Lifting safety: what a haulier should be able to show you
If you are a contractor or a site manager, these are the four things worth asking any hiab operator, and what the correct answers sound like.
13 September 2026 · 6 min read
Guide
Lifting is the part of haulage where things go badly wrong when they go wrong at all. If you run a site, or you are responsible for what happens on your premises, there are a handful of questions worth asking before a crane starts work.
None of them are awkward for an operator who keeps his paperwork straight.
1. Thorough examination under LOLER
Lifting equipment used at work in Great Britain falls under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, usually called LOLER. A lorry loader crane has to have a thorough examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months where it is not used to lift people, or 6 months where it is.
That examination produces a report. Asking to see the date of the last one is entirely normal and any professional operator will have it.
It is separate from the vehicle's MOT and from routine servicing. A lorry can be perfectly roadworthy and its crane still be out of examination.
2. Who is operating it, and what training do they hold
Operating a lorry loader is a skill with its own training and card schemes in the UK, and the competence expected is specific to loader cranes rather than general lifting.
Ask who will be on site and what they hold. On a commercial site you will usually need it for your own records anyway.
3. Insurance, and what it actually covers
Ask for the figures and the expiry date, not just a yes. We are happy to send ours before a job and most sites now ask for them as standard.
- Public liability, for damage to your property or premises
- Goods in transit, for the load while it is being carried
- Cover during lifting specifically, which is not automatic on every policy
4. The load chart for the lift you are asking for
Every crane has a chart showing capacity at each radius and configuration. If a lift is anywhere near the limit, the right conversation is about that chart rather than about the headline tonne-metre rating.
An operator who will not discuss the chart, or who says a crane will lift its rated tonnage at reach, is telling you something useful about how they work.
What good looks like
In practice a straightforward operator will tell you what they can lift and where, will ask about ground and overhead lines before you think to mention them, and will say no to a job that does not work rather than turning up and improvising.
That last one is the real test, and it is worth more than any certificate.
Questions
Common questions
- How often does a lorry loader crane need examining?
- Under LOLER 1998, at intervals not exceeding 12 months where it is not used to lift people, or 6 months where it is, unless a written scheme of examination drawn up by a competent person sets a shorter interval.
- Is a thorough examination the same as an MOT?
- No. The MOT covers the vehicle. The thorough examination covers the lifting equipment and is a separate report by a competent person. A lorry can pass its MOT with a crane that is out of date for examination.
- Should I ask for insurance details?
- Yes, and any established operator expects it. Look for public liability and goods in transit, and check that lifting operations are actually covered rather than assumed.
What we do
Hiab hire and haulage across Cornwall and Devon
30TM crane, 10 metres of reach, 10 ton capacity, based near Truro. Tell us the weight, the distance from the lorry and what is in the way, and you will get a straight answer.
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