Province · Sheet L-601
Boom trucks and picker trucks in Alberta
In Alberta a boom truck is usually called a picker. Here is who may run one, how close it may work to a power line, what the driver needs, and what public buyers actually pay.
Summary, not legal advice
This page summarizes Alberta's OHS Code, trade rules and transport pages as read on 2026-10-05. The regulation, your employer's procedures and the line operator govern the work. Read the Code, and call the utility before working near a line.
"Picker" is the Alberta word. The OHS Code says boom truck: a truck with a hydraulically driven, turret-mounted, stabilized structure whose telescoping or articulating boom can swing, hoist or raise and lower a load3. The rules follow the machine, not the word.
R 03 mWho may operate a boom truck here
Alberta lists Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator, Boom Truck, as a designated trade with compulsory certification: a journeyperson certificate, with a Certificate of Achievement as the apprenticeship credential1. Whether the ticket is compulsory depends on the boom and its lifting capacity:
| Boom | Compulsory above | Up to |
|---|---|---|
| Telescoping, or articulating with live lines | 4.5 tonnes (5 tons) | 59 tonnes (65 tons)1 |
| Articulating (knuckle) without live lines | 7.3 tonnes (8 tons) | 59 tonnes (65 tons)1 |
The apprenticeship is one period: 1,200 hours of work experience plus 6 weeks of classroom instruction at NAIT or SAIT, with a theory exam1. A separate compulsory wellhead branch, for wellhead pumping, wireline, coiled tubing and service-rig work, uses the same thresholds below 59 t; its apprenticeship is 100 hours of work experience and 5 days of classroom2.
Below the thresholds the ticket is not compulsory, but s.64 still applies: only a competent worker authorized by the employer may operate a lifting device, and must on request show knowledge of the load charts and the hoisting signal code3.
"Live lines" is the trade profile's term, and it decides which knuckle-boom threshold applies, so confirm how your machine is classed. The crane trade definitions also leave out utility digger derricks and personnel-lift aerial devices4. See operator certification for other provinces.
R 06 mStandards and inspection
Alberta's Code definitions decide what each section covers.
- The crane standard. Section 88 requires a mobile crane to meet CAN/CSA Z150-98 (R2004), except clauses 1.6 and 1.7, but the Code defines a mobile crane as a crane other than a boom truck, so s.88 does not by its terms cover boom trucks3. We found no reference to CSA Z150.3, the articulating boom crane code, in the consolidation current to March 31, 20253. The national code is now in its 2026 edition5; that edition is not law in Alberta.
- Annual testing. Alberta's OHS Code has no annual NDT rule that names boom trucks. Section 89 requires engineer-directed non-destructive testing of load-bearing components every 12 months, and it applies to mobile cranes as the Code defines them3.
- Load charts. A mobile crane or boom truck must carry load charts showing rated capacity at every permitted boom angle and radius (s.63(1))3.
- Heavy lifts. A lift above 75% of a crane's rated capacity needs a lift calculation (s.68.1)3.
- Outriggers. On a mobile crane or boom truck they must be extended and supported by solid footings before use (s.90)3. Section 92.2, written for mobile cranes, adds floats or pads of adequate size, strength and rigidity3.
- Not a bucket truck. Vehicle-mounted aerial devices, including material-lifting ones, must meet CSA C225-00 (R2005) under s.347(5)3.
No annual rule naming boom trucks does not mean no inspection. Ask the supplier when the crane was last thoroughly inspected, by whom, and what the manufacturer's manual requires, and see the records. Compare provinces in the inspection guide; load charts explains reading one.
