---
title: "hiab: Definition and Meaning | NPSA"
description: "Hiab is a brand of truck-mounted loader cranes and is also used as a general name for them. Hiab started as Hydrauliska Industri AB in Sweden."
url: https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/hiab
publisher: National Portable Storage Association (NPSA)
phone: "(816) 960-6552"
email: info@npsa.org
---

Delivery equipment

# hiab

Hiab is a brand of truck-mounted loader cranes and is also used as a general name for them. Hiab started as Hydrauliska Industri AB in Sweden. A hiab truck carries a crane that loads and unloads cargo. The name is used loosely in the trade.

## Why it matters

In the trade, people say hiab for any truck-mounted loader crane, much like a brand name used for a product. A hiab truck can lift a small container, a modular unit or heavy materials onto a site. Operators should check the crane's capacity chart, because rated lift falls as reach grows. A common mistake is to assume that a given crane can lift a loaded box. Another is to ignore ground and wire hazards. Ask the provider for the model, the rated capacity at your reach distance and the site needs.

[Read: Container delivery equipment: Tilt-bed, roll-off, side-loader, and crane trucks](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/guides/container-delivery-equipment)

Definition source: [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiab)

## Related terms

[### crane truck A crane truck is a truck with a crane mounted on the bed or chassis. It lifts a container off a trailer, over fences or onto a tight spot. It is also called a boom truck or loader crane truck.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/crane-truck)[### flatbed truck A flatbed truck has a flat, level bed with no sides or roof. It can be a rigid truck or a tractor with a trailer. A flatbed can haul a container but needs a crane or forklift at the drop site to unload it.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/flatbed-truck)[### tilt-bed truck A tilt-bed truck has a bed that tilts down toward the ground. A winch pulls a container onto or off the bed. It places a 20 ft or 40 ft container on the ground without a crane or forklift. It is the most common delivery truck in portable storage.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/tilt-bed-truck)[### side loader A side loader is a trailer with two lifting arms that picks up a container, carries it and sets it on the ground or on another trailer. It can lift from the side, so it needs less room at the front or back.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/side-loader)[### overhead clearance Overhead clearance is the free vertical space above a road or drop site. Trees, power lines, bridges and roof edges limit it. A delivery truck and container need enough clear height to travel and tilt without contact. Check it along the full route.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/overhead-clearance)[### delivery access Delivery access is the space and route a truck needs to reach the drop spot. It includes the road, driveway, gates, turning room and overhead clearance. XCaliber Container gives a guide of about 10 feet of width on each side of the container and 13 feet of overhead clearance.](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/delivery-access)

[All 220 terms](https://npsa.preview.multisites.ai/glossary)

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