Lorry Loader Training – HIAB Course

Need Lorry Loader (HIAB) Training for yourself or your team?

Learn to operate safely with practical NPORS training covering pre-use inspections, load charts, lifting accessories, vehicle stability and safe lifting techniques.

Our experienced instructors deliver training on customer sites throughout the UK using your own lorry loader and working environment.

Training for Your Team: On suitable customer sites throughout the UK.

Train on Your Own Equipment: Practical training using your lorry loader and lifting equipment.

Call 01684 297167.

Enquire About HIAB Training.

Are you looking for lorry loader training for your workforce, or do you need recognised assessment for an experienced HIAB operator?

Vally Plant Training delivers NPORS N107 Lorry Loader training and testing at suitable customer sites throughout the UK.

We work directly with construction companies, transport operators, builders' merchants, plant hire businesses, utilities contractors and other employers using vehicle-mounted cranes.

Training on your own equipment gives candidates experience with the controls, stabiliser arrangement, rated capacity information and attachments relevant to their work.

It also reduces the disruption involved in sending several employees away to a training centre.

We are a family-run, direct training provider established in 2014 – not a course broker.

Call 01684 297167 or email info@vallyplanttraining.co.uk and tell us where the vehicle is based, which lorry loader is fitted and how much experience each candidate has.

Course Focus: Vehicle-Mounted Cranes • Safe Lorry Loader Operation • Load Handling • On-Site Operator Training

A lorry loader is a crane mounted on a vehicle and used to load, unload, lift and place materials.

People commonly call these machines HIABs, although HIAB is a manufacturer and the wider equipment type is a lorry loader or loader crane.

They are used to handle building materials, cabins, plant, timber, utilities equipment, containers and other loads.

Depending on the machine and job, the lorry loader may use a hook, grab, clamshell bucket or another approved attachment.

The vehicle and crane work together as one lifting system.

Safe operation therefore involves more than moving the crane controls.

The operator must consider vehicle position, ground conditions, stabiliser deployment, working radius, load weight, lifting accessories, nearby people and obstructions.

The two-day novice course is for candidates with little or no previous lorry loader operating experience.

A maximum of three candidates can attend.

Candidates build their knowledge from the ground up, covering inspections, safe set-up, stability, controls, capacity information and practical lifting.

They must demonstrate that they can prepare, operate and secure the equipment safely – not simply repeat a memorised sequence.

The 2–3 hour Experienced Worker Test is for a genuinely experienced and competent operator who can already use the lorry loader safely without instruction.

Up to four separate tests may be completed in one day, subject to the equipment, site and candidates being ready.

This is a test-only route.

It is not a quick training course for somebody who still needs instruction or supervised practice.

Refresher training is intended for previously trained operators who need to update their knowledge and practical skills.

It may be appropriate after a long period away from the equipment, following an incident or unsafe practice, when the machine or attachment changes, or when an employer's competence review identifies a need.

Course content is matched to the training route and equipment available, but can include:

A lorry loader's lifting capacity is not one fixed number.

Capacity changes with the crane configuration and working radius.

As the load moves further away from the crane, the load moment increases and the machine's permitted capacity can reduce considerably.

The operator must use the information provided for the specific loader crane rather than rely on memory or guesswork.

Vehicle position, ground support, stabiliser deployment, slope, crane slew position, load movement and wind can all affect the operation.

Stabilisers do not make every set-up safe.

They must be deployed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and supported on ground capable of carrying the imposed load.

Operators also need to keep themselves and others clear of trapping and crushing areas while stabilisers are moved.

Lorry loaders used at work are subject to the duties that apply to work equipment and lifting equipment.

The Health and Safety Executive explains that lifting operations must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely.

Training an operator is an important part of safe lifting, but it does not replace the employer's wider responsibilities for suitable equipment, maintenance, thorough examination, planning, supervision and safe systems of work.

The lorry loader and lifting accessories must have the required examinations and inspections.

A current lift plan must also be available where the operation requires one.

The operator should inspect the lorry loader before use in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and workplace arrangements.

Checks may cover the crane structure, hydraulic system, hoses, controls, safety devices, stabilisers, pins, locking devices, hook, attachment, remote control, emergency stops and signs of damage or leakage.

Lifting accessories also require appropriate pre-use checks.

Operating the crane does not automatically make somebody competent to perform every lifting-team role.

The lorry loader operator is responsible for safely setting up and operating the crane within its limits.

A slinger signaller selects and attaches appropriate lifting accessories, controls the load and communicates with the operator.

A lift supervisor oversees the lifting operation, while the appointed person plans and manages lifting operations where that role is required.

On straightforward operations, one competent person may carry out more than one function, but the employer must establish that they have the knowledge, training and ability required for each role.

Successful candidates can receive NPORS certification for N107 Lorry Loader, subject to the registration route and current NPORS requirements.

The main choices are the NPORS Traditional Card and the NPORS CSCS route.

Candidates following the CSCS route normally receive a Red Trained Operator Card first.

Progression to a Blue Competent Operator Card requires the relevant vocational qualification and compliance with the current scheme requirements.

Operators working under the NPORS CSCS route can progress from the Red Trained Operator Card to the Blue Competent Operator Card by completing the appropriate Plant Operations NVQ and meeting the current NPORS requirements.

The NVQ is workplace-based and assesses evidence of real occupational competence.

It is not another operator training course or a repeat of the practical test.

Some employers only require operators to use equipment within their own organisation and may consider in-house certification where it is suitable and accepted.

An in-house certificate records the training and assessment completed, but it is not the same as an NPORS Operator Card.

Whether it is accepted depends on the employer, client, principal contractor, site rules and insurer.

This course is delivered at customer sites, so the training area and equipment must be ready before the instructor arrives.

You will normally need:

Candidates should wear suitable PPE for the lifting operation and customer site.

This would normally include:

The customer's risk assessment may specify additional PPE for the load, attachment, work activity or site conditions.

Lorry Loader Training is quoted according to the actual booking rather than using one price that may not reflect the work involved.

The quotation can depend on:

On-site group training can be particularly cost-effective when several suitable employees require the same course.

Give us the site postcode, candidate numbers, experience levels, machine details and preferred dates for an accurate quotation.

Lorry Loader Training is provided at suitable customer sites throughout the UK using the customer's vehicle-mounted crane and lifting equipment.

This course is not normally delivered at our Tewkesbury training centre because candidates need an appropriate vehicle, lorry loader, loads, accessories and lifting area.

Individuals without access to suitable equipment should contact us before booking so we can discuss whether an appropriate arrangement is available.

Mileage and accommodation charges may apply depending on the site's distance from our Gloucestershire base.

These will be explained in the quotation.

Vally Plant Training is a CITB Training Provider Network member.

Eligible CITB-registered employers may be able to claim funding for qualifying training, subject to the current grant rules and course eligibility.

Tell us if your company is CITB registered when requesting a quotation.

Funding rules and amounts are controlled by CITB and can change, so eligibility should be checked for the specific booking.

Vally Plant Training has delivered plant and lifting operations training since 2014.

We provide the course directly and support customers from the first enquiry through to certification.

Companies choose us for:

Tell us where your vehicle is based, which lorry loader you use, how many people need training and their experience.

We will recommend the appropriate route and provide a clear quotation.

Request a Lorry Loader Training Quote