Need a forklift moved to another site? Rigging-Busters handles forklift moving and forklift transport in Montreal, Laval and on both Shores. We load the forklift on a suitable trailer, chain it down, haul it and set it in place at the new site.
Please note: we don’t rent, sell or repair forklifts. We transport forklifts and move industrial machinery, from a single machine to a full plant.
We work for warehouses, distribution centres, plants, equipment dealers and auction buyers. Typical requests: a reach truck going from a Dorval distribution centre to Laval, or a yard forklift won at an auction.
- Moving only: no rental, sales or repairs, and no residential or office moves.
- One crew: loading, tie-down, transport, unloading and placement.
- Minimum project: 3,500 CAD. Most industrial moves cost more; the minimum makes most sense for heavy-capacity units or a forklift travelling with other equipment.
- Free estimates: we usually reply within 2–4 business hours.
To check your budget first, the Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator gives a rough price range in a few clicks.
or give a call +1–438-239-1237
Forklifts and Lift Trucks We Move
We haul the material-handling equipment used in Montreal-area warehouses, plants and yards:
- Counterbalance forklifts, electric, propane or diesel
- Heavy-capacity forklifts that carry machines, steel and other heavy loads
- Reach trucks and order pickers from distribution centres
- Telehandlers, always hauled on a trailer
- Batteries, chargers and attachments: clamps, fork positioners, side-shifters, fork extensions
Batteries, Chargers and Attachments
On an electric forklift, the battery is heavy and often doubles as counterweight. It stays in the forklift for the trip, unplugged and held in its compartment. A spare battery rides on a pallet, tied down, with its terminals covered. Tell us whether it is lead-acid or lithium-ion, since each is prepared differently.
Rental, Sales and Repairs: Not Our Line of Work
We don’t rent forklifts, with or without an operator, and we don’t sell them. We don’t do maintenance or repairs, supply parts or train operators either. For any of that, please contact a forklift dealer.
How Forklift Moving Works, Step by Step
Whether it’s one reach truck or every unit in a warehouse, the sequence is the same:
- Unit details: model, capacity, service weight and lowered mast height, read from the data plate.
- Access: loading dock or grade-level door at both sites, ramps and yard surface.
- Trailer and route: chosen for the weight and height, on streets open to trucks.
- Made safe: forks flat, parking brake on, key out, battery unplugged or propane cylinder valve closed.
- Loading and tie-down: driven up ramps or winched on, then chained and tensioned.
- Delivery: unloaded and set in the aisle, at the dock or in the charging area you choose.
Estimates are free: send a photo of the data plate and both addresses. We usually reply within 2–4 business hours.
or give a call +1–438-239-1237
Loading Methods, Tie-Down and Weight
A forklift is short, dense and heavy at the back. Its weight and mast height decide how it goes on the trailer:
- Ramps: a running unit drives onto a flatbed under its own power.
- Tilt-deck: the deck tips down to the ground, the usual method for warehouse forklifts.
- Lowboy: for a tall mast, a heavy-capacity unit or a telehandler, to keep the load under 4.15 m.
- Winch: a dead unit is pulled up a tilt-deck, or lifted by a heavier forklift if its brakes stay locked.
In Quebec, any wheeled unit over 4,500 kg must be held by at least four tie-downs. Each needs a working load limit of at least 2,268 kg, and together they must exceed half the unit’s weight. A telehandler’s boom is lowered and, unless it locks in place, secured with a fifth tie-down.
Warehouse Moves, Auction Pickups and Dealer Deliveries
Most Montreal requests fall into one of these:
- Warehouse relocation: forklifts move in waves, each with its charger, so the new building can start work right away.
- Auction pickup: some Quebec auctioneers give buyers about 5 days to remove heavy equipment, by appointment.
- Dealer purchase: collected at the dealer’s yard in Quebec or Ontario and delivered to your dock.
- Plant move: the forklift travels with the machines, and the minimum project is spread across the whole job.
