EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT
Boom Trucks mounted on vocational chassis.
“ The growth period we are in for the electrical grid is also driving up boom truck sales volumes,” McGiboney added.“ Transmission demand is high in response to historic load growth with the explosion of data centers to support AI, cloud computing services and other emerging technologies. On top of greenfield construction, most utilities have increased their spending on line voltage upgrades, storm hardening and fire hardening as ways to increase grid capacity and resiliency.”
Load King’ s Lukow said the boom truck market will be flat through 2025 because general construction is down while oil and utility transmission activity is up.
“ It is difficult to predict the upcoming boom truck market due to rising and uncertain truck pricing,” said Schalk.“ It also seems that the used crane market is stronger than the new crane market, which is likely due in part to increasing truck prices.”
For Schumacher, 2026 will be a big year for the boom truck market in general.“ Our quotation volume has been up 60 % from 2024 but so far the high capital cost along with the tariff impacts have resulted in delayed sales,” he said.“ Another current factor is that customers are repairing fleets instead of replacing because of economic uncertainty.”
Robertson said boom truck growth will benefit from rising demand for high reach transmission line construction and maintenance machines.
“ We project boom truck demand to remain strong through 2026, driven by continued utility transmission construction, rental fleet replacements and steady activity in commercial construction,” said Glazer.“ Federal and state infrastructure funding, along with ongoing utility investment, is keeping project pipelines healthy across regions.
“ While financing costs remain a consideration, overall fleet confidence is solid,” Glazer continued.“ Dealers and fleet managers are focusing on total cost of ownership, reliability and lifecycle support, a good sign for manufacturers who deliver maximum uptime through robust parts availability, responsive service and comprehensive warranty programs.”
Boom Trucks on the Job
When Northland Crane Service was called on to help replace a 1,200-pound statue of an angel at the top of a popular church temple in Oakdale, Minnesota, the company met the challenge with two National Crane NBT60XL boom trucks. For the project, one of the boom trucks lifted a crew member in a basket to rig the lift while the other lifted the statue.
“ Both boom trucks were set up with 150 feet of main boom,” said Erik Peterson, owner of Northland Crane Service.“ We needed the NBT60XL’ s 60-ton capacity at that boom length, and it streamlined planning with both machines being the same model. By using the NBTs, we could set up in the church driveway and avoid the grass and still lift strongly from that distance. We were in and out in three hours.”
Northland Crane Service, an Elk River, Minnesota-based company, operates ten National Crane boom trucks supplied by MGX Equipment Services. Included are NBT1300A, NBT45-2, NBT55L and NBT60XL cranes.
When Felix Tree Experts required a boom truck built to match the demands of daily tree operations, from residential removals to complex, high-reach jobs, the company turned to High Caliber Cranes, LLC, based in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania for a custom XCMG XCT35 model.
The XCT35 for Felix Tree Experts was assembled at the High Caliber facility. The boom truck has a 35-ton capacity, a 120-foot main boom and a 29.8-foot jib and is fitted with a lift axle. During delivery and familiarization, Carolina Crane & Tree joined Felix Tree Experts for hands-on training, safely removing two trees that were threatening nearby property.
XCMG’ s current crane lineup for the U. S. market includes boom trucks from 35 to 60 tons.
Scheduled for introduction in 2026 is an entirely new crane from QMC Cranes along with a pup trailer to add to the carrying capacity of their line of boom trucks.
Smiley Lifting Solutions offers a variety of non-CDL truck mounted cranes with capacities ranging from one to 15 tons and up to 102 feet of tip height.
24 l March-April 2026