Crane truck and boom truck rental in Vancouver

R 03 mCrane truck, boom truck or flatbed with a crane

"Crane truck" is the coastal name for a truck-mounted crane; "boom truck" is the national one, and "flatbed with a crane" is another. Whatever you call it, describe the load, the radius and whether the boom is stiff (telescoping) or folding (knuckle), because BC certifies the two in different categories. Two mix-ups to avoid:

• Boom lift or bucket truck. It positions people at height. A load to set needs a crane truck.
• Mobile crane. If the load, radius or height is beyond a crane truck's chart, ask about a mobile crane; the chart at your radius decides.

See crane trucks, knuckle boom trucks and boom truck vs crane vs boom lift.

R 06 mWho can operate it in British Columbia

Since July 1, 2007, a mobile crane, tower crane or boom truck may be operated only by a person holding a valid operator's certificate from a body acceptable to WorkSafeBC¹. The regulation text sets no capacity floor, but WorkSafeBC's guideline applies the rule to boom trucks of 4.54 tonnes (five tons as printed) or more and/or a boom of 7.62 metres (25 feet as printed) or more². Certification runs through BC Crane Safety³. Stiff-boom categories are Unlimited, 40 tonnes and under, and 20 tonnes and under⁴; folding-boom categories are Unlimited, 22 tonnes and under, and 10 tonnes and under⁴.

On a bare rental (operator not included), the certificate has to cover the boom type and size you rent, so get both in writing.

Three more BC rules. A boom truck must be inspected at least every 12 months and may not be used until a professional engineer certifies it¹. A unit rated 10 tonnes or more needs a load weight indicator, or a system that stops lifting beyond rated capacity¹. A boom angle indicator and a radius or extension indicator must be readable at the controls wherever capacity depends on them¹.

For boom trucks BC names CSA Z150-1998, ASME B30.5-2004 or ASME B30.22-2005, not the newer CSA edition¹. Details are on British Columbia's page and in operator certification.

R 09 mWorking near power lines in the city

BC's Table 19-1A sets the minimum approach distance for persons, tools and equipment: 3 m from exposed conductors over 750 V to 75 kV⁵, 4.5 m for over 75 kV to 250 kV⁵ and 6 m for over 250 kV to 550 kV⁵. When equipment only moves under the lines, the clearances are 2 m, 3 m and 4 m for those three bands⁵.

If the distance cannot be kept, a written assurance from the power system owner is required, and where the lines cannot be isolated, rerouted or guarded the area must be barricaded and a safety watcher with a positive stop signal designated⁵. Raise a line when you ask for the quote, not on the morning of the lift. The power-line lookup covers each province.

R 12 mSetting up on a street or curb lane

A lift from a Vancouver street needs a temporary street occupancy permit. It suspends posted parking rules and lets you occupy a street for construction deliveries and for construction activities such as a crane lift or a concrete pour. Only very basic construction requests, such as curb lane loading and unloading for single-family, duplex or laneway projects, go through the online portal; complex or long-term ones are emailed to Street Use Review. The permit is not issued for crew parking⁶.

Lead time. Allow a minimum of 7 to 10 business days from payment, so the City can post signs and cover meters. With only 5 to 7 business days, email Engineering Client Services; the City will assess the request but promises nothing. A City crew installs the signs 1 to 2 business days before your start date⁶.

Fees. As of 2026: $138.46 for each 7-day period of no-parking signage, or $138.46 one time overhead, plus meter rates for meters and pay stations; $3.99 per 10 square metres per day to store an item on City property, with a $135.14 minimum; and lane use fees if a traffic lane, bike lane, sidewalk or rear lane closes⁶.

Paperwork. A business or contractor files a Commercial General Liability or Wrap-up Liability certificate naming the City. A request that closes a sidewalk, travel lane or bike lane may need a Traffic Control Plan, a common reason for rejection⁶. Ask the supplier who prepares it.

