If you have a commercial drivers license, then you’re well on the way to becoming a mobile crane operator, or at least adding that option to your truck driving repertoire. Operating a mobile crane has three very distinct components: driving, stabilizing, and lifting. Driving is done in a traditional truck drivers cab and this is why you need that all important commercial drivers license. From there, you will need specific training to complete the next two tasks.

As the name suggests, stabilizing is ensuring your mobile crane is stable and won’t move during the crane’s operations. Just as importantly, being able to return the mobile crane to a driving state is also important. Stabilizing a crane is normally done from outside the crane using feet that lift the whole unit so the wheels clear the ground – this ensures a level base and no rolling.

Crane operations are done from a separate cab that is attached to the crane. This has standard crane controls for lifting and lowering the cable, raising and lowering the boom, and swinging the cab from side to side. While that sounds easy, crane operations can be quite involved. The operator needs to assess the weight of the object to be lifted, the lifting conditions (for example, wind), and the destination of the object to be lifted. That assessment will determine how the lift will be undertaken.

Upon completion of the crane’s work, the crane operator will also need to learn how to return the crane to a safe position for transport to the next location. Mobile crane operations are well suited to those who enjoy variety and who like to use their brain to solve problems. If you have a commercial drivers license, all you need is three weeks of mobile crane operator training to complete the requirements.

Certified crane operators are well paid when compared to many other heavy equipment operator positions. In fact, if you were to compare the hours of training required to become certified to many other positions (of any skill), certified crane operators come out well on top. Training to become a crane operator can take as little as three weeks – now, compare that to some occupations that take a minimum of six, twelve, or more months.

Mobile crane operators can also look forward to a position that involves a lot of variety. Mobile cranes don’t often stay long in the one place doing the one job repetitively. It’s not unusual for a mobile crane operator to do two or three different jobs in two or three different sites, all on the one day. If there is a down side to being a mobile crane operator, it is the fact that you could be called out in the middle of the night for an emergency. Don’t worry, it doesn’t happen that often, and it only applies to operators who have made themselves available for that task.

ATS Crane Operator Schools are one of the nation’s oldest crane operator training schools. Our three-week training program includes both in-class and in-the-seat training. This training is comprehensive and will cover all the areas required for a graduate to successfully complete their certification assessment following training. Certification is becoming a requirement in most states so employers are not longer willing to employ operators without this certification.

If you are looking for a well-paid job, a job where you can be trained and in the workforce quickly, then consider becoming a certified crane operator.

We seem to be having wild weather all around the world. Hurricanes, heavy snow with colder than average temperatures, and in the southern hemisphere, where it should be summer, they are having heavy rains with severe flooding. When you start to look at some of the news stories, heavy equipment like bulldozers and snow plows feature as do trucks, although in Europe and Australia many of them are stuck as they wait for the highways to clear. The one that stands out for me, though, are the mobile crane operators – what a great career they must have.

I notice several news stories from Australia where cars had been carried away as they tried to cross a flooded bridged. That water can certainly move quickly. But there were mobile cranes with their booms swung out across the flooded river, hauling those cars back to firmer ground. In England, there are similar scenes with vehicles skating off roads and ending up in all sorts of precarious positions. Again, it’s the mobile crane operator who has to work out how to get that car back onto safe ground. The car is often a complete write off. But you know what insurance companies are like … if they can’t have the car in front of them to do an assessment, then they often won’t pay out.

We have similar scenes here, and that’s what makes the job of a mobile crane operator so interesting. You just never know what sort of job you’ll be asked to do next. Some jobs are fairly standard, like lifting machinery into place, or lifting building materials around a work site. Other jobs can be dangerous and exciting and they can really be a test of the skills of an operator.

Learning to operate a mobile crane is not as difficult as most people think. Mobile crane operator training can be completed in three weeks and, following a successful assessment, graduates can also then be certified. Many states have made the certification of crane operators mandatory so completing the assessment is a step that should be seriously considered. If you are interested in a career that is interesting, has plenty of variety, and the occasional tough assignment, then consider the role of a mobile crane operator – they have it all.

