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www.lbmao.on.ca LBMAO Reporter - January-February 2026 21The calendar has rolled over to 2026, and you may be thinking that your fleet of delivery trucks is starting to have some maintenance issues and is looking a little tired. What should you do? The trucking industry is changing %u2013 some for the better and some for the expensive. Is now the time to look at upgrading or changing your equipment?The LBMAO sat down with a number of heavy equipment specialists to help our retailers and suppliers look at their equipment needs and to make some recommendations about what to do and what should be avoided. Most of our members are not in the delivery business, trucking is the means to get product to their customers. Equipment is expensive and has gotten more and more costly to run since COVID hit in 2020. Anyone who has bought a new truck in the past four years knows that truck costs have risen dramatically. A basic pickup that could be purchased in 2019 for $30-$35 thousand now costs over $50 thousand. Coming out of the COVID bubble, vehicles of all types were difficult to find. Many heavy equipment pieces had lead times of 12 to 18 months or more. This lack of product and a strong demand for equipment from busy retailers and suppliers of building materials drove the prices up dramatically. While not exactly the same situation as the lumber market faced in late 2020 where %u00bd%u201d spruce plywood went up in price to over $90 per sheet at retail, the heavy equipment market faced many of the same challenges. Strong demand for product, limited production due to COVID related issues in plants and bottlenecks in the production process all conspired to drive prices up dramatically. The suppliers now say that they have overcome the supply channel issues and a new truck can be got within a reasonable time frame. Peterbilt is currently at 60 to 75 days if you want to order a new truck. Many of the suppliers we spoke with have stock on the ground, waiting for you to provide a new home for that special purchase. While the pricing has increased since 2020, we are currently seeing deals pop up if you know what you want and are ready to pull the trigger when the time is right. Manufacturers are offering deep discounts and body companies are reducing their prices to chase a sale. We spoke to Phil Aitken, president of Trinity Truck Sales. He says %u201cif your trucks are aging, this is your window. The smart operators buy when everyone else is sitting still %u2013 and they%u2019re the ones ready when demand swings back up.%u201d We spoke to the crane experts Nors Crane in Burlington, who sell Fassi boom trucks line in addition to the National Crane line. They currently have some exceptional deals on their most popular boom truck model a Fassi F360SE with remote-control operation. Those models are in stock and ready to roll on 114SD Freightliner chassis with all the features that most building supply dealers are looking for to make deliveries smooth and keeping the operators comfortable and happy. Any dealer who has had to look for new operators know that keeping the operator happy allows them to be working and productive.We also talked with Roman Nabedrik at BIK Boom trucks. They encourage suppliers and retailers to check in with them on new equipment. It has been many years since we have seen a buyer%u2019s market like this, so if anyone interested, now is a great time to buy. Stock of their line BIK boom trucks including their WC-75 crane is great and they have access to all makes of cab and chassis to meet all of your needs. The largest crane provider in Ontario to the lumber and building industry is Atlas Polar. Their facility in North York is stocked up with both Hiab cranes and Moffett truck mounted forklifts, and they have deals and equipment to suit all your crane and truck mounted forklift needs. The workhorse truck in most delivery fleets of LBM retailers in Ontario is the smaller flat bed. Both Ford and Ram with their strong lines of diesel engines have dominated this market recently. The trucks have been popular with dealers because they can be driven by staff who do not have a D or A licence or air brake endorsement. These trucks have grown in capabilities over the years, and we now see a GVWR of 19,500 lbs on many of the flat deck trucks. With a 19,500 lb GVWR a Ford F550 can have a maximum payload capacity of over 12,000 lbs, depending on the weight of the flatbed itself. Dealers need to be aware that the payload capabilities of these trucks may now exceed the threshold for a G Drivers licence in Ontario. A class G licence in Ontario allows the operator to drive a vehicle with a total weight of 11,000 kg. Some care and research needs to be done before licencing these trucks. The great thing about both of these manufactures is that you can now find these trucks with wheelbase dimensions and bed options that will suit all needs. From cube boxes, flat beds with hoists, to removable decks and with curtain side operation, the availability has never been better. Body companies will be happy to work with you to spec a truck that meet the needs of your customers, your staff, and your budget.Now the bad news. Regulations for new trucks are being updated. The new 2027 regulations call for a decrease in the pollution that these engines make. Previous efforts by manufacturers to reduce the exhaust gases have resulted in costly pollution controls that have been prone to maintenance issues. The new legislation could see some significant cost increases to the price of some heavy class 8 and 9 trucks. We have been told that manufacturers anticipate price increases to the cost of a new boom truck or truck mounted forklift chassis could be up to $20,000. The big uncertainty now in the market involves the current American government who has shown little interest in following the fuel economy and pollution control rules that the previous administration has set out. Time will tell if these new regulations change or if we will see the rules relaxed or phased out completely. The takeaway from this is that suppliers or retailers who are thinking about updating their equipment are in a great position. New equipment prices as well as interest rates are down from 2-3 years ago. The availability of product is at the highest it has been since 2020. Equipment suppliers are anxious to make sales, and they will compete for your business. Down-time due to broken or out of service equipment costs money and can lead to missed sales opportunities. 2026 may be the best time to upgrade your fleet.Thank you to the following contributors to this article:%u2022 Gus Bravous (Atlas Polar Company Limited) gusbravos@atlaspolar.com%u2022 Roman Nabedrik (BIK Boom Trucks) roman@bikboomtrucks.com%u2022 Terry James (Nors Crane) tjames@nors.com%u2022 Phil Aitken (Trinity Truck Sales) phil@trinitytrucksales.ca