R 09 mPower lines
The trigger is 7 metres. Before work is done or equipment is operated within 7 m of an overhead line, the employer must determine its voltage and set the limit of approach from Schedule 4 (s.225(1))3.
| Line voltage | Distance |
|---|---|
| 0 to 750 V, insulated or polyethylene-covered | 300 mm |
| 0 to 750 V, bare | 1.0 m |
| Above 750 V, insulated conductors | 1.0 m3 |
| 750 V to 40 kV | 3.0 m3 |
| 69 kV and 72 kV | 3.5 m3 |
| 138 kV and 144 kV | 4.0 m3 |
| 230 kV and 260 kV | 5.0 m3 |
| 500 kV | 7.0 m3 |
The two insulated rows apply only if the conductors are insulated or covered along their entire length and made to rated, tested insulation levels3; otherwise use 1.0 m or 3.0 m.
To work closer, the employer must notify the line's operator (a utility, a rural electrification association or an industrial power producer) and get its help protecting workers (s.225(3))3. Travel differs: the distances do not apply to a load or equipment transported under a line when the total height, carrier included, is under 4.15 m (s.226)3. Measure before you drive under.
If the voltage is not one the table names, or nobody knows it, call the line operator. The power-line lookup returns the Schedule 4 distance; power lines compares provinces.
R 12 mDriving and carrier rules
Licence class follows the chassis, not the crane:
- Two axles: Class 5 covers a two-axle single motor vehicle, including a two-axle boom truck6.
- Three or more axles: Class 3, which also covers towing a trailer without air brakes7. Towing an air-braked trailer was outside our research.
- Air brakes: a Q endorsement from an approved course, with at least 6.5 hours of classroom time8.
Carrier rules turn on registered weight. A Safety Fitness Certificate is required for a truck or trailer registered at 11,794 kg or more running only in Alberta, or over 4,500 kg hauling goods outside Alberta9. Those trucks also need an inspection every 12 months under the commercial vehicle inspection program (CVIP)10. CVIP inspects the vehicle; it does not replace a crane inspection.
Oversize and overweight permits go through TRAVIS Web or a TRAVIS agent, who charges a fee11. Spring road bans depend on weather and thaw depth readings of at least 25 cm; the provincial ban line is 1-855-ROADBAN, and county and MD offices set local-road bans12. A heavy picker booked for a rural site in April can be stopped by a local ban, so check both levels. CivilConstruction.ca explains how spring road bans work; the licence and NSC guide covers other provinces.
R 15 mNo free rate table: what exists
Alberta's public buyers pay a paid guide's rates; we do not reproduce it. The Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association (ARHCA) sells its 2026 Rental Rates Guide & Membership Listings for $200, with a fuel addendum effective May 4, 202613. Red Deer County pays contractors on its 2026 hourly work list 100% of current ARHCA hourly rates, with mobilization extra up to 3 hours and labour capped at $55.00 an hour14. Alberta Wildfire sets its own rates only for fireline equipment the guide does not cover15.
That wildfire directive holds the only free Alberta rate naming a picker: $125.90 an hour for a 1-ton hotshot truck, fuel and operator included15, plus $17.52 an hour for a picker or crane mounted on it15. Example, computed: $143.42 an hour for the pair, operated. These are small cranes on light trucks hired for fires, not large oilfield pickers; do not price one from them.
Published rates are benchmarks for public works, not quotes. Some operators publish picker rates on their own sites; we do not quote them. If a quote cites the ARHCA guide, ask which edition, whether the fuel addendum applies, whether the operator is included and how mobilization is billed. See picker truck rates and the national boom truck rental rates.
R 18 mThe market here
Alberta is the country's biggest equipment rental market. Operating revenue of the machinery and equipment rental and leasing industry (NAICS 5324) in Alberta was $6,372.9 million in 2024, the largest of any province16: 35.3% of the national total, with Ontario second at 31.1%17. In June 2026 Alberta had 551 locations with employees renting construction, transportation, mining and forestry machinery (NAICS 532410), more than any other province18.
No official statistic isolates boom trucks or pickers. Job Bank puts the median wage of boom truck crane operators in Alberta at $45.00 an hour, from $29.70 to $51.6819; a wage is not a billed rate. Avoid the picker wage trap: Job Bank files "operator, picker truck" under NOC 83110, logging machinery operators20.
