Boom Truck Rental in Arlington, TX
A boom truck pairs a telescopic crane with a truck chassis, and around Arlington it fits lifts where the load is moderate, the truck can park close to the landing spot, and the work takes hours rather than weeks: trusses, rooftop HVAC units, light poles and signs, steel and glass. What decides it is the load chart at your radius, where the outriggers can go (often a street lane or a parking lot), the wires overhead, and whether OSHA's crane rules apply to the work. The makers' figures in our table start at 20 USt for National Crane's 600E2 and reach 80,000 lb for Altec's AC40E-152S and Elliott's 40142. This page sets out their figures, the published rates, the City of Arlington's street rules and the Texas power-line law, so you can size the truck and plan the day.
$100 to $300 an hour for boom-truck cranes, national (ThePricer.org crane rental guide, November 12, 2025 update) · full pricing guide
Our spec table shows the spread. National Crane's 600E2, a stand-up model, is rated 20 USt with a 90 ft four-section boom on a chassis rated 48,000 lb gross; see National Crane's 600E2 specifications. Its NBT50 series goes to 50 USt, or 55 USt as the NBT55, with a 102 ft boom or an optional 128 ft one. Altec's AC40E-152S and Elliott's 40142 are each rated 80,000 lb and reach 207 ft at the sheave or tip. For rooftop units, our HVAC and rooftop crane service page covers unit weights, curbs and the rigging the unit makers specify. Trusses, signs and light poles, steel beams and glass fit the same pattern when the truck can park within reach of the landing spot.
ThePricer.org's crane rental guide (updated November 12, 2025) says boom-truck cranes "frequently price at $100-$300 per hour" and that "Most providers bill portal to portal, which includes travel from yard", with "separate charges for riggers, signal persons, spreader bars, and Sunday or holiday premiums per hour." Homeowner guides price a crane by the job: Angi's roof truss guide (updated July 15, 2026) gives "$300 to $1,000, depending on how long the job takes" for a crane with operator, and HomeGuide's hot tub guide (November 21, 2025) gives $300 to $1,500 to lift a tub over a house. These are national figures, not Arlington prices; compare them on the crane cost page. Tax depends on the invoice: Rule 3.294 presumes a lease when the truck and its operator are "charged separately", and then the truck's charge is taxable while the operator's is not, unless the work is a taxable service. The combined rate in Arlington is 8.25 percent.
OSHA lists "boom truck cranes" by name in the scope of its construction crane rules, so on a building job section 1926.1427 applies to whoever runs the truck: OSHA wants each operator "trained, certified/licensed, and evaluated". Section 1926.1419 adds a signal person when the landing spot is out of the operator's view. NCCCO, one accredited certifying body, tests telescopic cranes in swing-cab and fixed-cab designations, and OSHA wants certification "based on equipment type, or type and capacity." If you rent bare and bring your own operator, that person must meet section 1926.1427, and we ask who it will be. On the road, Texas caps legal gross weight at 80,000 pounds; for a crane on wheels that runs over legal width or weight, TxDMV sells a yearly Unladen Lift Equipment permit for $100 that allows up to 120,000 pounds gross. The crane permit guide for Arlington has the rest.
Built-out suburbs leave little room to set up. The City of Bedford's 2023 financial report says it is about 98% built out, and Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD is rebuilding L.D. Bell High School in Hurst "while classes continue on campus", with the new building due around May 2028; our pages on crane rental in Bedford and cranes in Hurst cover those cities. Rooftop work runs into Texas heat: NWS Fort Worth/Dallas counted 27 days at or above 100 degrees F at DFW in August 2026. Spring brings hail; the NWS table of the costliest Texas hailstorms lists six, all in April, May or June. OSHA section 1926.1417 puts wind adjustments on the competent person. Before the truck arrives, clear the parking spaces or lane it needs and confirm the roof or wall is ready for the load.
To quote, we need the item and its weight (for a rooftop unit, the maker's shipping weight), where the truck can park and where the load lands, the roof or wall height, any wires between the two, the address, and the day and hours you want. You get the price in writing before work starts, with no charge for quoting: the truck's size, operated or bare, the minimum hours, travel, any street permit and traffic control, and rigging such as a spreader bar, each priced on its own line with any tax.
