What a boom truck costs to buy, and why we publish no price list

R 03 mWhy no price appears here

We do not rent, sell or lease equipment, and we found no source we could cite for what a boom truck costs. No Canadian government, association or statistics agency we checked publishes boom truck purchase prices. Commercial market reports are paywalled estimates, and we did not use them. One truck's asking price says little about the next: two trucks of one ton class can differ in crane, chassis, age and paperwork.

So this page does what a price list cannot. It names the things that move the price, so you can read a quote and compare two. A supplier quotes the truck; this page explains what goes into the quote.

One sourced number shows why ownership is a serious decision. In the equipment rental and leasing industry, amortization and depreciation were the largest share of operating expenses in 2024, at 22.0%¹, and the operating profit margin was 12.6%, down from 14.2% in 2023². That covers all equipment, not boom trucks alone, but the lesson carries: a machine loses value whether it works or not. If you will use a truck a few weeks a year, price renting first with published rental rates and the rent, lease or buy calculator.

R 06 mCapacity class and boom type

A boom truck is two machines: a crane, and a commercial truck chassis strengthened to accept it. IHSA describes the two common configurations as the telescoping boom and the articulating crane³. Start with the crane.

• Capacity. The headline rating is the best case on the load chart. What you pay for is capacity at the radii you work, so ask for the full chart, not the class. See boom truck sizes.
• Boom type. Telescopic booms fall under CSA Z150⁴; articulating (knuckle) cranes under CSA Z150.3⁴. Compare like with like.
• Reach and options. Boom length, sections, a jib, a winch, remote controls and outrigger spread all change the crane. Get each one on the quote.
• Required safety systems. In BC, a mobile crane or boom truck rated 10 tonnes or more needs a load weight indicator or a system that stops lifts beyond rated capacity⁵. A truck bought elsewhere may need one fitted.

Capacity also decides who may run the truck, a cost you carry for its whole life:

Buy past a boom truck and the trade can change: Alberta's mobile crane scope covers hydraulic telescoping-boom cranes of 13.6 tonnes (15 tons) or more on crawler, trailer or wheeled bases¹⁰. See operator certification.

R 09 mThe chassis: GVWR class, axles and configuration

The chassis is the other half of the price. It decides the licence, the road rules and the payload left once the crane is on.

GVWR is the manufacturer's maximum design loaded weight, and any Class 7 or 8 vehicle that is not a tractor counts as a vocational vehicle¹¹, as a heavy boom truck does. Every kilogram of crane and outriggers comes off the payload, so ask for the truck's weight as equipped and the GVWR on the plate.

Axles. Under the interprovincial weights agreement, a three-axle straight truck may weigh 24,250 kg gross and a two-axle truck 16,350 kg¹². The agreement lists no tridem drive, and each province may allow other configurations within its borders¹², so a tri-drive truck's legal weight is a provincial question. Ask the seller where the truck is plated and permitted.

Licence. In Alberta a truck with three or more axles needs a Class 3 licence¹³ and a two-axle truck Class 5¹⁴; in Ontario, a truck over 11,000 kg needs Class D¹⁵. See licence and NSC rules.

Earnings. If the truck will be rented out, axles matter there too: PEI's 2026 public schedule pays $97.89 an hour for a single-axle boom truck and $125.52 for a tandem, operated¹⁶.

R 12 mAge, hours and inspection history

On a used truck, the inspection record matters as much as the paint. The periodic crane inspection rules differ by province, as written:

• British Columbia. A mobile crane or boom truck is inspected at least every 12 months and not used until a professional engineer certifies it safe⁵.
• Saskatchewan. A mobile crane gets a thorough inspection with non-destructive testing under an engineer every 2 years or 1,800 operating hours, whichever comes first¹⁷; truck-mounted cranes are mobile cranes there¹⁷.
• New Brunswick. A mobile crane is inspected every 12 months by an engineer, or a competent person an engineer supervises, with certification in the cab¹⁸.
• Alberta. No annual NDT rule names boom trucks. Section 89's 12-month NDT, like section 88's CAN/CSA Z150-98 requirement, applies to mobile cranes as the Code defines them, and that definition excludes boom trucks¹⁹.

