Boom trucks in New Brunswick

R 03 mWho may operate a boom truck here

The certificate rule is s.213.11(b) of Reg. 91-191. A wheel- or crawler-mounted lattice or hydraulic boom crane with a lifting capacity over 25 tonnes must be operated by the holder of an appropriate certificate of qualification; other mobile cranes need a competent person¹.

The regulation defines no "mobile crane" and never uses the terms boom truck or truck-mounted¹, so its text does not say which group a boom truck is in. WorkSafeNB's guide lists a boom truck crane among mobile cranes², which does not settle whether it is a "wheel-mounted hydraulic boom crane" for the certificate rule. That is why we rate the row medium confidence.

How to plan around it. Plan on the stricter reading. If the truck's lifting capacity is over 25 tonnes, expect the operator to need a certificate. The province's top boom truck line, 25,001 kg of lift capacity and up at $268.00 an hour, bare³, starts just above that line. The schedule says "lift capacity" and the regulation says "lifting capacity", and we cannot say they are measured the same way, so ask the supplier for the manufacturer's rated lifting capacity.

The province's list of designated occupations shows Mobile Crane Operator as a Red Seal, compulsory occupation (5,400 hours of apprenticeship) and Mobile Hoisting Equipment Operator separately (1,800 hours) without the compulsory label; it does not say which covers a boom truck⁴. Not researched: how a certificate is obtained, and whether another province's ticket is accepted. Do not assume it is. See operator certification by province.

R 06 mStandards and inspection

Section 207(2)(d) requires hoisting apparatus to meet CSA Z150-20, the safety code on mobile cranes, or an equivalent or better standard¹. CSA has since published the 2026 edition, Z150:26⁵, but the regulation we read names the 2020 edition. Do not read the newer code as New Brunswick law.

Section 213.21 sets the inspection: a mobile crane every 12 months, by an engineer or a competent person supervised by one, to clause 5.3.5.2.1 of CSA Z150-20, with the written certification available in the cab¹. WorkSafeNB's guide lists a boom truck crane among mobile cranes², so expect the annual inspection to apply, and ask to see the certification itself.

The edition shapes the load chart. Table 1 of CSA Z150:20 caps a boom truck's load rating, with stabilizers fully extended and set, at 85% of the tipping load⁶. The chart is the number to plan on. Knuckle booms follow a separate code, CSA Z150.3⁵, and whether New Brunswick adopts it was not in our rows. See load charts and boom truck inspection.

R 09 mPower lines

Section 289(1) sets the minimum distances. Non-qualified workers and objects must stay at least 900 mm (0.9 m) from lines up to 750 V, 3.6 m from 750 V to 100 kV, 5.2 m from 100 to 250 kV and 6.1 m from 250 to 345 kV¹.

Treat the boom, hoist line, rigging and load as objects, and measure from the highest and widest point they can reach, with swing and sway. Before such work starts, the employer must contact the authority that owns or operates the line and ensure it is de-energized or adequately insulated or guarded¹. A mobile crane lift that goes over or between energized high voltage conductors is a critical lift, which needs a code of practice for that lift¹.

Whether a qualified person may work closer was not researched, and our row has no distance above 345 kV or for driving under a line; call the utility. The regulation prints exactly 100,000 V in the 3.6 m band and 100,001 V in the next¹; the power-line lookup shows the larger distance at an edge, the cautious reading. Example. The utility says the line beside the lot is 25 kV: that is in the 750 V to 100 kV band, so boom, line and load stay at least 3.6 m away. See also power lines and boom trucks.

R 12 mDriving and carrier rules

New Brunswick writes its driver's licence classes by axles. A Class 5 licence covers any two-axle motor vehicle except an ambulance, taxicab or bus; a Class 3 licence covers a motor vehicle with three or more axles, and the applicant must be at least 18 with the Graduated Licence Program completed and a medical examination. Air brakes need an E endorsement⁷.

Not researched: National Safety Code carrier thresholds, commercial vehicle inspection, permits and spring weight restrictions. Ask the supplier how many axles and what brakes the truck has, what class the driver needs and who supplies the driver, and whether seasonal weight restrictions cover your route. See licences and the NSC.

R 15 mPublished rental rates: the 2026–27 schedule

New Brunswick's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure publishes machine rental rates for work from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027. They cover ownership, fuel, overhead and profit but exclude operator wages, which are paid separately⁸. These are bare rates: operator not included.

Boom trucks sit in Section 25, titled Non-current equipment, listed by lift capacity from $166.25 an hour³:

Truck-mounted hydraulic cranes are listed by the schedule's own "t" labels, from $84.00 an hour for 5-10 t to $191.25 for 36-40 t, bare³. Booms are also priced as add-ons to a truck rate: a telescoping straight boom from $11.25 an hour (2-3 t, boom only) to $68.00 (31 t and up)³, and an articulated knuckle boom from $8.25 (2-3 t) to $34.00 (16-18 t)³. The schedule does not name the truck class, so we do not add truck and boom together.

Weekly and monthly. The province converts hourly to weekly as hourly × 40 × 0.85 and to monthly as hourly × 168 × 0.80⁸. The $166.25 line becomes $5,652.50 a week and $22,344.00 a month, bare³: a week bills 34 hours and a month 134.4 hours (computed). Published rates are benchmarks for public works, not quotes, and bare rates should not be set against operated rates from other provinces. See boom truck rental rates and the rental rate converter.

R 18 mThe market here, and what was not researched

No New Brunswick market rows were researched. For scale only, Statistics Canada counted 1,748 locations with employees in NAICS 532410 across Canada in June 2026⁹, including excavators and loaders; Job Bank's national median for boom truck crane operators is $42.77 an hour¹⁰, a wage and not a billed rate. Also not researched: carrier rules, whether CSA Z150.3 is adopted, and how an operated hire is taxed against a bare rental. We found no published private-hire price.

R 21 mGST/HST on rentals and leases

New Brunswick charges the 15% HST, the same rate as Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island¹¹. For a rental of three months or less, the place of supply is the province where the supplier delivers the truck¹².

Example. On a $1,000.00 rental invoice, 15% HST is $150.00. A bare truck rented for two weeks and delivered to a Nova Scotia site is taxed at Nova Scotia's 14%¹¹. Registrants recover HST through input tax credits¹³; see CCA and tax if you own the truck.

R 24 mPlanning a lift and requesting a quote here

A lift here is easier to price with the plan on paper first:

• The load's weight plus rigging and hook block, and the radius and height of the heaviest pick. Ask the supplier for the chart capacity at your radius.
• Operated (operator included) or bare (operator not included). With a bare hire, confirm your operator's credential against the unconfirmed 25-tonne rule.
• The load chart for your configuration and the last engineer certification.
• Any overhead line and its voltage from the utility; the town, ground, access and dates.

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. We do not rent, sell or lease equipment.

Size the job with the boom truck size estimator, then request a quote. Neighbours: Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.