CTB Friday roundup 9 May 2025: Borrowed servant; Jobs of the Year; Bauma highlights

New at Bauma: Liebherr LTM 1150-5.4E hybrid all terrain crane with onboard battery. Photo: Alex Dahm/KHL Group

This week’s roundup of articles from the Crane and Transport Briefing, 5 to 9 May 2025.

MONDAY 5 MAY

In today’s litigious environment, crane owners and operators must understand the legal concept of the borrowed servant doctrine, a principle that can have major implications for liability in the event of an accident. DUAL’s Laura Schoefer and Tyrone Silva provide a refresher on how this doctrine works and why it matters. In short, it allows a worker to be considered an employee of a company that temporarily oversees their work, even though they remain technically employed by another company.

This issue is especially relevant in crane operations, where workers may be employed by a crane rental company but operate under the supervision of a customer on-site. For example, if a crane operator works at a jobsite under the direction of a general contractor, they may be considered a borrowed servant of that contractor, who would then become the “special employer.”

Schoefer and Silva explore how this designation can influence legal outcomes, including who is held financially responsible in the event of an incident. Their article emphasises the importance of clearly defined contractual language to protect all parties involved.

Read more about the importance of this doctrine and a refresher course on why it matters.

Leading Tuesday’s Crane and Transport Briefing news was the announcement of the winning entries in the SC&RA’s prestigious crane and transport jobs of the year.

WEDNESDAY 7 MAY

As a precursor to our coverage of the SC&RA Jobs of the Year, here is a photo diary of the best images from these monumental endeavours.

Over the next few weeks, Crane and Transport Briefing will feature in-depth job stories and photos for all eight winning jobs in the rigging, specialized transport and specialized moving categories.

Some 27 companies entered the 2025 contest that features jobs completed around the world. The competition was among the most intense ever, with projects that ranged from installing the Space Shuttle Endeavour in a launch position at a museum in California to launching a vessel on three barges from the Port of Brownsville, USA, to hauling huge pipe racks in Canada.

Take a look at some of the most captivating photos from the SC&RA Job of the Year winning jobs.

THURSDAY 8 MAY

Inside Bauma 2025: crane and transport highlights

With blue skies overhead and renewed optimism in the air, Bauma 2025 welcomed around 600,000 visitors from more than 200 countries to Munich for the world’s largest construction industry trade fair. Despite ongoing discussions around global trade tariffs, the atmosphere at the show was upbeat, with many exhibitors reporting strong interest, new leads and a sense of momentum across the equipment sector.

“Bauma offers the perfect stage to present our latest technologies and solutions to a global audience,” said Tadano Group president and CEO Toshiaki Ujiie. “It is an invaluable event that enables us to exchange ideas directly with our customers and industry experts.”

With more than 3,600 exhibitors from 57 countries highlighting key trends like sustainability, digitalisation and electrification, Bauma 2025 proved once again that it’s more than a trade show; it’s a global catalyst for change.

Read more of CTB’s review of the Bauma 2025 trade show.