Boom truck rental in Toronto

R 03 mBoom truck, not boom lift

IHSA describes boom trucks as mobile cranes mounted on a commercial truck chassis strengthened to accept the crane, built in two common configurations: telescoping boom and articulating crane¹. Expect the supplier to ask which you want: a stiff (telescoping) boom extends in sections, and a knuckle (articulating) boom folds at a joint.

Search results mix boom trucks with boom lifts and bucket trucks, which position people at height. A load to set needs a boom truck. See boom trucks, knuckle boom trucks and boom truck vs crane vs boom lift.

R 06 mWho can operate it in Ontario

On construction projects, Ontario's regulation (O. Reg. 213/91) sets levels by the weight a crane or similar hoisting device can move.

Mobile Crane Operator 2 is a compulsory trade, with an apprenticeship of 1,000 hours (760 on the job, 240 in school)³. On a bare rental (operator not included), your operator must meet the rule for the unit you rent, so get its rated capacity in writing.

Three more points. A crane's rated capacity comes from the manufacturer or an engineer under CSA Z150-16, or Z150.3-17 for articulating booms². Every crane needs a load chart readable at the controls². The owner keeps a crane log, and must give the operator at least the previous 12 months before use on a project². Work in industrial establishments follows other rules we did not research. See Ontario's page and operator certification.

R 09 mWorking near power lines in the city

Ontario writes distances by voltage into s.188 of O. Reg. 213/91: no object may come closer than 3 m to an energized overhead conductor rated 750 V or more but not over 150,000 V², 4.5 m for more than 150,000 V up to 250,000 V², and 6 m above 250,000 V².

Where a crane could encroach, the constructor must set written measures and procedures, including warning devices, written notice to the operator and a sign at the operator's station². A competent signaller must stand in full view of the operator with a clear view of the conductor². Tell the supplier about any line on the street side when you ask for the quote. The power-line lookup covers each province.

R 12 mSetting up on a boulevard, sidewalk or street

Toronto requires a Street Occupation Permit before a demolition, renovation or construction project occupies the boulevard, sidewalk, roadway or public lane beyond the property line. The City's list names hoisting with a mobile crane or boom truck, and also cherry pickers, forklifts, scissor lifts and zoom booms, disposal bins and storage of materials. Permits are obtained in person and paid for when issued⁴.

Fees. The 2026 hoisting fee is $73.89 plus HST a day outside a Construction Hub, with $178.81 for each additional lane closure and $894.03 for a full lane closure. Inside a hub the figures are $92.35, $223.51 and $1,117.53⁴. A Construction Hub is an area with a dense concentration of construction in the right-of-way, and a permit there costs 25% more⁴.

What to bring. Scale drawings or construction traffic management plans showing street names, sidewalks, trees, poles, hydrants, meters and any parking spaces to be occupied; a closure also needs a letter giving its duration and a work schedule. A Road Disruption Activity Reporting System (RoDARS) application is required for any occupation of the right of way⁴. Ask the supplier who prepares each.

Hours. Audible sound from construction, or from construction equipment (a term that includes cranes), is prohibited from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day, except until 9 a.m. on Saturdays, and all day on Sundays and statutory holidays. Loading and unloading sound has its own limit from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and exemption permits exist⁵.

Ground. Ontario requires outriggers to rest on blocking that supports the crane and its maximum load without failure, deformation or settlement, set only after the operator has considered ground bearing pressure². IHSA says to use mats on soft ground or backfill¹. Tell the supplier if an outrigger would land on a curb, a utility lid or a sidewalk vault. See outriggers and ground bearing.

R 15 mWhat public rates say in Ontario

Ontario's OPSS.PROV 127 lists boom truck rates by lift capacity for time-and-material work. They cover ownership and operating costs, overhead and profit, and exclude the operator⁶. The April 2024 edition runs from $135.25 an hour at 7,000 kg to $368.95 at 40,000 kg, bare⁶. Published rates are benchmarks for public works, not quotes.

