HIAB, the hire firm will want to know the weight and size of the load, where the lorry can park, and how far the load has to travel.

Contract lift or hire with operator?

Many HIAB jobs are booked as a delivery and lift, but the question of who plans and supervises the lift still applies. How that works.

What to have ready

  • The site address and postcode, and where the crane could stand.
  • What is being lifted: its weight if you know it, its size, and whether it has lifting points.
  • How far and how high: the distance from where the crane stands to where the load lands (the radius), and the height it has to clear.
  • Access: gateway and door widths, overhead cables, trees, and whether the crane needs to set up on a road or pavement.
  • Ground conditions: soft ground, cellars, drains and recent backfill all matter, because outriggers put a lot of load through a small area.
  • Dates, and whether you want a contract lift or crane hire with operator.

Firms with HIAB in their name

From the Google Maps results we collected for our town pages, firms whose name mentions HIAB, most reviewed first.

Listed for information from Google Maps search results on 10 October 2026. These firms are not our partners, we have not checked them, and a listing here is not a recommendation. Ratings are Google ratings on that date.

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Questions people ask

What does HIAB stand for?

HIAB is a brand name for lorry loader cranes. It is so widely used that people say HIAB for any lorry with a crane mounted on it.

Can a HIAB collect and deliver?

Yes. That is the main reason to use one: the lorry carries the load and its own crane lifts it off and into place, so one vehicle does both jobs.

Does a HIAB need a lift plan?

Yes. LOLER applies to every lifting operation, including lifts made by a lorry loader. On a contract lift the hire firm prepares the plan; on hire with operator, it is your responsibility.

Need a crane?

Tell us the job once. We pass it to crane hire firms that cover your area and they contact you directly.

Request crane hire