For a complete move, see plant relocation in Montreal or our machinery movers in Montreal.
Auction deadline or warehouse move coming up? Add the date and both addresses to your request.
or give a call +1–438-239-1237
Oversize Forklifts: Permits, Escorts and the Spring Thaw
On the right trailer, most warehouse forklifts stay within legal size and weight, with no special permit. The exceptions are heavy-capacity units, very tall masts and some telehandlers.
Quebec Special Permit (MTMD)
Beyond those limits, the load needs a special permit (French) from Quebec’s transport ministry (MTMD), issued through its GPM system. A specific permit costs C$141 for classes 1–3 or C$305 for classes 4–7 in 2026. Classes 6 and 7 also require a feasibility study by the ministry, so allow a few weeks.
Montreal: Borough Permits, Truck Routes and Street Use
In Montreal, each borough on the route also requires an oversize-vehicle permit (French) when the loaded vehicle is over 2.6 m wide or 4.15 m high. It is also required over 50 t when the haul needs a class 6 or 7 permit. The request goes in after the MTMD permit, at least 5 business days ahead in most boroughs, or 10 in Saint-Laurent and Ville-Marie. Half of Quebec’s intercity truck trips pass through the island, and trucks there must stay on the designated truck route network (French). A truck that has to stand on the street to unload needs a temporary occupation permit (French), issued in 2–10 business days.
Escorts and the Spring Thaw
For example, a load wider than 3.75 m needs a rear escort on a road with more than one lane in the direction of travel. One taller than 4.5 m needs a front escort. The spring thaw period (French) ran from 16 March to 15 May in 2026 in southern Quebec. Allowed loads drop during that window, and most special weight permits are suspended. Permits and escorts are planned before the move date.
Tall or very heavy unit? Send its dimensions, weight and target date.
or give a call +1–438-239-1237
Who Does What: Transport, Placement and Servicing
We move, rig, handle, transport and place machinery. In Quebec, final installation (anchoring, levelling, alignment and connections) is done by contractors holding the required licences (RBQ, CMEQ, CMMTQ) and by CCQ-qualified workers where the law requires it.
With a forklift, our part ends once the unit is parked. Reconnecting the battery, the pre-use inspection, maintenance and repairs belong to the dealer or your own technician.
Service Area: Montreal, Laval, South Shore and North Shore
On the island, we cover the main warehouse and plant districts: Saint-Laurent, Dorval, Lachine, Pointe-Claire, Anjou, Montréal-Est and Pointe-aux-Trembles. Saint-Laurent alone has about 4,500 businesses and 108,000 jobs. Off the island, we serve Laval, the North Shore (Mirabel, Saint-Jérôme, Blainville, Terrebonne) and the South Shore, including Longueuil, Boucherville, Varennes, Saint-Hubert and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
On the South Shore, Boucherville’s industrial park counted 664 businesses and 24,811 jobs in 2021.
Main cities we serve around Montreal
| City | Province | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Montreal | Quebec | Canada |
| Beloeil | Quebec | Canada |
| Boucherville | Quebec | Canada |
| Brossard | Quebec | Canada |
| Candiac | Quebec | Canada |
| Chambly | Quebec | Canada |
| Châteauguay | Quebec | Canada |
| Laval | Quebec | Canada |
| Longueuil | Quebec | Canada |
| Marieville | Quebec | Canada |
| McMasterville | Quebec | Canada |
| Mercier | Quebec | Canada |
| Mont-Saint-Hilaire | Quebec | Canada |
| Otterburn Park | Quebec | Canada |
| Pointe-Claire | Quebec | Canada |
| Repentigny | Quebec | Canada |
| Richelieu | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Basile-le-Grand | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Eustache | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Jérôme | Quebec | Canada |
| Sainte-Julie | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Hyacinthe | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Rémi | Quebec | Canada |
| St-Bruno-de-Montarville | Quebec | Canada |
| Terrebonne | Quebec | Canada |
Elsewhere in Quebec, see machinery movers in Quebec City. A move between Montreal and Ontario is quoted per trip.
