Reasons to Use a HIAB Lorry for Goods Transport

When you think of commercial haulage, you likely picture a standard heavy goods vehicle (HGV) towing a normal container or securing cargo to a standard flatbed trailer. While this setup works perfectly for standard freight, many oversized, heavy, or awkwardly shaped items simply cannot be moved this way. For businesses and project managers, figuring out how to safely transport and unload these challenging shipments can create major logistical headaches..

This is where a HIAB lorry provides the perfect solution. Equipped with an onboard hydraulic crane which these versatile vehicles can load, transport, and unload specialist cargo without requiring separate machinery. As heavy haulage experts ourselves, we've put together this practical guide to explain why a HIAB lorry is often the smartest choice for your next project. For a deeper dive into their operational advantages, read our companion article, The Benefits of HIAB Haulage.

The Most Frequent Applications for a HIAB Lorry

HIAB trucks are engineered for versatility and durability across the transport sector. While standard HGV lorries rely on external infrastructure like forklifts or cranes at either end of the journey, a HIAB operates with total independence. Making it the go-to vehicle for handling challenging, non-standard loads in demanding environments.

So, what can a HIAB lorry actually carry? Below, we have listed some of the most common things we move, along with the reasons why using a HIAB truck to transport them is the smartest choice for your project.

Shipping Containers

Loading a shipping container onto a normal truck at a sea port is quite easy because ports have giant cranes to help. But what happens when that truck arrives at a small farm, a tight building site, or someone's driveway? A regular truck has no way to get the heavy container off the back.

By using a HIAB lorry, you solve this problem completely. When the driver arrives at your site, they can lift the container up and place it exactly where you want it, even over a fence or around a tight corner. You get the delivery and the unloading done at the exact same time, with no extra equipment needed.

Farm & Agricultural Equipment

Moving agricultural equipment can be a real challenge, heavy load attachments like hay balers, large ploughs, and bulk animal feed silos are too awkwardly shaped for standard delivery trailers. A HIAB lorry is the perfect solution for these heavy, static loads. Whether you are delivering a massive backup generator to a remote field or moving heavy field tools between farms, a HIAB makes the job simple.

Portable Buildings & Cabins

Transporting fully constructed modular units that are going to be added to an existing property can be challenging at times, and tearing them down can be expensive in terms of both time and money. On the other hand, shifting the entire structure onto the back of an HIAB truck and transporting it can assist fix both of these problems in a one fell swoop. In the past, we have helped get items like sauna units to the location where they needed to be by transporting them on the back of our HIAB rentals and then installing them in one piece once they were there.

Materials for Construction

It is common practice (particularly on big development sites) for numerous building materials to be distributed across the site to a variety of different areas so that they may be utilised in a variety of structures and by a variety of members of the construction team. In the past, doing this with a waggon required physically unloading pallets of goods at each location where they were dropped off. However, if the items are being unloaded using an HIAB truck, the crane can do all of the hard lifting, and it may even be able to carry the goods closer to their destination than manual unloading could.

For more information, get in touch with A R Banks now!

If you have any questions, or would like to know more about HIAB hire or tips for transporting heavy haulage, please feel free to get in touch with our reliable team today! We’re on hand to answer any questions you have and provide outstanding customer service!

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