New Palfinger bucket truck boosts telecom efficiency with on-the-move boom

Equipment

Palfinger says new cable placer makes utility work smoother

March 10, 2025

The new bucket truck, designed to meet growing telecom demands, can move with the bucket extended. Palfinger said it would make utility work more efficient and safer.

Josh Fisher

Chris Shallenberg showcasing new cable placer at Work Truck Week.

INDIANAPOLIS—Palfinger is expanding its bucket truck lineup with a more nimble cable placer that it said would increase utility workers' productivity and safety.

The new PB 38 AT P cable placer was designed for the telecommunications industry as fiber cable installation demands rise nationwide, according to Palfinger leaders, who unveiled the new bucket truck during NTEA’s Work Truck Week here.

“This cable placer allows operators to use the boom while the chassis is driving down the road,” Chris Shallenberg, Palfinger North America sales manager, aerial work platforms, said during a presentation. “So by doing this, they're able to reduce the installation time for overhead telecom lines, enhance productivity, and enable crews to complete their jobs with far greater efficiency than a static lift that has to go up, come back down, move across, go up, come back down.”

According to Brian Heffron, Palfinger’s North American VP of sales and service, Palfinger increased its focus on bucket trucks to meet growing demand.

“Our goal is to grow our bucket trucks into a leading product line in North America,” Heffron said. “More importantly, we are invested in this segment because our customers need reliable, high-quality solutions. Their work keeps utility infrastructure running, and we understand their need for equipment that enhances productivity while keeping crews safe.”

Palfinger bucket trucks are designed and assembled in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

About the Author

Josh Fisher | Editor-in-Chief

Editor-in-Chief Josh Fisher has been with FleetOwner since 2017. He covers everything from modern fleet management to operational efficiency, artificial intelligence, autonomous trucking, alternative fuels and powertrains, regulations, and emerging transportation technology. Based in Maryland, he writes the Lane Shift Ahead column about the changing North American transportation landscape.