Buying a boom truck

R 03 mNew or used: what changes

The machine is the same. What changes is how much you know about it, and how much you can still choose.

Most of the risk in a used truck sits in its history. Ontario makes the owner keep a crane log of all inspections, tests, repairs and maintenance, give the operator at least the previous 12 months of it before use on a project, and, if the log is incomplete, inspect the crane to CSA Z150-16 clause 5.3.5 first¹.

Watch for structural boom repairs, a crane moved from another chassis and charts that do not match the serial plate. The used boom truck checklist walks through the inspection.

R 06 mHow new trucks reach buyers

A new boom truck is built in two stages, by different companies. A crane maker builds the crane and a truck maker builds the chassis; a crane distributor, sometimes called an upfitter, joins them. We name no makes or distributors.

1. The chassis. The distributor orders a chassis suited to the crane, or mounts on one the buyer supplies; it must carry crane, outriggers, deck and payload within its ratings.
2. The mount. The crane goes on a subframe with its outriggers, hydraulics and power take-off; its position changes deck length, axle loads and capacity over each side.
3. Testing and certification. The finished unit is tested as mounted and certified by the distributor before delivery. The load charts must match that crane as mounted.
4. Delivery. The buyer registers the truck, and the crane's paperwork starts with that certification.

The same crane can carry different charts on different chassis, and the wait for a new unit depends on both a chassis and a mounting slot. On any truck, new or used, ask who mounted the crane, whether it was tested after mounting, and whether the charts on board are for this crane on this chassis.

R 09 mThe paperwork that should come with the truck

• Load charts. Alberta's s.63(1) requires a mobile crane or boom truck to carry load charts at all times, showing rated capacity at all permitted boom angles and radii². Ontario's s.151(3) requires a chart readable at the controls, or a model and serial plate linked to the crane's own charts¹. Manitoba's s.23.9(2) requires a load chart on a boom truck too³.
• The crane log, complete, with repairs and the people who made them.
• The last periodic inspection for the province where the truck will work (below).
• Chassis records: registration, the last commercial vehicle inspection and service history.
• Matching serial numbers on crane and chassis, and a clean search of the province's personal property registry for liens.

If the last inspection is old, or was done for another province, price a new one into the deal. See boom truck inspection by province.

R 12 mChassis, GVWR class and the licence it needs

The chassis decides how much crane and payload the truck can carry, and which licence and carrier rules apply. GVWR is the manufacturer's maximum design loaded weight, and federal regulations treat a Class 7 or 8 vehicle that is not a tractor as a vocational vehicle⁹.

On the road, axles set the ceiling. Under the interprovincial weights agreement, a two-axle straight truck may weigh up to 16,350 kg gross and a three-axle one up to 24,250 kg¹⁰. Tri-drive trucks are not in that agreement's straight-truck category; each province sets its own rules for them¹⁰.

The licence follows the axles and weight. In Alberta, a two-axle truck is Class 5¹¹ and three or more axles need Class 3¹². BC's Class 3, for more than two axles, names the mobile truck crane¹³. Ontario requires Class D for a truck over 11,000 kg gross¹⁴. Air brakes add an endorsement in each. See licence, air brakes and carrier rules and boom truck sizes.

R 15 mYour obligations once you own it

Owning a boom truck makes you a commercial carrier and a crane owner at once. Both sets of rules run side by side.

None of those insurance figures is specific to a boom truck, and BC's s.72 bars ICBC indemnity for liability from operating attached equipment at a site, with exceptions that do not name a boom truck²³. Ask a broker what covers the lift.

Daily work follows. Manitoba's s.23.7 requires an operator inspection before each shift³. Whoever runs the crane needs the credential your province sets for its capacity; see operator certification by province. Oversize moves need permits, and spring road bans apply.

