Two years running a flat-deck with a HIAB lorry-loader crane. The six-weekly PMI came and went every time without a problem. The vehicle unit downloads were clean. The operator thought everything was in order.
It wasn't. The LOLER thorough examination — separate from the PMI, separate from the goods vehicle annual test, and specifically required by the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 — hadn't been done once since the vehicle came into the fleet. When someone finally thought to ask, the examiner found a hydraulic hose with developing fatigue cracking and a slipping kingpost bearing that nobody had spotted. Neither was in the PMI checklist. Both were in the LOLER scope.
I've had this conversation with transport managers who run mixed fleets. "We keep up with the PMI — isn't that the same thing?" It isn't. They're different obligations, different competencies, different paperwork.
What LOLER actually says
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 apply to any lifting equipment used at work. A lorry-mounted loader crane — a HIAB, a Palfinger, a Fassi, whatever make you're running — is lifting equipment. It lifts loads. It's used at work. LOLER applies.
Regulation 9 sets out the thorough examination requirement. For lifting equipment that isn't used to lift people, the minimum interval is every 12 months. The examination has to be carried out by a competent person — someone with the practical and theoretical knowledge, experience, and independence to make an objective assessment. In practice that usually means a specialist from an inspection company, not the workshop fitter who does your PMI.
The competent person must provide a report. Schedule 1 of LOLER sets out what the report must include: the identity of the equipment, its safe working load, the date of examination, the date of the next due examination, and any defects found that are or could become a risk to people. If defects are found that create an immediate risk, the competent person has a legal duty to notify both the employer and — in some circumstances — the relevant enforcing authority.
Why the PMI doesn't cover it
The six-weekly vehicle safety inspection under the operator licence is a roadworthiness check. It covers the vehicle — brakes, tyres, steering, lights, body and trailer coupling. A good PMI fitter will have a look at the crane mounting, check the hydraulic connections for obvious leaks, note anything that's visibly wrong. But the PMI isn't a LOLER examination, and a PMI pass doesn't constitute a thorough examination under Regulation 9.
LOLER requires a specific, documented assessment of the crane's lifting capability and structural integrity — the hydraulics, the rope or chain if fitted, the hooks, the outriggers, the load indicator, the limiting devices, the structural welds. It requires someone with specific crane knowledge, not general vehicle engineering competence.
The goods vehicle annual test is the same — it's not a LOLER examination. Passing the annual test with a crane-equipped vehicle says nothing about whether the LOLER obligation has been met.
DVSA, when they inspect your vehicle records, can ask for the LOLER examination certificate. I've heard of operators being caught at a premises inspection without one. It's not the same as a PG9 on the vehicle — it's an HSE matter — but it creates a compliance record that follows the operator's repute.
The 12-month interval — and when it's shorter
For most lorry-mounted cranes, the 12-month thorough examination interval is the default. But LOLER Regulation 9 also allows for an examination scheme — a written programme drawn up by a competent person that specifies different intervals based on the equipment's use and condition. In some heavy-use applications, the examination scheme might specify six-monthly inspections. In lighter use, it might extend beyond 12 months with justification.
In practice, most operators running HIAB-equipped fleets just go with the 12-month default. It's clean, it's auditable, and it matches the documentation cycle. An examination scheme adds complexity without much benefit unless the crane is doing unusual duty cycles.
The other trigger for a thorough examination is exceptional circumstances. If the crane is involved in an incident — dropped a load, hit something, had a hydraulic failure under load — you need a thorough examination before it goes back into service. Don't skip that one. An incident-damaged crane that hasn't been thoroughly examined before reuse is both an HSE risk and a significant liability issue if something goes wrong on the next job.
