We’ve been getting quite a few phone calls regarding this and so I thought I’d provide a quick post to help clear that up (hopefully).

So in Alberta in particular (Manitoba and NWT also follow this as of this post date), ANY style of crane installed on a truck carrier that has an initial lift capacity of 8-tons or greater as shown on any load chart (it’s the first weight shown on the left hand side of the load chart), must have a trade registered operator at the controls.  This may be an apprentice or a qualified red-seal journeyman (or journey-person depending on your bent).

Now where the confusion starts is the Alberta Boom Truck program makes it a bit more interesting by adding more stuff to it and I’ll talk more about that in a minute.  The link for you to look at (there will be several) that is a bit more clear is this one HERE.

In a nut shell for knuckle boom picker cranes it says this: 

Journeyman Certification is required when operating:

  • Booms (including telescoping booms and articulating booms possessing live lines) capable of swinging, hoisting and booming up and down with a lifting capacity of greater than 5 tons (4.5 tonnes) and less than 45 tons (40.8 tonnes)
  • articulating booms WITHOUT live lines with a lifting capacity of greater than 8 tons (7.3 tonnes) and less than 45 tons (40.8 tonnes). 

Live line is a winch for those who are not familiar with the terminology.

Summary is this, if you have a knuckle boom crane that was made in the past 5-6 years (new at that time) and had a factory winch installed, it’s very likely that the factory supplied winch is incapable of lifting 5-tons (4.5 tonnes) or more in a single line configuration (no hook block) add to that it is tied into the knuckle boom cranes factory overload system that IMHO is far superior to ANY stiff boom crane system under 75-tons.

That said, the rules are the rules so just look at your crane and the very first number on the left side must show less than 8-tons (7.3 tonnes) in order for you to operate the crane with our program.  Exceeding that and not having a trade registered operator at the controls may just cost you more than you bargained for.