Hours count where the rule counts them: Saskatchewan's interval runs on 1,800 operating hours as well as two years¹⁷. Ask for the hour meter reading and the date and hours of the last inspection. In New Brunswick, confirm with the regulator how its mobile crane rule applies to your truck.

Age also changes what a truck earns in public work: PEI's schedule, which pays standby at 50% of the rate, pays 97.3% for equipment 10 to 20 years old and 90% over 20 years¹⁶.

Before you buy, ask for the last annual certificate and who signed it, NDT reports with dates and hours, the log of inspections, tests, repairs and maintenance, and any structural repairs. In Ontario the owner must keep that log and give the operator at least the previous 12 months of it before use on a project²⁰. See boom truck inspection and buying a used boom truck.

R 15 mPaperwork that transfers with the truck

A truck without its papers can be cheap for a reason. Ask for each of these in writing:

• Load charts. Alberta's OHS Code s.63(1) requires a mobile crane or boom truck to carry charts showing rated capacity at all permitted boom angles and radii¹⁹, and Ontario's s.151(3) requires a chart readable at the controls²⁰. Missing charts must be replaced before the crane works.
• The standard it was built to. BC accepts CSA Z150-1998, ASME B30.5-2004 or, for articulating cranes, ASME B30.22-2005⁵. Saskatchewan names CSA Z150:20 and CSA Z150.3-17 (R2022)²¹. CSA Z150:26, the 2026 edition, now exists⁴, but provinces still adopt older editions, so ask which edition the crane is certified to and which one your province names.
• The annual certificate and crane log. The current certificate, signed by whoever your province requires, and the full log; see the inspection rules above.
• The chassis inspection. Alberta's NSC trucks need a commercial vehicle inspection every 12 months²²; most Ontario trucks over 4,500 kg need an annual safety inspection²³; BC's inspection program covers trucks over 8,200 kg licensed GVW²⁴.
• Title and liens. Search the provincial personal property registry before you pay, and match the serial numbers on the crane and chassis to the documents.

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

A GST/HST registrant recovers the 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 for boom trucks; ask.

CCA. Class 10 has a 30% rate³¹ and includes automotive equipment and contractor's movable equipment bought for a construction business³². Class 16 has a 40% rate for freight trucks³¹, but only for a truck designed for hauling freight, used mainly in a business that hauls freight, with a GVWR over 11,788 kg³². Class 8, at 20%, is the residual class³². Cranes used to lift or place objects generally do not qualify for Classes 22 or 38 unless modified for earth-moving, per an archived CRA bulletin³³. We found no CRA guidance that classifies a truck-mounted crane.

First-year claim. For a truck acquired after 2024 and available for use before 2030, the regulation gives three times the normal first-year deduction³⁴: for Class 10, 45% of cost 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. The Productivity Mega Deduction, announced September 15, 2026, is proposed only, with enactment not confirmed³⁶; it excludes certain Class 10 and 10.1 vehicles without naming them³⁶, so whether a boom truck qualifies is unknown. See boom truck CCA and tax.

R 21 mCosts that follow the purchase

The price on the bill of sale is the start. Ownership brings recurring costs the rules make certain:

Add these to the purchase price, take off the resale value you expect, and divide by the hours you expect to work. That is your real hourly cost, and the number to hold against a rental rate.

R 24 mGetting comparable quotes

Two quotes are comparable only when they describe the same truck. Send every seller the same specification:

1. Capacity at your working radii, with the full load chart. Ask the supplier for the chart capacity at your radius.
2. The crane: boom type, length, sections, jib, winch, controls and remote.
3. The chassis: GVWR, axles, configuration and the licence class it needs.
4. New or used: year, hour meter, last annual certificate and NDT dates.
5. The paperwork: load charts, crane log and the standard it is certified to.
6. The delivery province: it sets GST/HST, plating and the inspections that apply.
7. What is included: mounting, certification, delivery, operator training and warranty.
8. The price before and after tax, and how long it holds.

If you would rather spread the cost, see leasing and financing; lease pricing depends on the lender and your credit, and none is published. Buying is covered step by step in buying a boom truck.

Request a quote; it only goes to a company with 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. For a side-by-side comparison, put the same list to a second seller yourself.