Warehouse in Laval or on either Shore? Just put both addresses in your quote request.
or give a call +1–438-239-1237
What Forklift Moving Costs in Montreal
Every move is priced on its details:
- The unit: weight, capacity, mast height and attachments
- Its condition: a dead forklift needs a winch or a lift
- Transport: trailer type, distance, permits and escorts
- Access: dock or grade-level door, snowy yard, street occupation
- Volume: several units on one haul share the trailer and crew
- Timing: evenings, weekends or the spring thaw
The minimum project is 3,500 CAD. To be straight with you: for one small forklift that drives from dock to dock, that minimum can be more than a basic haul would cost. It makes sense for heavy-capacity units, telehandlers, forklifts that don’t run, or a forklift travelling with other equipment. Our pricing page explains how quotes are built.
What to Send for a Forklift Moving Quote
The more of this your quote request includes, the faster the price comes back:
- Model: make, model and a photo of the data plate
- Capacity and weight: rated capacity and service weight
- Dimensions: length, width and lowered mast height
- Power: lead-acid or lithium-ion battery, propane or diesel
- Condition: starts and steers, or not
- Addresses: pickup and delivery, with a contact at each site
- Access: loading dock or ground-level access
- Timing: preferred date or an auction removal deadline
Other Services in Montreal
Our Montreal page brings together everything we do in the region. Related services from the same crews:
- Machinery and industrial movers in Montreal
- Industrial rigging services in Montreal
- Factory and plant relocation in Montreal
- CNC machine movers in Montreal
- Lab and medical equipment movers in Montreal
- En français : transport et déménagement de chariots élévateurs à Montréal
Location of our sales office:
605 Atwater Ave, Montreal, Quebec H3J 2T8, Canada
Forklift Moving in Montreal: FAQ
No. We don’t rent, sell, service or repair forklifts, and we don’t supply parts or operator training. What we do is transport forklifts and move industrial machinery. For rental, a purchase or a repair, please contact a forklift dealer.
We note the model, weight and lowered mast height, then pick the trailer. The unit is made safe, driven or winched on and chained down. At the new site it is unloaded and parked where you want it.
It depends on the unit’s weight and size, whether it runs, the trailer, the distance, any permits and access at both ends. The minimum project is 3,500 CAD, and most industrial moves cost more. For one small forklift, the minimum can exceed the cost of a basic haul.
Rarely, for a warehouse forklift on the right trailer. A special MTMD permit is needed once the load exceeds legal size or weight. In Montreal, a borough permit is also needed over 2.6 m wide or 4.15 m high. The same goes for loads over 50 t that need a class 6 or 7 permit.
Yes. A dead unit is winched onto a tilt-deck trailer, or lifted with a heavier forklift if its brakes stay locked. Mention the problem in your request so the crew brings the right equipment on the first trip.
Yes. The battery usually stays in the forklift, unplugged and secured. A spare battery travels on a pallet, tied down, terminals covered. Chargers, clamps and fork extensions can go on the same haul.
Yes. Auction removal windows are often short, sometimes about 5 days. Send the lot number, the auction address, the deadline and the delivery address, and we plan the pickup and drop-off around them.
Yes, on a trailer. A telehandler is often taller and longer than a warehouse forklift, so it usually rides on a lowboy with the boom retracted and lowered. If it exceeds legal dimensions, permits and any escort are planned before the move date.
We deliver the unit and park it where you want it. Reconnecting the battery, inspection, maintenance and repairs are for the dealer or your own technician.
The island of Montreal, including Saint-Laurent, Dorval, Lachine and Anjou, plus Laval. On the South Shore: Longueuil, Boucherville, Varennes and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. On the North Shore: Mirabel, Saint-Jérôme, Blainville and Terrebonne.
