What Your Crane Truck Operator Needs To Know Before Booking You In
So you’re looking to book a crane truck operator for your next project – great call.
Crane trucks are the safest, smoothest way to lift heavy, oversized or bulky items.
But before they can pencil you in, they’ll need to make sure your project fits within their capacity.
From the date you’d like to book in a crane truck to the load dimensions and street access, your crane truck operator will want to collect a range of information to help them determine whether they’re right for the job.
In this guide, we’ll share with you the questions you may come across when speaking with a crane truck operator.
We recommend jotting your answers down as you go – it’ll make your chat much smoother!
Preliminary Questions
Your crane truck operator will start with the basics: the what, where, who.
What are you looking to crane?
Off the bat, your crane truck operator will want to know what you’re looking to lift to ensure it falls within their crane truck’s capacity.
They’ll be asking for the dimensions, weight and a general description of the item.
Is it fragile? Is it oversized? Will it fit on the bed of the truck? If it’s a container, is it full of heavy, miscellaneous items?
☑️Make sure to have a clear description on hand, including all the relevant measurements.
What services will you need?
Secondly, your crane truck operator will want to know what services you’re after. Are you looking for transportation, cranage, installation support or all of the above?
If you’re after transportation, your crane truck operator will need to know what the pick-up and drop-off locations are, and who the points of contact will be for each site.
☑️We recommend familiarising yourself with your crane truck business’s offerings and having a clear idea of the services your project will need.
☑️Note down all of the relevant addresses.
☑️Make sure each site has a reliable point of contact that can be reached during the completion of your job.
Site Access
Next, your crane truck operator will want to know everything about your pick-up and drop-off locations.
Are electrical lines in the way?
High-voltage electrical lines can sometimes run right through a property or work site.
While that doesn’t pose a risk for day-to-day life, it can be dangerous when operating a crane.
If a crane comes too close to an electrical line, there’s a risk of electricity jumping and electrocuting anyone nearby, especially after it’s rained.
Therefore, your crane truck operator will want to know if electrical lines are present onsite, and if so, how close the lines will come to the crane.
If they’re closer than 4.6 meters, your crane truck operator will need a qualified spotter to provide additional guidance onsite.
But if an electrical line runs 3 meters or closer, your crane truck operator will need to find an additional access point free from electrical lines.
☑️Take a photo or video of any electrical lines onsite and send them to your crane truck operator to review.
Are there any other obstructions?
Your crane truck operator will want to know if anything might get in the way of their crane’s reach.
While obstructions like trees, buildings, objects or parked vehicles won’t pose a safety concern, they may still cause access issues.
If possible, remove as many obstructions as you can. Ask your neighbours to find alternative parking spots, cut tree limbs, and move any temporary objects away.
If you aren’t able to move any obstructions, your crane truck operator may need to find an alternative access point.
☑️Take a photo or video of any obstructions onsite and send them to your crane truck operator to review.
Is your street truck-friendly?
Very hilly, curved streets, laneways and small bridges can be seriously difficult for crane trucks to access, and in some cases, impossible.
Your crane truck operator will want to know if any streets leading to your pick-up or drop-off locations will pose access issues.
If so, your crane truck operator will share some alternative solutions with you.
☑️Take a video of any tight street access and send it to your crane truck operator to review.
Will we be blocking the road or footpath?
It’s no surprise that crane trucks are big and bulky, and sometimes the optimum craning position requires a portion of the road or footpath to be blocked.
Your crane truck operator will want to know if this is the case for your project.
If so, they’ll organise traffic or pedestrian control to make sure everyone’s safe while your crane work is being carried out.
☑️Let your crane truck operator know if a portion of the road or footpath will be blocked.
Are your ground conditions stable?
When it comes to rigid crane trucks, ground conditions matter – especially when they’re carrying a heavy load.
Your crane truck operator will want to know if your site ground is made from sand, dirt, mud or soft clay.
These types of grounds, especially after some rain, can be tricky for crane trucks to access.
They’ll also want to know if your ground is levelled or sloped.
Crane work is always encouraged to be completed on level ground, but slopes may be okay on a case-by-case basis.
☑️Let your crane truck operator know if your site ground is soft or sloped.
Timeframe
When will you need a crane truck?
Once your crane truck operator is confident that they can safely complete your project, they’ll ask about your timeframe to ensure they have availability.
It’s always best to give your crane truck operator ample notice.
Booking your project with them two weeks in advance can give them enough time to organise any equipment, materials or third parties that may be required for your lift, like spotters if power lines are low-hanging onsite.
Generally, tight timeframes or time-sensitive projects can be hard to squeeze in as crane truck hire businesses are often booked out weeks in advance.
At Cope Crane Trucks, we work with our clients to find the best solution for them – that’s why we offer a 24-hour service.
Our February Feature Job is a great example of how we fit a time-sensitive delivery into an already booked-out week.
☑️Give your crane truck operator as much notice as you can.
The Takeaway
While a lot of the questions may be intuitive, there are plenty of things a crane truck operator may want to know that isn’t exactly common knowledge.
To summarise, here’s a breakdown of what your crane truck operator will want to know:
☑️A clear description of your item, including exact measurements
☑️A clear description of the services you require
☑️Pick-up and drop-off addresses
☑️A reliable contact person for each site
☑️A clear description of any site access issues, including:
➡️Electrical lines overhead
➡️Onsite obstruction
➡️Street access issues
➡️Footpath or road blockages
➡️Unstable ground conditions
We hope this guide has been helpful for you!
If you have any questions or would like to speak with Anthony, our crane truck operator, please reach out to us anytime.