Hours. Under the Noise Control By-law, construction noise is allowed on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on City streets, lanes and boulevards, and from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on private property. On Saturdays it is 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the street and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on private property; on Sundays and holidays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the street and none on private property. Outside those hours it takes a noise by-law exception permit⁷. So a street lift and a yard lift can follow different clocks.

Parking the truck. Large vehicles, including construction trucks, may park on the street up to 3 hours between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and not between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., unless they hold a street use permit, are needed at a construction site or meet another listed exception. Next to a business, a vehicle counts as large if it is taller than 2.2 m or longer than 6.4 m⁸.

R 15 mWhat BC rates are based on

We found no published hourly rate for a crane truck in Vancouver. The nearest free figures are the Island Equipment Owners Association's 2026 suggested minimums for Vancouver Island, which include the operator but not transportation⁹. The BC Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association sells its Blue Book rental rate guide, 2026–2027 edition, for $80 in hard copy¹⁰; we have not bought it and do not reproduce it. Published rates are benchmarks for public works, not quotes.

Those are Vancouver Island suggestions, not Lower Mainland prices.

Labour. Job Bank's median wage for boom truck crane operators in the Lower Mainland–Southwest Region is $38.00 an hour, from $26.00 to $53.17, for 2023 to 2024¹¹, against $43.00 for British Columbia¹². A wage is not a billed rate.

Suppliers. In June 2026 the Vancouver census metropolitan area had 226 business locations with employees in commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing, 110 of them with 1 to 4 employees¹³. That covers far more than crane trucks, and no official count isolates them. GST is 5% in BC¹⁴; provincial sales tax on rentals was not researched, so ask how a quote is taxed. See boom truck rental rates.

R 18 mMoving the truck: height, routes and permits

Height and size. Without a special permit, a vehicle in Vancouver may be up to 3.81 m tall on any street and 4.12 m on a truck route, 2.6 m wide, and 12.5 m long as a single vehicle; a single axle may carry up to 9,100 kg. The City lists three truck-route clearances under 4 m: 3.50 m at a private ramp on Cordova Street, and 3.85 m and 3.90 m at two Granville Bridge overpasses¹⁵. Ask the supplier for the truck's travel height with the boom stowed.

Truck routes. A vehicle over 11,800 kg gross vehicle weight must use the City's official truck routes and truck areas, taking the shortest route to a destination that is not on one¹⁵.

Oversize. Apply for a single-trip oversize permit at least 5 business days ahead; it can take up to 48 hours to assess and costs $39.68, taxes extra (a one-year permit is $378.44)¹⁶. Provincial oversize and overweight permits go through onRouteBC¹⁷.

Licence and carrier rules. BC's Class 3 covers trucks with more than two axles and names the mobile truck crane¹⁸; two-axle trucks are Class 5¹⁸, and air brakes need the code 15 endorsement¹⁸. The National Safety Code covers commercial vehicles licensed over 5,000 kg¹⁹, and trucks licensed over 8,200 kg are in the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Program²⁰. See licence and NSC rules.

R 21 mWhat to send for a Vancouver 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 and pick points. BC requires each load's weight to be determined and given to the operator and rigger¹.
2. Radius and height: from the set-up spot to where the load lands, and what it must clear.
3. The set-up spot: yard, curb lane, travel lane or rear lane, and who applies for the street occupancy permit.
4. Date and time: street work and yard work follow different noise hours⁷.
5. Power lines near the truck, boom or load.
6. The route in: the truck's travel height against the clearances above.
7. Operated or bare, and for bare, the operator's BC certificate category.

Example. A 1,400 kg rooftop unit goes up from a curb lane to a low roof, landing 11 m from the truck, on a weekday morning for about two hours. With 70 kg of slings (an example weight), the crane lifts 1,470 kg at 11 m. BC counts a lift over 90% of rated capacity, at more than half the maximum permitted radius, as a critical lift¹. The street side is a basic curb-lane request: 7 to 10 business days of lead time⁶ and a $138.46 signage fee for each 7-day period⁶. 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: crane truck or boom truck, operated or bare, load, radius, address, date and any street 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 Vancouver quote, or read British Columbia's rules.