HiabTransport
A lorry with its own crane on the back. It delivers your load and lifts it into place in one vehicle. No separate crane, no forklift waiting at the far end. And if the job turns out bigger than a Hiab, the same team brings a full crane.
- LOLER
- BS 7121
- CPCS / NPORS operators
- Appointed Person
- Fully insured
A Hiab is a lorry with a hydraulic crane mounted behind the cab — a lorry-loader, or crane-lorry. It carries the load and then lifts it off and places it, all from the one vehicle. (Hiab is a maker's name that became the everyday word for these lorries.)
That matters when there's nothing on site to unload you. A flatbed needs a forklift or a crane waiting at the far end; a Hiab brings its own. It reaches in over a wall or a fence, sets a load down in a back garden or a tight yard, and drops materials exactly where they're needed rather than at the kerb.
Altida runs cranes and transport from one yard. If the load is heavier or the reach is longer than a lorry-loader can manage, the same team brings a mobile crane or runs it as a full contract lift.
What we move
What we deliver
and lift
These are the loads a Hiab handles best — items that need setting down in position, not just dropped at the gate. The weight and the reach confirm whether a lorry-loader is the right call.
- Building materials & packs Bricks, blocks, timber packs, and bagged materials craned over a wall and set down where the work is.
- Steelwork & fabricated sections Beams, frames, and fabricated steel delivered and placed onto position in one visit.
- Cabins, containers & modular units Site cabins, containers, and welfare units carried in and lowered onto their bases.
- Plant & machinery Smaller plant and packaged machinery lifted off and set down where it can't be driven on.
- Precast & landscaping units Precast concrete, planters, and heavy landscaping pieces placed into restricted or kerbside spots.
How it works
How far a Hiab reaches
A lorry-loader does two jobs in one vehicle: it brings the load and lifts it off. How much it can lift depends on how far out it has to reach. So the question isn't only the weight; it's the weight at the distance the load has to land.
Close to the truck
Most capacity, close in
A lorry-loader lifts the most right beside the truck. Materials taken straight off the bed onto the kerb or into the yard are the everyday work of a lorry-loader.
Further out
Less the further it reaches
Like any crane, capacity falls as the arm extends. To place a load over a wall, a hedge or into the far side of a yard, what counts is what it can lift at that reach — which is why we ask about the distance, not just the weight.
Bigger jobs
When it's a crane job
Past what a lorry-loader can place, the job moves to a mobile crane or a contract lift. Because we run those too, the same team scales the job up rather than handing you on.
Which do you need
A Hiab, or a full crane lift
A Hiab delivers and places in one vehicle, which suits most kerbside and restricted-site drops. Heavier loads, longer reach, or a more complex lift call for a mobile crane or a managed contract lift. We run both, so the right one comes from the same team.
| Hiab transport Lorry-loader | Crane lift Mobile crane or contract lift | |
|---|---|---|
| The job | Deliver and place in one vehicle | Lift only, or a heavier or higher pick |
| Load weight | Within the lorry-loader's rated lift | Beyond a lorry-loader, into crane territory |
| Reach | Over a wall or fence, alongside the lorry | Long reach, or a high or blind set-down |
| Site access | Kerbside and restricted sites, no plant needed | Room to set up and outrig a mobile crane |
| Who plans it | Delivery booked and run by our driver-operator | CPA hire you plan, or a contract lift we plan |
If you're not sure which way it falls, send us the details and we'll point you to the right one — the same team either way.
Bigger lift? See Crane HireBefore you call
What we'll need to know
The more you can tell us up front, the faster we can confirm the lorry, the lift, and the timing. Don't worry if you don't have it all — we'll work the rest out with you.
What the load is, and roughly what it weighs.
Its dimensions — length, width, and height, even approximate.
Where it's collected from, and the access at that end.
Where it's going, and how far the lorry sits from the drop.
Anything in the way — a wall, fence, or obstacle to reach over.
When you need it, and any fixed date or window.
If you have most of that, send it over and we'll come back with a clear quote — the lorry, the lift, and the timing named up front.
Why Altida
A lorry-loader, and a
crane if you need one
Most firms that run a Hiab can only run a Hiab. If the load is too heavy, you're back to the phone, hiring a crane from someone else. Altida runs both, which makes a Hiab booking simpler from the first call.
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The delivery and the lift, one vehicle
The lorry carries the load and lifts it into place itself, so there's no separate crane or forklift to book, wait on, or pay for at the far end.
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Qualified lorry-loader operators
The lift is the part that matters, so it's run by qualified operators in our own lorries, working to LOLER and BS 7121. One person owns the job from booking through to set-down.
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If it scales up, the same team scales with it
Too heavy or too high for a lorry-loader? Altida runs mobile cranes and full contract lifts too, so a bigger job stays with one team — no second firm to bring in.
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Nationwide coverage
A central base in Chesterfield means we reach the length of the UK without starting every job miles from where it begins.
Across industry
Sectors we deliver for
Common questions
What we
get asked
The questions site teams ask us most often about Hiab work. Anything else, just call.
What is a Hiab?
Can it deliver and lift my load into place?
Do I need a Hiab or a full crane?
Are your lorry-loader operators qualified?
What if the job turns out bigger than a Hiab?
Can a Hiab lift over a wall or into a back garden?
How heavy a load can a Hiab lift?
Do you need road closures or traffic management?
What do you need at the delivery point?
How do I get a quote?
Get in touch