A July 2026 consultation draft lists $131.60 at 7,000 kg⁷. It is a draft, not in force. Never subtract one source's rate from another's; a private quote adds minimums, travel and fuel.

Labour. Job Bank's median wage for boom truck crane operators in the Toronto Region is $41.22 an hour, from $23.15 to $55.94, for 2023 to 2024⁸; the Ontario median is $40.48⁹. A wage is not a billed rate.

Suppliers. In June 2026 the Toronto census metropolitan area had 351 business locations with employees in commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing, 147 of them with 1 to 4 employees¹⁰. That covers far more than boom trucks, and no official count isolates them. HST is 13% in Ontario¹¹. See boom truck rental rates.

R 18 mMoving the truck: licence, heavy-truck streets and permits

Licence. A truck over 11,000 kg gross or registered gross weight needs a Class D licence¹², and air brakes need a Z endorsement¹². A CVOR certificate is required for a truck over 4,500 kg¹³, and most trucks over 4,500 kg need an annual inspection¹⁴. See licence and NSC rules.

Heavy-truck streets. Under Chapter 950 of the Municipal Code, where signs are posted, no one may drive or park a heavy truck on the listed streets at the listed times. A heavy truck is a commercial vehicle weighing 3 tonnes or more unloaded or 5 tonnes or more loaded. A vehicle may still use the street to deliver to, collect from or serve premises that cannot be reached otherwise, only as far as unavoidable¹⁵. A boom truck serving a site on such a street fits that wording; check the posted signs.

Oversize. A single trip permit is needed when truck plus load meets or exceeds 4.15 m high, 2.59 m wide, 21.33 m long or 50,000 kg. Normal processing is 7 to 10 business days, the 2026 fee is $66.41 plus HST per trip ($83.01 inside a hub), and the applicant supplies a $2 million insurance certificate naming the City¹⁶. Provincial oversize permits cover King's highways only; municipal roads may need separate permission¹⁷. Spring reduced-load limits are posted on Ontario 511¹⁸.

R 21 mWhat to send for a Toronto quote

A supplier prices the lift, not the truck. Ask the supplier for the chart capacity at your radius, and send:

1. The load: weight in kilograms, size, pick points and rigging weight.
2. Radius and height: from the set-up spot to where the load lands, and what it must clear.
3. The set-up spot: private lot, boulevard, sidewalk, roadway or public lane, and who applies for the Street Occupation Permit.
4. Date, time and duration: weekday work after 7 p.m. and Saturday work before 9 a.m. fall in the prohibited window⁵.
5. Power lines within 3 m of the truck, boom or load².
6. Ground under the outriggers, including any vault below.
7. The route in, and whether the street has a heavy-truck restriction.
8. Operated or bare, and for bare, the operator's certificate.

Example. A 900 kg condenser is set on a flat roof from a residential street, landing 8 m from the truck, on a weekday at 9 a.m. for about three hours. With 50 kg of slings (an example weight), the crane lifts 950 kg at 8 m. IHSA recommends at least a 5% working margin¹, so look for at least 998 kg of chart capacity at 8 m. On the street, hoisting with a boom truck is a Street Occupation Permit case: $73.89 plus HST for the day outside a hub⁴, with a traffic management plan in the application⁴. The City decides; this is only a planning example. The size estimator does the load arithmetic.

R 24 mHow a request on BoomTrucks.ca works

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.

1. Describe the job: boom truck type, operated or bare, load, radius, address, date and any City permit you hold.
2. Your request is stored first. You see a reference on screen; we send no confirmation email.
3. It is saved, and nothing is sent to a company without your consent. Nothing is sent anywhere before that.
4. 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.
5. That company quotes you directly. Price, permits and terms are between you and it.

Request a Toronto quote, or see Ottawa and Ontario's rules.