Why Using A HIAB Truck For Goods Transportation Is Incredibly Effective
When we think of haulage and goods transportation, the image we create for ourselves is often that of a HGV hauling a container or standard flatbed truck with goods strapped to it.
However, many goods are simply unable to be transported by such means, and hauliers along with businesses and consumers are often left scratching their heads on how they can get their consignments delivered to them.
This is where a HIAB Truck can help resolve logistical nightmares, with a sound solution for transporting unusual consignments from A to B. These trucks (equipped with a hydraulic crane for loading) can safely move not commonly shipped items such as; Saunas, Shepherd Huts and Telecom Masts to name a few.
What Is A HIAB Truck?
HIAB Trucks are essentially a flatbed truck with a giant hydraulic crane attached to the back of the cab. This makes them the perfect piece of heavy plant equipment to load and unload heavy goods at both ends of its logistical journey.
The combination of truck and crane in this way alleviates the necessity for cranes to be present and both the departure site and the arrival site – making the entire transportation process much more efficient for all parties. Not only this, but the extendable arm on these convenient hydraulic crane arms are often able to access areas that are not normally able to be reached by regular loading and unloading equipment. Having heavy (and sometimes delicate) goods lifted onto an off-ground level of a building without needing additional lifting equipment reduces the risk of damage that could be incurred through repeatedly loading and unloading these goods.
A Brief History of HIAB Trucks
HIAb itself is an acronym for the original company which manufactured these types of HGV’s. Hydrauliska Industri AB Company, founded in 1944 by Eric Sundin, were a Swedish manufacturing group that in 1947 developed the world’s first truck with a mounted hydraulic crane. Since then, all such vehicles have adopted the acronym of the company in a collective term for their class.
To this day, Eric Sundin’s family continue to run successful hydraulics based manufacturing firms – most notably Sunfab. The legacy of this invention and the company behind it has been well and truly solidified in the use of the four letters which we use to collectively identify one of these vehicles on the road.
The Common Uses of a HIAB Truck
HIAB trucks are incredibly well engineered which makes them adaptable and durable for a whole host of different uses in goods transportation.
Nearly everything that we take for use in everyday life will have been at some point transported via HGV, lorry or HIAB – it genuinely just depends on how abnormal a load it was at the time of transportation as to which it arrived on.
HIAB trucks do have a number of common items that their drivers are used to seeing however. Below we’ve summarised some of these and why using a HIAB truck to transfer such goods is often the best option for haulage companies.
Shipping Containers
Loading shipping containers onto a flatbed wagon at the docks may certainly be practical. However, moving it off and into its storage location at the other end of its journey may not be so simple. Well, if you’re using a HIAB truck to transfer a shipping container by road, you’ll have a hydraulic crane to assist you in moving it to its destination.
Building Materials
Often, many building materials (especially on large development sites) will need to be placed at various locations around the site to be used in different buildings and by different members of the construction team. Traditionally with a wagon this would mean manually unloading pallets of supplies at each drop off point. But, with a HIAB truck the crane can manage all of the heavy lifting – and potentially even get the goods closer to where they need to be than manual unloading could.
Farm & Agricultural Equipment
The amount of tensile strength and lifting power in a HIAB crane cannot be overstated. These immensely powerful machines are capable of lifting a range of different agricultural and plant equipment and can make for the best solution when transferring things such as tractors over long haul distances.
Portable Buildings
Moving temporary modular structures such as Portacabins or pop-up retail outlets (coffee stops or sandwich vans) can be a tricky logistical issue for many small business owners. Using a HIAB truck’s hydraulic crane system means moving these is much easier as is ensuring they are in just the right position.
Modular Installations
Fully built modular units that are to be added to an existing property are sometimes tricky to transport in their entirety – and breaking them down could also be costly in both time and money. However, moving the full structure on the back of a HIAB truck can help resolve both of these issues in one swoop. We’ve hauled things like Sauna units on the back of our HIAB hires in the past to help get them to the property and installed them in one piece.
The list above is by no means exclusive, and HIAB trucks can be used to transfer a whole host of different loads effectively. Here at Phelan Haulage, we have the expertise and confidence to be able to guide you through what you can use your HIAB truck for. Why not contact us today and enquire as to whether or not a HIAB hire is the right fit for your next logistical project.
The Top 3 Advantages of Using a HIAB Truck
The main advantage is the obvious one. One that we have covered at other points in this article, but the ease a HIAB truck provides to hauliers is that there can be on-site loading and unloading of heavy and abnormal loads without the need for a separate mobile crane.
Because of this versatility and their rigorous design standard, they are able to be used across multiple different sectors. Rather than just say Construction, they can be used in agriculture or also in vehicle recovery for example. Hence why HIAB Hires are always in high demand as every sector can find a use for these immensely valuable vehicles.
The fact that HIAB trucks are much smaller than traditional mobile cranes (although with similar lifting capabilities) means that they are more adaptable to situations that would otherwise constrain the use of a separate crane. On a building site for example, there could be a small area which needs the use of a crane for heavy lifting – where a larger mobile crane could not safely access the area a HIAB truck would in all likelihood be better placed to.
Are You Looking for HIAB Truck Hire?
Phelan Haulage is a firm based in the North East of England. With over 15 years of experience in specialist crane hire for a whole range of different uses we have the ability to offer one of the best HIAB Hire solutions in the UK.
We have fully trained, accredited and insured operatives who know the powerful HIAB trucks inside out. So if you’re looking for the best solution to your HIAB transportation needs look no further and get in touch with our amazing team today.
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