We are encountering an increasing number of heavy goods vehicles mounted with large HIAB-type loader cranes. These vehicles have often been converted to accommodate cranes which weigh 80 tonnes or more.
The additional weight caused by these conversions makes the vehicles very close to their maximum carrying capacity and unable to tow a standard semi-trailer without exceeding the permitted vehicle length.
Operators, transport managers and drivers must take note of this when including a load on such a vehicle and look at the regulations. Operators need to make sure they are familiar with how they transport loads and understand whether they come under STGO (Special Type General Order) regulations or fall under Construction & Use (C&U) requirements.
This blog post should help operators better understand the circumstances around transporting cargo with HIAB cranes attached.