Mobile crane operator training is probably one of the more taxing training programs when it comes to heavy equipment operations, but then, mobile cranes are used in so many different areas. With a mobile crane, you can’t just arrive at a job; attach the crane’s hook and start lifting. There is much more to the job and it often takes some thought.

To begin with, mobile cranes need to be stabilized. If you look carefully at a mobile crane you will see it has hydraulic legs. This lifts the crane’s wheels off the ground and provides a stable base. How and where these are used will also depend on the ground you’re on. Once the crane is stabilized and ready for use, the operator then has to assess the load together with current conditions such as wind. Armed with this information, the operator can then perform the lift. For most experienced operators, this is all done in a matter of seconds, not minutes or hours – it becomes second nature.

How does a mobile crane operator develop this ‘second nature’? Solid training and experience! ATS Crane Operator Schools can provide prospective mobile crane operators with training that will make them proficient in the operations of a mobile crane. Experience? That requires a job and we can even help graduates out in that area as well. We have a highly skilled group working in our career services section. Their role is to help you gain meaningful employment as soon as possible after graduating.

Becoming a mobile crane operator does involve some intense training. However, the training is well within the capacity of most people and once you get into the field, you will find that experience will build on your training very quickly. Mobile crane operators – they are well paid, the work is varied and it only takes three weeks of mobile crane operator training to become proficient. Interested? Contact us for more details.

Becoming a crane operator is not everyone’s idea of the ideal job and mobile cranes are probably even less popular as careers. For many people, the life of a crane operator appears to be quite boring. Sure, they are kept busy all day, but they are repeating the same thing time after time. To an extent, they are right. However, ask any crane operator and they will tell you that every lift is different, even if it’s the same type of load.

When it comes to mobile cranes, the work is not quite so boring. In fact, it can be quite interesting. On a building site, a standard crane sits in the one spot and just repeatedly lift materials. For a mobile crane operator, every day is a new day and brings with it a new job. In fact, as an operator, you could have several different jobs in several different locations, all on the one day.

If you are considering a career as a mobile crane operator, don’t use the life of a construction crane operator as a guide. Mobile cranes are out and about, on the road, moving from one job to another, often at a moments notice if there has been an emergency of some kind. Mobile crane operators also require good skills in setting up and standing down a crane very quickly.

Crane operator training is a short three week training program that prepares graduates for assessment for certification as crane operators. Certification is a nationally recognized, and soon to be a nationally required, recognition of the skills and training of crane operators.

ATS Crane Operator Schools has been at the forefront of crane operator training for several decades. During this time we have developed close relationships with employers of mobile crane operators. We know what skills and attributes they look for in new recruits so we design our training program to deliver just that – skilled graduates ready for the workplace.

One of the most lucrative careers in the heavy equipment industry is that of a crane operator. They are well paid, work under good conditions, and are always in demand. Your career as a crane operator starts with an accredited crane operator training program.

Accredited crane operator training programs have a lot of advantages over non-accredited programs. First, accredited training programs all conform to an industry norm – this means you trained with skills that industry has identified as essential. With conformity comes a nationwide recognition of your skills – this means, of course, that you can work anywhere in the country and not require further training.

When it comes to crane operators, there is another important component to accredited training – this is certification. If you are trained to a central set of skills, you can then undertake the assessment for accreditation. In some states, you cannot work as a crane operator unless you have this certification.

ATS Crane Operator Schools deliver crane operator training that has been accredited by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO). ATS has also been accredited to deliver assessments that lead to the certification of operators. Training is delivered over three weeks for mobile crane operators followed by a second stint of two weeks for lattice boom crane operators. The latter is only held once every three months.

If you’re looking for an interesting career as a crane operator then contact us at ATS Crane Operator Schools to find the closest training center to you (we have ten centers around the nation). Before you know it, that career could be yours.

It may take several years to gain the experience and knowledge to operate one of those huge construction cranes. No matter who you are, it all starts with a crane operator training course and then your first job. From there, it’s all up to you and your ability to learn and grow within the industry. Like all careers, you have to start at the start and work your way through the ranks.

