It lifts from the vehicle deck, often from the public highway. There is no licence for this machine.
No UK government body issues a licence to operate a lorry 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 Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) apply to a lorry loader used for lifting. The Approved Code of Practice L113, Safe use of lifting equipment, sets out planned lifts carried out under the supervision of a competent person, with thorough examination of the equipment at intervals not exceeding 12 months, or 6 months where the equipment lifts people.
The lorry loader works from the public highway, so the stabilisers are deployed and the ground bearing beneath them checked before any lift begins. Overhead lines need to be identified and cleared before the boom is raised.