Rent Truck-Mounted Platforms – Flexibility for Work at Height

A truck-mounted platform brings the working height directly to the job site: no delivery lead time, no staging area, no low-loader run-up. The boom truck drives in, sets down its outriggers, and lifts. For church-tower renovations, street lighting, tree pruning on public land, or large-scale installations up to 30 metres, this is the decisive operational advantage over stationary equipment. Luibl rents truck-mounted platforms from 16 m up to 30 m working height – inspected per accident-prevention regulations (UVV), with brands such as Ruthmann and Palfinger, available throughout Germany and across Europe. Whether a truck-mounted platform or a self-propelled design is the better choice is shown in the overview Rent a lifting platform – which platform for which job; all aerial work platforms in the fleet are listed under rent aerial work platforms.

Truck-mounted platforms differ from self-propelled aerial work platforms in one key respect: they are road vehicles. This means:

High mobility between job sites: A boom truck can drive from job site A to job site B during the lunch break. For municipal operations that service several lighting points or tree locations every day, this is the decisive cost-efficiency factor compared with stationary machines.

Fast automatic setup: Modern truck-mounted platforms deploy their outriggers automatically at the push of a button. Setup times under five minutes are standard – no manual rigging, no separate setup crew.

Large lateral outreach: Truck-mounted platforms from 20 m working height achieve lateral outreach of 12 m and more. This reaches work areas that self-propelled machines could only access by repositioning multiple times – for example, facade work beyond hedges, fences, or parked vehicles.

Below-grade operation: Certain truck-mounted platform models can swing the boom below the level on which the vehicle is set up. For bridge soffits, retaining walls, and sloped sites, this is the only technically safe solution that does not require special equipment.

The light class of truck-mounted platforms is built on carrier vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of up to 3,500 kg. Driving licence category B is sufficient to operate it – no HGV licence, no driver card, no restrictions from EU driving and rest time rules.

Technical specifications of this class:

• Working height: 16 m to 22 m

• Lateral outreach: up to 11 m

• Basket load: 200 kg to 230 kg

• Carrier vehicle: van or light truck up to 3.5 t GVW

• Outrigger footprint: variable, typically 4.5 m to 5.5 m – support pads required on soft ground

Applications:

• Street lighting maintenance by municipal works departments

• Facade and painting work on buildings up to three storeys

• Tree pruning and tree care on public green spaces

• Signage and advertising installation in commercial areas

• Electrical installation on building facades and warehouse roofs

The class B platform is particularly relevant for trade businesses and municipal facilities that do not have, or do not want to keep, an HGV licence holder on their team. The vehicle is driven like a normal van – with employees' existing driving licence.

From a gross vehicle weight of over 3,500 kg, driving licence category C1 (up to 7.5 t) or C (over 7.5 t) is required. This class addresses projects where working height and outreach exceed the limits of the light class.

Technical specifications of the heavy-duty class:

• Working height: 30 m to 57 m and above

• Lateral outreach: up to 30 m for heavy-duty units

• Basket load: up to 300 kg (two-person operation)

• Outrigger footprint: up to 8 m – mandatory load-bearing ground or support pads

• Below-grade operation: available on several models (boom can swing below the level on which the vehicle is set up)

Case in point: a 57 m heavy-duty unit was used for a church-tower renovation in Passau. The variable outrigger configuration allowed a compliant setup with maximum stability despite extremely tight space on the market square – a stationary solution would not have been feasible on this ground and layout.

Applications for the heavy-duty class:

• Church towers, industrial chimneys, silos

• Bridge inspection and bridge maintenance

• Installation of wind turbine ancillary equipment and cable infrastructure

• Structural steel installation in industrial construction

• Event stage rigging and sound system installation for large events

The driving licence requirement is based solely on the carrier vehicle's gross vehicle weight, not on the platform's working height:

• Category B (up to 3,500 kg GVW): Sufficient for all light-class truck-mounted platforms. No logbook entry, no driver card requirement.

• Category C1 (3,501 kg to 7,500 kg GVW): Required for mid-size boom trucks. Under EU law, C1 holders need a driver card for journeys over 100 km.

• Category C (over 7,500 kg GVW): Mandatory for heavy-duty units from 30 m working height upward.

Regardless of driving licence category, the following applies to operating the platform itself: the operator must be demonstrably instructed in accordance with DGUV Grundsatz G 308-008. A driving licence for the carrier vehicle does not replace instruction in operating the platform. Luibl carries out documented equipment instruction at every handover.

Using a truck-mounted platform on public roads, pavements, or squares is subject to German road traffic law. The following points must be clarified before deployment:

Setup permit: Using public traffic areas as a setup location generally requires a permit from the relevant road traffic authority (§ 29 StVO). Processing time ranges from one working day to two weeks depending on the authority and federal state – apply early.

Traffic safety and barricading: The setup area must be secured in accordance with RSA (guidelines for securing work sites on roads). Compliant barricading, warning lights, and traffic signage where required are the operator's responsibility – not a Luibl task, but can be coordinated on request.

Ground and load-bearing capacity: On pavements, paved areas, and green spaces, the ground's load-bearing capacity must be checked before setting down the outriggers. Support pads (at least 1 m × 1 m per outrigger) are mandatory on soft ground or where load-bearing capacity is unknown. Luibl recommends requesting support pads as standard with every truck-mounted platform rental.

Wind speed: Safe operation of truck-mounted platforms is limited to a maximum wind speed of 12.5 m/s (wind force 6) – per DIN EN 280. Operation must be stopped in weather conditions exceeding this limit. For work at heights above 40 m, local wind measurements are recommended, as wind speed increases with height.

Ruthmann: Ruthmann boom trucks are the standard in Germany for truck-mounted platforms in municipal and commercial use. Ruthmann's mast system is designed for high duty cycles – engineered for longevity rather than minimum weight. The basket controls respond proportionally and precisely, which matters for facade work with tight tolerances. Ruthmann models cover the range from 16 m to 57 m working height.

Palfinger: Palfinger platforms are known for their small footprint when setting down outriggers. Compact outrigger widths allow use on streets with parking on both sides without fully blocking oncoming traffic. This makes Palfinger models the preferred choice for urban deployments with limited setup space.

Both brands are regularly serviced in the Luibl rental fleet and inspected in accordance with the accident-prevention regulations (UVV, DGUV Vorschrift 68) before every delivery. Proof of inspection is provided at handover.

All truck-mounted platforms are covered by the carrier vehicle's motor third-party liability insurance for damage to third parties while operating on the road. For damage to the rented equipment itself (machine damage, accident damage during operation), machinery breakdown insurance with a deductible is required. This can optionally be included in the rental agreement through Luibl.

In the event of damage: report to Luibl immediately, do not attempt unauthorised repairs, initial assessment is carried out by a Luibl technician on site.

Luibl delivers truck-mounted platforms throughout Germany as well as to Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Czechia, Italy, Hungary, and other European countries. Over 200 locations ensure close proximity and short-term appointment availability.

Request a rental quote via our contact form: state working height, job site location, rental duration, and the operator's driving licence category. For projects requiring a public-space setup permit: enquire early so that the delivery date and permit lead time can be coordinated.