It has two sets of controls, a loader at the front and a backhoe at the rear. There is no licence for this machine.
No UK government body issues a licence to operate a 180 excavator (backhoe loader), and no statute requires one. The duty to train and assess competence sits with the employer, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 section 2(2)(c) and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 regulation 9.
This training is structured operator training with formal theory and practical assessment, which the employer can rely on as evidence when meeting that duty. Sites may set their own entry requirements, and the operator should check with the site before attending.
The Approved Code of Practice L22, Safe use of work equipment, covers the 180 excavator (backhoe loader) under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and regulation 9 sets out the training the employer provides before the operator uses the machine.
Where the machine is used for lifting, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) apply. The machine also travels on the road between sites, so it is both plant and a vehicle, and HSG144 applies as well.