Mobile Crane vs Lorry Loader: Which Lifting Solution Fits the Job?
"Just get a crane" isn't specific enough — a mobile crane and a lorry-mounted loader crane are different machines with different tickets, capacities and mobilisation costs. This comparison sets out which fits a delivery-and-offload job versus a genuine construction lift.
Side by side
| Factor | Mobile crane | Lorry loader (HIAB-type crane) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical capacity | Several tonnes to hundreds of tonnes depending on class | Typically up to a few tonnes at working radius |
| Mobility | Needs separate mobilisation/road transport | Self-contained on the delivery vehicle |
| Ticket | CPCS/NPORS mobile crane category, often plus appointed person | NPORS/ALLMI lorry loader ticket |
| Lift planning | Formal lift plan expected under LOLER for most lifts | Simpler load charts, still LOLER-relevant for lifting persons/loads |
| Typical use | Steel erection, plant installation, precast placement | Builders' merchant deliveries, aggregate/timber offload |
How to decide
- A lorry loader is a crane built onto a delivery vehicle — it exists primarily to load/unload that vehicle's own cargo.
- A mobile crane is a dedicated lifting machine, capable of much higher capacities and more complex lift geometry, but needs separate mobilisation to site.
- If the job is essentially "get this delivery off the lorry," a lorry loader operator (often the driver) is proportionate.
- If the job is a planned lift — steel, plant, precast, out-of-reach placement — a mobile crane with a proper lift plan is the right tool.
When each option wins
Mobile crane wins when…
Planned lifts of significant weight, height or complexity — anything needing a real lift plan, exclusion zones and an appointed person should be a mobile crane job, not a lorry loader improvisation.
Lorry loader (HIAB-type crane) wins when…
Routine delivery offload where the crane is simply getting the driver's own load off the vehicle — a lorry loader ticket is faster, cheaper and proportionate to the risk.
Cost & time
Mobile crane hire and mobilisation costs considerably more than a delivery vehicle's integral crane, and the ticket takes longer to obtain given the range of crane classes. Lorry loader tickets are often bundled into a driver's existing role and are quicker and cheaper to add.
Compliance
Both are lifting operations under LOLER 1998, requiring thorough examination and, for anything beyond routine repetitive lifts, a documented lift plan. Using a lorry loader for a lift it wasn't designed for (beyond its own vehicle's cargo, or beyond rated capacity) is a common and serious non-compliance.
Our recommendation
Ask what the crane is actually for. If it's unloading materials the vehicle brought, a lorry loader ticket is proportionate. If it's a structural or positioning lift with real consequence if it goes wrong, don't improvise — book a mobile crane with a proper lift plan.
FAQ
Can a lorry loader lift someone else's materials, not just its own delivery?
Only within its rated capacity and with a proper risk assessment — it's not designed as a general-purpose site crane.
Do I need an appointed person for a mobile crane lift?
For anything beyond simple, repetitive lifts, yes — LOLER 1998 expects a competent appointed person to plan and supervise the lift.
Is a lorry loader ticket cheaper than a mobile crane ticket?
Generally yes, reflecting the lower capacity and simpler operating envelope.
Still not sure which is right for your site?
Tell us what you need and Chris will call back with straight advice.