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Truck-Mounted Crane Examples: Capacity, Boom, Height, Truck Rating
Four truck-mounted cranes from three makers, from a 20 USt stand-up model to two 80,000 lb machines. Boom lengths and heights are in feet, as the makers print them. The last column is the truck rating each maker publishes, which tells you what chassis the crane needs under it.
| Maker and model | Maximum capacity | Main boom (ft) | Highest point (ft) | Truck rating (maker) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Crane 600E2 (stand-up) | 20 USt | 90, four sections | 100 with 90 ft boom (product guide) | 48,000 lb GVWR |
| Altec AC40E-152S (swing seat) | 80,000 lb | 152, six sections | 207 to the sheave | 86,000 lb GVWR required |
| Elliott 40142 (enclosed cab) | 80,000 lb | 142, five sections | 207 to the tip | 89,000 lb GVWR recommended |
| National Crane NBT50 (swing seat) | 50 USt (NBT55: 55 USt) | 102, or 128 as an option | 135 main boom, 179 with extension | Axles 20,000 lb front, 66,000 lb rear |
Maker-published maximums for each model, from its own page or product guide; National Crane prints two different 600E2 tip heights and we give the product guide's. The load chart for the actual setup decides each lift. Sample models that show the class, none of them a truck we own.
Signs the Job Calls for a Truck-Mounted Crane
The jobs that fit share three traits: the load is known and moderate, the truck can park within reach of the landing spot, and the work is done in hours. Check these from the street, the lot or the roof before you call.
- A rooftop unit, condenser or other mechanical equipment has to go onto a store, school or office roof from the lot or the street.
- Roof trusses, steel beams or glass must be set on walls or framing, not just set down on the ground beside the building.
- A sign, light pole or similar piece has to be stood up and held in place while a crew bolts or welds it.
- The only place to set up is a parking lot or a single street lane, where a larger crane and its outriggers will not fit.
- The day holds several short picks at one or more addresses, so travel between stops matters more than top capacity.
- Service drops or distribution lines cross the lot, and the boom's swing has to be planned around them.
Deliveries, Roof Sets and When OSHA's Crane Rules Apply
OSHA's crane standard covers a truck-mounted crane like these whenever it does construction work, and OSHA's own FAQ draws the line at what happens to the load. The scope of Subpart CC names this class among the mobile cranes it covers. OSHA's Cranes and Derricks FAQ then separates two kinds of trip: "The cranes standard does not apply when construction materials are delivered from the flatbed to the ground" at a site, as long as the crane does not arrange them in sequence for hoisting, but "Moving materials onto a structure being erected is a construction activity." Trusses set on walls and beams set on columns fall on the construction side.
The narrower material-delivery exclusion in the scope section is written for articulating (knuckle-boom) cranes on trucks, not the telescopic models on this page. Once the rules apply, the operator needs training, certification or licensing and an evaluation under section 1926.1427, a signal person is required when "the area near or at load placement" is not in full view of the operator, a competent person inspects the crane each shift, and on wheel-mounted cranes "no loads must be lifted over the front area" unless the maker permits it. OSHA's FAQ adds that crane lessors who send operators with their equipment "have duties under the cranes standard", and that a rental employee who hoists loads on site must meet the standard.
Arlington Street Set-Ups: The Permit, the Four-Hour Exemption and Peak Hours
When outriggers or cones take over an Arlington street lane or sidewalk, the City expects a Temporary Traffic Control Permit, and its exemption fits many short truck-crane jobs. The Streets and Sidewalks chapter's section 6.06 requires a permit to "temporarily restrict vehicular or pedestrian access", but not for a closure that "is for a period of time that is less than four (4) hours on a single day", unless closures at the same spot repeat "within a period of thirty (30) days or less". A permit application goes to the Public Works Director "at least five (5) business days before" the closure, with a traffic control plan, dates, location drawings and insurance; a state highway needs TxDOT approval too. The City's Temporary Traffic Control Permit form asks for "a minimum of three business days for review", charges a $50.00 plan fee, follows Part 6 of the Texas MUTCD, and carries a "$500/day fine for failure to comply." The City's right-of-way manual keeps thoroughfare traffic moving "during the hours of 7:00 a.m. through 9:00 a.m.
and 4:00 p.m. through 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday", allows no work in the Entertainment District on the business day before a special event, and calls for "Plywood or equivalent products" to keep pavement from rutting. Bedford's and Hurst's online codes would not load when we last checked; there, as in every nearby city, we check the city's published rules and tell you which permits and time windows apply before the date is set.
Service Drops, Distribution Lines and the Texas Six-Foot Law
A boom raised in a parking lot can reach the wires around it, and two sets of rules then apply: OSHA's crane clearances and the Texas high-voltage law. Oncor's Electric Service Guidelines put service drops as low as 16 feet over "Alleys, commercial and apartment driveways, parking lots" and 22 feet over streets, far below the boom heights in our table. OSHA section 1926.1408 asks first whether the crane, the load line or the hook's load "could get closer than 20 feet to a power line" on lines up to 350 kV.
