Crane Spotlight
By Seth Skydel Truck Cranes
Jobsite Versatility
Truck cranes offer lifting capacity and flexibility in a single machine
Across the board, manufacturers of truck cranes are upbeat about the market for machines that are comfortable to drive and easy to set up and operate. Price, reliability, and a range of configurations that offer the ability to carry the most counterweight and still meet axle weight regulations, continue to make truck cranes a highly viable option for customers that do not need off-road capability.
“ We expect the truck crane market to remain strong throughout 2026, as largescale construction projects continue and customers look to add new cranes to aging fleets,” said Brandon Robinson, product manager for telescopic trucks and all terrain cranes at Link-Belt.“ Demand in multiple sectors continues to contribute to consistent truck crane usage in North America.”
Lance Rydbom, vice president of product management & engineering at Tadano, pointed out that the truck crane market has been solid across all sectors.“ Fleet replacement and oil and gas industry needs have been major drivers,” he said.“ The near future looks good for these machines.”
“ The North American truck crane market remains generally steady, supported by ongoing investment in infrastructure, utilities, energy, and industrial projects,” said JJ Grace, product manager for truck-mounted cranes at Manitowoc.“ While demand continues across the full range of capacities, the strongest activity is occurring in the 90 plus ton segment, where customers are seeking greater lifting capability and jobsite versatility from a single machine.”
Meeting Needs
“ One of the most significant innovations in our newest truck crane models is the availability of personnel platforms on all current production Grove TMS models,” Grace continued.“ This technology was initially developed to meet the needs of the energy and infrastructure sectors. However, its appeal has expanded well beyond those markets, with growing interest from utilities, industrial maintenance, and general construction customers.
“ By enabling both lifting and personnel access with a single machine, customers can improve jobsite efficiency, increase equipment utilization, and potentially reduce the need for additional specialized equipment, delivering greater value and flexibility from their truck crane investment,” Grace added.
Truck crane owners are focused on
In addition to the GT-800XL-2 80-ton truck crane, Tadano offers a 120-ton GT-1200XL-2 model.
reliability and transportability and emphasize maximizing utilization when making equipment choices, Robinson noted.“ To meet these needs, we engineer truck cranes based on North American on-highway transportation requirements, utilizing modular counterweight configurations to minimize setup time and the number of required overflow loads,” he said.
“ Some of our newest truck crane features are the Link-Belt Pulse 2.0 operating system, Variable Confined Area Lifting Capacities( V-CALC) to allow for variable outrigger positioning, and the SmartFly system that requires only one operator working from ground level to erect the fly,” Robinson continued.“ All Link-Belt truck cranes also feature on-highway compliant Cummins diesel engines, our Site Vision Package to enhance safety on busy jobsites, and features like air disc brakes, a tire pressure monitoring system, and SmartStack counterweight detection.”
At Tadano, according to Rydbom, truck crane model development is focused on core capabilities enabling them to excel in taxi service.“ For example, by offering 65-mileper-hour capability, our truck cranes are agile,” he said.“ They perform well logistically as they go from job to job and help enable efficient deployment of equipment.”
www. cranehotline. com • September 2026 27