What the examination covers
A competent LOLER examiner working on a lorry-mounted crane will typically cover:
- Structural integrity of the crane body, boom sections, and mounting base
- Condition of hydraulic cylinders, hoses, couplings, and the hydraulic pump
- Hook and swivel — wear, deformation, safety latch function
- Safe working load markings — present, legible, consistent with the crane specification
- Outrigger condition and deploy/retract function
- Slewing mechanism and kingpost bearing
- Load limiting devices and overload protection
- Any rope, chain, or sling in scope — though these are often excluded if they're the operator's lifting accessories rather than part of the crane itself
The last point on lifting accessories is worth flagging separately. Chains, slings, and shackles used with the crane are also lifting equipment under LOLER, and they need their own examination regime — typically every 6 or 12 months depending on use. If your driver is carrying a set of chains for loading, those chains need to be in scope. Operators often treat accessories as consumables and ignore the LOLER paperwork. That's a mistake.
The physical evidence requirement
Regulation 9(3) of LOLER says lifting equipment cannot be put into use unless it's accompanied by physical evidence that the last thorough examination has been carried out. "Accompanied by" is the operative phrase — the report, or a copy, has to be available at the point of use, not just filed somewhere in the office.
In practice that means the current LOLER examination certificate should be in the vehicle — either in the cab documentation folder or attached to the crane itself. If a driver turns up on-site and the site foreman asks for the examination certificate, the driver needs to be able to produce it. Some sites won't allow crane operations to start without it. Haulage from industrial and energy sectors can be particular about this.
A mate running flat-deck work into a steel distribution site near Birmingham found this out the hard way. Certificate was in the office. Driver had nothing on him. Two hours of job delay while someone drove over with the paperwork. Now it's laminated and cable-tied to the crane control box.
Who to use as your competent person
The regulation doesn't specify a qualification — it defines "competent" as having practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the type of equipment to be examined. In the UK, major inspection bodies like Lloyd's Register, Bureau Veritas, SGS, and specialist crane inspection companies provide LOLER thorough examination services. Some crane manufacturers' service networks offer it. Your PMI garage might offer it if they have the right expertise — but check what "the right expertise" means before you book.
The independence requirement matters. The competent person needs to be able to make an objective assessment. Using your in-house fitter who maintains the crane isn't ideal, because they have an interest in the outcome. An external inspection body removes that issue. Some insurers won't accept in-house examinations for liability purposes anyway — worth checking your policy wording.
The DVSA and HSE overlap
When DVSA visit your premises for a compliance inspection, they're primarily looking at vehicle roadworthiness and drivers' hours records. But they're not the only enforcement body interested in your records. HSE has concurrent jurisdiction over LOLER compliance — it's health and safety legislation, not road transport legislation.
In a premises inspection involving a reported incident with a crane, you could end up with both DVSA and HSE asking questions. DVSA about the vehicle condition and driver records, HSE about LOLER, the examination history, and the circumstances of the incident. Having LOLER examination certificates that are current and properly documented takes one issue off the table entirely.
If you're tired of tracking vehicle-specific compliance certificates separately from tachograph downloads and PMI schedules, ShiftOwt keeps compliance records linked to specific vehicles and drivers — see how it works.
The practical checklist
For any operator running lorry-mounted cranes:
- Identify each crane-equipped vehicle in the fleet
- Check when the last LOLER thorough examination was done — if you can't find a certificate, it probably wasn't
- Book examinations through a competent inspection body — annually as a minimum
- Keep the current examination certificate in the vehicle cab documentation
- Treat any crane incident (dropped load, structural contact, hydraulic failure under load) as triggering an immediate out-of-service requirement until re-examination
- Separately track lifting accessories — chains, slings, shackles — under LOLER
The crane examination is a one-day job once a year and costs a few hundred pounds. The consequence of skipping it ranges from an HSE improvement notice to a serious injury claim with uninsured liability exposure. It's not a difficult calculation.
Two years with a crane on the truck, no LOLER certificate, and a hydraulic hose that was developing a problem nobody had spotted. Found out at the worst possible time — not during a load, thankfully, but close enough to make the lesson stick.