R 21 mGST/HST on rentals and leases
GST is charged at 5% in Alberta21; Alberta is not one of the HST provinces. On an example $1,000 rental invoice, that is $50 of GST. We did not research how GST treats operated hire against bare rental, or how lease payments are taxed, so ask your accountant before you budget. Write-offs on a truck you own are in boom truck CCA and tax.
R 24 mRequesting a quote here
BoomTrucks.ca is an independent reference. We do not rent, sell or lease equipment. 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 an Alberta picker job, send:
- The load's weight, the radius where it lands and the height it must clear.
- Telescoping or knuckle; operated (operator included) or bare (operator not included). A bare hire needs an operator whose ticket fits the thresholds above.
- Any overhead line within 7 m, with its voltage if known.
- The ground under the outriggers, the road in, and the location, dates and hours. See Calgary and Edmonton rentals.
Ask the supplier for the chart capacity at your radius, and size the job first with the boom truck size estimator.
Rent a boom truck in a city here
At a glance: every row behind this page
The research rows this page draws on, as recorded on 2026-10-06. Each links to its source.
Who may operate
- Alberta lists 'Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator - Boom Truck' as a designated trade with compulsory certification (journeyperson certificate; apprenticeship credential is a Certificate of Achievement).1
- Alberta: certification is required to operate booms (including telescoping booms and articulating booms with live lines) that swing, hoist and boom up and down with a lifting capacity over 4.5 tonnes (5 tons) and up to 59 tonnes (65 tons).1
- Alberta: articulating (knuckle) booms WITHOUT live lines fall under compulsory Boom Truck certification only above 7.3 tonnes (8 tons) and up to 59 tonnes (65 tons) lifting capacity.1
- Alberta Boom Truck apprenticeship is a 1-period program: 1,200 hours of work experience plus 6 weeks of classroom instruction (offered at NAIT and SAIT), with a theory exam.1
- Alberta has a separate compulsory 'Wellhead Boom Truck' branch (wellhead pumping, wireline, coiled tubing, service-rig work) with the same 4.5 t / 7.3 t thresholds below 59 t; its apprenticeship is 1 period of 100 hours work experience and 5 days classroom.2
- Alberta OHS Code s.64: a lifting device may only be operated by a competent worker authorized by the employer, who must on request demonstrate knowledge of load charts and the hoisting signal code.3
Standards and inspection
- Alberta OHS Code s.88 requires a 'mobile crane' to meet CAN/CSA Z150-98 (R2004) (except clauses 1.6 and 1.7), but the Code defines 'mobile crane' as a crane other than a boom truck, so s.88 does not by its terms cover boom trucks.3
- Alberta OHS Code defines 'boom truck' as a truck with a hydraulically driven, turret-mounted, stabilized structure whose telescoping or articulating boom can swing, hoist or raise and lower its load.3
- No reference to CSA Z150.3 (articulating boom cranes) was found in the Alberta OHS Code consolidation current to March 31, 2025.3
- Alberta OHS Code s.89: all load-bearing components of a mobile crane must undergo non-destructive testing under a professional engineer's direction at 12-month intervals from the latest certification (applies to 'mobile cranes' as defined).3
- Alberta OHS Code s.63(1): a mobile crane or boom truck must carry load charts at all times showing rated capacity at all permitted boom angles and radii.3
- Alberta requires a lift calculation for any lift exceeding 75% of a crane's rated capacity (s. 68.1).3
- Alberta requires outriggers installed on a mobile crane or boom truck to be extended and supported by solid footings before use (s. 90).3
- Alberta requires a mobile crane with outriggers to be set up with the outriggers on load-bearing floats or pads of adequate size, strength and rigidity (s. 92.2).3
- Alberta requires vehicle-mounted telescopic or articulating aerial devices, aerial ladders, vertical towers and material-lifting aerial devices to meet CSA C225-00 (R2005), Vehicle-Mounted Aerial Devices (s. 347(5)).3
Power lines