The crane operator training program is one of the most popular training program at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools. Considering our long history in the field and the reputation we have developed, it is understandable. Add to this our accreditation to deliver certification assessments and we have the complete package to offer those seeking a career as a crane operator.

Whether or not you make it to the vast heights that some of these cranes climb to, you can be sure your career will be interesting and varied. Mobile crane operators have one of the most varied working lives when it comes to heavy equipment. One day you could be working on a construction site helping to unload trucks, the next you could be out on the highway somewhere helping to lift a vehicle out of a difficult situation.

If you have ever considered a career as a crane operator then now is the perfect opportunity to consider following up on it. Crane operators are always in demand and that demand is growing each year. Start 2010 by asking us when and where you can undertake a crane operator training program and you will spend the year working happily as a crane operator – perhaps even eying off the heights of some of those big rigs.

Becoming a crane operator is not as difficult as most people would imagine. The general impression is that crane operator training takes many months to complete and that it is a very difficult area to get a foothold in once training has been completed. This is not at all true, particularly when it comes to mobile crane operators.

You can complete a crane operator training program in as little as three weeks. This will depend on the training provider you select and the design of the training program. If you stop and think about it for a moment, operating a crane is not really all that difficult. The number of moves possible by a crane is actually fairly limited so there are not a million and one buttons, levers and pedals to remember.

The area of training that is probably most difficult are the safety aspect. This is where crane operator training is highly important. As I mentioned, the actual operation of a crane is very straightforward. Knowing the safety limits of your crane is not so straightforward since circumstances are always changing. Even wind has a major bearing on the safety of a crane.

So how do you become a crane operator? Your first step is to find a crane operator training provider who is accredited to deliver nationally recognized training. They should also be in a position to assess you and provide crane operator certification at the completion of your training. Whilst not compulsory in all states, it is in many of them. Being certified is also a selling point to becoming employed within the industry.

As far as getting your foot in the door once your training has been completed? A good training provider will also have a job placement program in place to help you gain that first job. In fact, when you look at all the facts, becoming a crane operator is not that difficult and doesn’t take months of study. If this is a career for you – what are you waiting for?

Ever wondered what it was like to work as a mobile crane operator? Let’s spend a day with an operator and see what sort of day they have. Mobile crane operators are amongst the most skilled workers when it comes to heavy equipment and their services are in great demand. Being mobile, they often find themselves moving from job to job. There is no such thing as a standard working day – they finish work when the last job of the day has been completed.

Operators typically report for duty each day at the machinery yard. Before they leave for the first job, they need to do a walk around inspection to ensure everything is in good shape. This includes checking fluid levels and fuel levels – it would be quite embarrassing to need a tow-truck to take you back to the yard because you have run out of one of the fluids or fuel.

Then the day really starts with the mobile crane operator driving his vehicle to the first job. In many cases, the operator fills many shoes. They need to be a customer relations expert as they discuss with the client their needs; a planner as they plan how to perform the job; a safety officer as they check all safety aspect of the job; and of course an operator as they perform the job.

Performing the job doesn’t mean jumping into the cab and lifting the objects required. Before lifting can begin, the operator needs to assess the conditions; block the crane, perhaps lifting it on special hydraulic blocks; then doing the lift. At the end of the lift, he needs to work in reverse, lowering the crane from the hydraulic blocks and ensuring the crane’s components are all locked away securely ready for the road.

For large jobs requiring larger cranes, the operator may be required to assemble crane extensions with all the proper rigging and cabling. Of course, what you put together needs to come apart again at the end of a job. Once the job has been completed, there is the necessary paper work such as log books and perhaps billing paperwork for the office to process. Then it’s on to the next job.

Working as a mobile crane operator requires a lot of skills and I am not just talking about the operation of the crane. These skills can only be gained through accredited training programs that include certification upon completion of the training. Mobile crane operators are always in demand so if you have a hankering to work in this field, check out the mobile crane operator training at ATS Heavy Equipment Schools.