If so, OSHA allows three routes: the utility deenergizes and grounds the line, the crane keeps a 20-foot gap, or the crew holds OSHA's Table A distance (10 feet up to 50 kV) with a planning meeting, non-conductive tag lines, a warning line and a device or dedicated spotter; the utility "must provide the requested voltage information within two working days of the employer's request." Chapter 752 of Texas's Health and Safety Code bars bringing equipment "within six feet of a high voltage overhead line" unless that hazard is guarded first: the party responsible "must notify the operator of the line at least 48 hours before the work begins", and the de-energizing, moving or guarding is done at that party's cost. A violation can bring "a fine of not less than $100 or more than $1,000", jail of up to a year, or both, and as Oncor puts it, "This law carries both criminal and civil liability." Before every lift we check the site against these clearances and spell out what the line's operator must do and who sets it up.
Boom Truck, Mobile Crane or Telehandler
Three machines can often reach the same roof edge. They differ in how much they lift at the radius you need, which OSHA rules come with them, and what the maker of the thing being lifted allows, so pick by the chart and the setup space.
Boom-truck crane
A telescopic crane on a truck chassis with its own outriggers, run under OSHA's crane rules on construction work. Ratings in our table run from 20 USt to 80,000 lb, but what counts is the chart at your radius. It suits rooftop units, trusses, signs and steel where the truck can park close and the job ends in hours.
Mobile (truck) crane
A hydraulic truck crane for heavier or longer picks. Grove's TMS500-2 is rated 40 USt with a boom up to 102 ft and travels at up to 65 mph per its product guide, and Link-Belt rates its 65|HT at 65 USt at 7 ft. Choose it when the load or radius runs past the smaller truck's chart; see mobile crane rental.
Telehandler with forks
A telescopic forklift; JLG rates its 742 at 7,000 lb, and 6,000 lb once raised to 42 ft. OSHA's forklift eTool puts a "Variable reach type" with a telescoping boom among rough terrain forklift trucks, whose operators need training plus an evaluation "at least once every three years" under section 1910.178, and Daikin's Maverick II manual says "Forklifts may not be used to lift or move Maverick units." See telehandler rental.
The load itself often decides. Daikin's rule rules out forks for its large rooftop units, and Trane's manual has crews adjust the slings for an even, level lift from the unit's lifting points, which is hook work. Send us the weight and the radius, and the written quote will name the class that fits.
Boom Truck Rental FAQs
How much does a boom truck cost per hour?
The November 12, 2025 update of ThePricer.org's crane rental guide gives $100 to $300 an hour for boom-truck cranes, adding that "Most providers bill portal to portal, which includes travel from yard". Riggers, signal persons, spreader bars, overtime and Sunday or holiday work add to that. These are national figures, not Arlington prices. Our written quote shows the minimum hours, travel and each add-on on its own line, with any tax.
Can a boom truck set an AC unit on a roof?
Yes, if the unit's weight at the radius you need sits within the truck's load chart and the roof is ready for it. Trane's Precedent manual lists shipping weights for its TSK cooling units from 667 lb at 3 tons to 2,190 lb at 25, and tells crews to "Test lift unit approximately 24 inches" to check the center of gravity. Trane also says to "Confirm with a structural engineer" that the roof carries the unit, curb and accessories. Larger units, and the makers' own rigging rules, may call for a bigger crane.
Can a boom truck lift a worker in a basket?
Only under OSHA's personnel-hoisting rule, section 1926.1431, which allows it just where conventional means, "such as a personnel hoist," or a "ladder, stairway, aerial lift, elevating work platform, or scaffold, would be more hazardous, or is not possible". Even then the loaded platform, with hook and rigging, must not exceed 50 percent of the rated capacity, a trial lift comes first, and once wind "exceeds 20 mph at the personnel platform" a qualified person decides whether lifting goes on. Altec's AC40E-152S lists a 217 ft aerial rating that "Requires optional ANSI A92.2 compliant aerial operation package." For most work at height, see boom lift rental.
What size boom truck do I need?
The one whose chart covers your heaviest load at the longest radius of the job, with the rigging counted. Manitowoc defines a crane's maximum capacity at minimum radius with basic minimum boom length, so a truck rated 20 USt lifts less at full reach. Under OSHA's rule the weight may be "determined from a source recognized by the industry (such as the load's manufacturer)". Send us that weight, the distance from where the truck can park to where the load lands, and the height, and the written quote will name the truck.
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