- Alberta OHS Code s.225(1): before work is done or equipment operated within 7 metres of an overhead power line, the employer must determine the line voltage and set the safe limit of approach from Schedule 4.3
- Alberta OHS Code Schedule 4: for 0-750 V lines the safe limit of approach is 300 mm if conductors are insulated or polyethylene-covered and 1.0 m if bare; for insulated conductors above 750 V it is 1.0 m.3
- Alberta OHS Code Schedule 4: safe limit of approach for persons and equipment from a 750 V to 40 kV overhead line is 3.0 metres.3
- Alberta OHS Code Schedule 4: safe limit of approach for 69 kV and 72 kV lines is 3.5 metres.3
- Alberta OHS Code Schedule 4: safe limit of approach for 138 kV and 144 kV lines is 4.0 metres.3
- Alberta OHS Code Schedule 4: safe limit of approach for 230 kV and 260 kV lines is 5.0 metres.3
- Alberta OHS Code Schedule 4: safe limit of approach for 500 kV lines is 7.0 metres.3
- Alberta OHS Code s.225(3): before working closer than the Schedule 4 distance, the employer must notify the operator of the line (utility, REA or industrial power producer) and get its help protecting workers.3
- Alberta OHS Code s.226: Schedule 4 distances do not apply to a load, equipment or building transported under power lines if total height including the carrier is under 4.15 metres.3
Driving and carrier rules
- Alberta: a Class 3 commercial licence is needed for a single motor vehicle with 3 or more axles (and such a vehicle towing a non-air-braked trailer).7
- Alberta: a Class 5 licence covers a 2-axle single motor vehicle, so a two-axle boom truck chassis falls under Class 5 for licence class (air brake endorsement still applies if equipped).6
- Alberta: drivers of air-braked vehicles (Class 1-5) need a Q endorsement from an approved air brake course; the classroom session is at least 6.5 hours.8
- Alberta: a Safety Fitness Certificate is required for carriers with a truck/trailer registered at 11,794 kg or more operating only within Alberta, or over 4,500 kg when hauling goods outside Alberta.9
- Alberta: NSC commercial vehicles need an annual CVIP inspection by a licensed facility and technician: trucks over 4,500 kg registered GVW operating extra-provincially and over 11,794 kg operating only within Alberta.10
- Alberta: loads over legal weight or dimension limits may qualify for oversize/overweight permits, applied for through TRAVIS Web or a TRAVIS agent (agents charge a fee).11
- Alberta: provincial spring road bans depend on weather and thaw depth readings of at least 25 cm; provincial ban line 1-855-ROADBAN, and county/MD offices set local-road bans.12
Published rental rates
| Source | Capacity | Operator | $/h | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta Wildfire15 | Picker or crane on a hotshot truck or trailer (add-on)Add-on to another rate. Added to the hotshot truck rate | See note | +$17.52 | March 2026 |
| Alberta Wildfire | 1-ton hotshot truckFuel and operator included | Operated | $125.90 | March 2026 |
- The Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association sells its 2026 Rental Rates Guide & Membership Listings for $200, with a fuel addendum effective May 4, 2026.13
- Red Deer County pays 100% of current ARHCA hourly rates to contractors on its 2026 hourly work list, with mobilization extra up to 3 hours and labour capped at $55.00 per hour.14
- Alberta's 2026 Wildfire Payment Directive sets rates only for fireline equipment not covered by the ARHCA Equipment Rental Rates Guide, and uses the ARHCA guide for skidder and ATV base rates.15
The market
- Operating revenue of NAICS 5324 in Alberta was $6,372.9 million in 2024, the largest of any province.16
- Alberta accounted for 35.3% of the equipment rental and leasing industry's national operating revenue in 2024, with Ontario second at 31.1%.17
- Alberta had 551 NAICS 532410 locations with employees in June 2026, more than any other province.18
- The median wage for boom truck crane operators in Alberta is $45.00 per hour (low $29.70, high $51.68).19
GST/HST
- GST is charged at 5% in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.21
Questions people ask
Do you need a ticket to operate a boom truck in Alberta?