R 18 mTax: GST/HST, input tax credits and CCA

GST/HST. GST is 5% in Alberta, BC, Manitoba, Quebec, Saskatchewan and the three territories²⁵. HST is 13% in Ontario²⁵, 14% in Nova Scotia²⁵ and 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and PEI²⁵. A GST/HST registrant recovers tax paid on purchases for its commercial activities by claiming input tax credits²⁶. Provincial sales tax is separate: BC charges 7% of a vehicle's purchase price²⁷, Saskatchewan's PST is 6%²⁸, Manitoba's RST is 7%²⁹ and Quebec adds 9.975% QST to the 5% GST³⁰. We did not research exemptions.

CCA. CRA lists Class 10 at a 30% rate³¹, and Class 10 includes automotive equipment and contractor's movable equipment acquired for a construction business, paragraphs 10(a) and 10(h)³². Class 16 carries 40% for freight trucks rated above 11,788 kg³¹, but only trucks designed for hauling freight and used mainly in a business that includes hauling freight³². CRA's archived bulletin says cranes that lift or place material generally do not qualify for the earth-moving Classes 22 or 38³³, and Class 8, at 20%, is the residual class³². No source we found settles the class for a truck-mounted crane; an accountant decides on your facts.

Faster write-offs. For a truck acquired after 2024 and available for use before 2030, the regulation gives three times the normal first-year deduction³⁴: 45% of cost in Class 10 instead of 15% (computed). From 2030 to 2033 it is two times. CRA's page, last modified 2025-07-21, still describes only two times for 2024 to 2027³⁵. On September 15, 2026, Finance Canada proposed a Productivity Mega Deduction with immediate expensing for most depreciable property acquired from that date; enactment was not confirmed as of 2026-10-05³⁶. It would exclude certain Class 10 vehicles without saying which³⁶, and property that does not qualify keeps the accelerated allowance³⁶.

R 21 mWhat drives the price

We publish no purchase prices. We found no official Canadian source for them, and listings show asking prices, not what trucks sell for. What moves the number:

• Capacity and boom type. Stiff or knuckle boom, and the chart at your working radius, not the headline ton class. See knuckle boom trucks.
• The chassis: GVWR class, axle count and drive configuration.
• Age, hours and inspection history. Even public rate schedules pay less for older machines: PEI cuts its rate to 97.3% for equipment 10 to 20 years old and to 90% over 20 (and pays standby at 50%)³⁷.
• Paperwork. A current inspection, a complete log and matching charts add value; their absence adds cost.
• Where it will work. A truck already certified in your province is ready sooner.

Ownership cost weighs on rental companies too: amortization and depreciation were the largest share of the rental and leasing industry's operating expenses in 2024, at 22.0%³⁸. Each driver is explained in what a boom truck costs to buy, and the rent vs lease vs buy calculator compares owning with renting on your own numbers.

R 24 mRequesting quotes from sellers: how a request on BoomTrucks.ca works

BoomTrucks.ca is an independent reference. We do not rent, sell or lease equipment, and we list no trucks. Request a quote; it only goes to a company with your consent.

What to send

• New, used or either.
• The capacity you need: a class such as "30-ton class" if that is how you know it, or better, the load at your working radius, such as 2,000 kg at 15 m.
• The chassis (single axle, tandem or tri-drive) and the province where it will be registered.
• Your own budget band if you have one, any trade-in, and whether you want financing.

What to ask any seller

1. Are the load charts on board for this crane on this chassis?
2. When was the last periodic inspection, who certified it, and for which province?
3. Is the crane log complete, including boom or structural repairs?
4. Do the serial numbers match the paperwork, and is the truck free of liens?
5. Who mounted the crane, and was it tested after mounting?
6. Is GST/HST charged, and at which rate?

What happens to your request

It is stored first, and you get a reference on screen; we send no confirmation email. It is saved, and nothing is sent to a company without your consent. With your consent, your request goes to one company that rents, sells or finances boom trucks in your area. That company may pay BoomTrucks.ca for the referral and quotes you directly. One quote is a starting point: compare it with others you gather.