HIAB Training Courses

A HIAB is a brand of lorry mounted crane. The name is also used to describe other brands of crane, much like ‘hoover’ is used for many brands of vacuum cleaner. The generic terms are lorry mounted crane, lorry loader or hydraulic lorry loader.

Independent Training Standards Scheme & Register. ITSSAR is an accrediting body with a long history of setting standards within the material handling equipment industry, and a founding member of the Accrediting Bodies Association (ABA) in 2012.

TOPS stands for Trained Operator Passport Scheme – ITSSAR’s register of candidates who have successfully completed training. You are issued a unique TOPS ID number that stays with you for life, allowing your training to be easily validated and verified.

If you are an experienced operator or are refreshing an existing licence, a 1-day course is appropriate. For all other candidates, a novice course is required. This is generally a 2-day course but can be completed in one day on a 1:1 basis.

No. You are trained and assessed on operating the crane, not on driving the lorry, so you do not need a driving licence to operate a HIAB. You do however need the appropriate driving licence entitlement if you also intend to drive the vehicle on the road.

Training and assessment are carried out on the brick grab attachment, and your certificate qualifies you as a HIAB operator. If you will use a different attachment, such as a hook or clamshell, attachment-specific familiarisation is carried out through your employer on that equipment. This is standard industry practice.

No. Our HIAB courses do not carry Driver CPC periodic training hours. This gives us the flexibility to focus on training candidates to be excellent HIAB operators, rather than on content that ticks boxes to meet the CPC syllabus.

Yes. Our ITSSAR accreditation allows us to deliver training at customer premises nationwide, on your own vehicle and crane. Call 0161 494 2836 to discuss your site, equipment and dates.

Operators of lorry loaders must be trained and competent under health & safety law. Completing an accredited course and holding a valid operator qualification is how you demonstrate that competence to employers and inspectors.

HIAB badges and certificates are issued electronically for you to carry on your phone. You will receive your electronic documents within 48 hours of successfully completing the course.

Yes. Most modern HIAB cranes are remote-controlled, which allows a much safer operating environment, and your training includes their use.

Every candidate we train is registered on ITSSAR’s Trained Operator Passport Scheme (TOPS) and issued a unique TOPS ID number that stays with them for life. To verify a record, use the ‘Validate Operator Training’ form on the ITSSAR website (itssar.org.uk) and enter the operator’s TOPS ID number – available for training completed from January 2015 onwards. Employers can also confirm details directly with ITSSAR by phone, and we are always happy to help verify training we have delivered.