Above set capacities, yes: over 4.5 tonnes (5 tons) of lifting capacity, up to 59 tonnes (65 tons), for telescoping booms and knuckle booms with live lines1, and above 7.3 tonnes (8 tons) for a knuckle boom without live lines1. Below that, the operator must still be a competent worker authorized by the employer under s.643.
What licence class do you need to drive a boom truck in Alberta?
Does a boom truck need an annual inspection in Alberta?
Not under a Code section that names boom trucks. The 12-month NDT rule in s.89 applies to mobile cranes as defined3, the same definition that keeps boom trucks out of the CSA Z150-98 rule in s.883. An NSC truck still needs a CVIP vehicle inspection every 12 months10. Ask for the crane's own records.
How close can a boom truck work to a power line in Alberta?
How much does a picker truck cost per hour in Alberta?
Sources
- Tradesecrets - Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator - Boom TruckGovernment of Alberta (Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training, Tradesecrets) · Trade profile (undated); verified 2026-10-05
- Tradesecrets - Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator - Wellhead Boom TruckGovernment of Alberta (Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training, Tradesecrets) · Trade profile (undated); verified 2026-10-05
- Occupational Health and Safety Code, Alberta Regulation 191/2021 (office consolidation)Alberta King's Printer (Government of Alberta) · Consolidation current as of 2025-03-31 (amendments to AR 210/2024); verified 2026-10-05
- Scope of Profession - Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator - Mobile CraneGovernment of Alberta (Tradesecrets) · page as published 2026-10-05; verified 2026-10-05
- CSA Z150:26 Safety code on mobile cranes (product page: preface and scope)CSA Group · 2026 edition (sixth edition); verified 2026-10-05
- Class 5 driver's licenceGovernment of Alberta · Page (undated); verified 2026-10-05
- Obtaining a commercial licenceGovernment of Alberta · Page (undated); verified 2026-10-05
- Air Brake ProgramGovernment of Alberta · Page (undated); verified 2026-10-05
- Safety Fitness CertificateGovernment of Alberta · Page (undated); verified 2026-10-05
- Vehicle Inspection Program (commercial vehicles)Government of Alberta · Page (undated); verified 2026-10-05
- Commercial vehicle oversize and overweight permitsGovernment of Alberta · Page (undated); verified 2026-10-05
- Road restrictions and bansGovernment of Alberta · Page (undated); verified 2026-10-05
- 2026 Rental Rates Guide & Membership ListingsAlberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association · 2026 edition; page read 2026-10-05
- RFPQ 02/2026 2026 Hourly Work ListRed Deer County · 2026 construction season
- 2026 Alberta Wildfire Payment DirectiveGovernment of Alberta (Alberta Forestry and Parks) · updated 2026-03-11
- Table 21-10-0009-01 Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing, summary statisticsStatistics Canada · 2024 ref year; released 2025-12-02
- The Daily: Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing, 2024Statistics Canada · 2024 ref year; released 2025-12-02
- Table 33-10-1174-01 Canadian Business Counts, with employees, June 2026Statistics Canada · June 2026 (released 2026-08-14)
- Boom Truck Crane Operator in Canada: Wages (NOC 72500)Government of Canada, Job Bank (ESDC) · reference period 2023-2024; wages updated 2025-11-19
- Operator, Picker Truck: job profile summaryGovernment of Canada, Job Bank (ESDC) · page read 2026-10-05
- GST/HST calculator (and rates)Canada Revenue Agency · rates effective 2025-04-01; page modified 2025-04-01; verified 2026-10-05