The bridge-type bridge crane is a common lifting equipment used in modern factories and workshops. During the crane’s operation, the positioning of the trolley and the swing of the load can significantly impact the bridge crane’s safety and reliability. In this paper, we propose a variable universe fuzzy multi-parameter self-tuning PID (VUFMS-PID) control strategy for controlling the trolley’s movement. Our control strategy uses scaling factor variation to dynamically adjust the number of fuzzy control rules based on the system error and error rate of change. This approach improves control accuracy and enhances the crane’s stability and safety. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed control strategy outperforms both the fuzzy PID and traditional PID control strategies. Specifically, it reduces the crane trolley’s positioning time and the maximum swing angle of the load. Our control strategy exhibits good adaptive ability and robustness, which further improves the stability and safety of the bridge-type bridge crane operation.