In truth, there is only one kind of mobile crane operator–a trained one. But there are 4 main types of mobile cranes that a trained operator may work on. These mobile cranes are known as:

1. Fixed cab – The cab is that part of the crane where the driver sits. In a fixed cab crane, the driver is stationary because the cab doesn’t move. The crane operator is always looking forward.
2. Swing cab – The swing cab swivels. It allows the driver to turn to see what is behind him more easily. A swing cab mobile crane is handy on some construction sites because of the nature of the work. If you do a lot of maneuvering and moving in the crane, forward and back, and with a 360-degree awareness scenario, the swing cab crane is a mighty handy tool.
3. Lattice boom – The boom is that part of a crane that does the heavy lifting. It is the arm of the crane that can raise high above the cab and is used for lifting items off the ground. In a lattice boom crane, the lifting is usually done in a straight up-and-down movement.
4. Hydraulic boom – Also called telescopic boom cranes, these creatures are very flexible. The boom is maneuverable in multiple directions simultaneously. It can raise up and down like a lattice boom, but the arm can also be extended and retracted. On top of that, the boom can rotate left or right.

Interested in being a mobile crane operator? Learn how to operate all four types of cranes.

The term “mobile crane” probably invokes a picture of a smallish vehicle that has a crane on its back. These vehicles are common, however, mobile cranes are not necessarily small. There are mobile cranes around that dwarf large tractor-trailers, and which are capable of lifting huge weights.

Large mobile cranes often end up on a worksite where they are placed in semi-permanent positions for weeks or even months. The total extended boom length can be measured in hundreds of feet whilst the whole rig can weigh a hundred ton or more. Despite being a large vehicle, the principles behind its operation are no different to that of a small lightweight mobile crane.

It’s fairly easy to become a mobile crane operator. A few short weeks of crane operator training, an assessment to prove your knowledge and abilities, and a piece of paper that states you’re now certified to operate mobile cranes. That’s it. The training involves a lot of hands-on practice, including how to set up your mobile crane ready for work. There is also classroom-based training that looks at safety and other knowledge-based areas of crane operations.

Crane operators are in constant demand around the nation. Unfortunately for industry, crane operations has been an unwanted career in the under 25 age groups. This means the industry is struggling to replace baby boomers who are now reaching retirement age. Crane operations can be challenging, interesting and varied. Add to this a great pay packet with excellent benefits and you have the potential for a great career. As a mobile crane operator, you could be operating small lightweight cranes, or you could be in control of a monster.

Working as a crane operator is not that difficult. You will need to have some understanding of mathematics, however, much of that is taught to you when you undertake crane operator training. These days, if you can use a calculator, or look up a table, then you’re halfway there.

Crane operators are amongst the best paid heavy equipment operators. The work is almost always interesting, and it’s very diversified. One day you could be on a construction site building a factory or home, the next you could be out helping to build a bridge. Crane operators are also used in mining, forestry, the waterfront, railways and even in horticulture these days given our desire to relocate trees rather than cutting them down.

Students can learn everything they need for a career as a mobile crane operator in around three weeks. Add another week for the assessments to become a certified crane operator (required now by law), and you’re ready to start work. If you want to work on more complex cranes, for example, telescopic booms, then you may require a little extra training in order to pass your assessments.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools has been preparing individuals for the workforce for fifty years. We have earned a reputation for delivering high quality graduates to industry. So much so, employers often come to us looking for new recruits. In fact, we have a dedicated job-site where employers list vacancies and where graduates can access to check out job vacancies. Interested in becoming a crane operator? You don’t need to be a genius – all you need is desire, and to complete a crane operator training course.

Saturday’s job opportunities showed strong for operators of a wide range of heavy equipment, however, it was the number of vacancies for skilled mobile crane operators that really stood out. One employer is looking for 30 mobile crane operators, a sure sign of resurgence in construction activities. Whilst many of these positions are for skilled and experienced operators, the operators have to come from somewhere, and that provides a lot of opportunities for new mobile crane operators.

Will employers take on new mobile crane operators? Many of them will, especially if they have several mobile cranes and their work load includes entry level type work. Many employers are now willing to take on new operators, employing them as co-drivers until they find their feet within the company. It’s a great introduction to the industry as you get to work alongside an experienced and seasoned mobile crane operator – a great follow-up to a good quality crane operator training program.

Crane operators of all types now need to be certified before they can operate a crane. Our training program exceeds the minimum requirements to become a crane operator, and all graduates are offered the opportunity to have their skills and knowledge assessed for certification at our training school. Having a one-stop-shop for both training and certification assessment makes the process much easier for students and allows for a faster and smoother transition to the workplace.

Graduates of ATS Heavy Equipment Training School’s crane operator training programs are also given assistance to find their first job. Our Career Services personnel will work with students throughout their training program to help them identify and apply for job vacancies. Graduates can also access our jobs website where job vacancies are frequently posted. The demand is there for skilled mobile crane operators. We can deliver the training to build the skills required; you just need to decide when you can start that training.

There’s more to becoming a mobile crane operator than just learning to pull levers. Mobile cranes, whilst not overly complex, do rely on a crane operator’s ability to assess the job before starting. That assessment includes the terrain, the load, and the environment. The latter is particularly important as it includes factors such as wind direction and strength, and any obstacles such as overhead utility lines.

When it comes to the load, size really does matter. Mobile cranes range in size from baby 5 ton vehicles up to quite large 120+ ton vehicles. The size represents the maximum weight a crane can handle, however, this is one of the areas where a crane operator’s skill and knowledge is important. A 60-ton crane, for example, can lift up to 60 tons – under perfect conditions. Add wind, particularly gusting wind, and/or an uneven terrain, and that vehicle’s safe maximum lifting capacity could be reduced by 50% or more.

This is why new crane operators require good quality training, and why all crane operators must be certified before being permitted to operate a crane. Crane operator training will provide the necessary skills and knowledge to work safely as a crane operator. Certification tests an operator’s skill and knowledge only allowing competent operators through to the workplace.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools deliver high quality training to students looking for a career as a crane operator. Training is provided by NCCER qualified trainers and includes training for fixed cab and swing cab mobile hydraulic cranes, lattice boom cranes, and articulated boom (knuckleboom) cranes. On completion of a students training, we are accredited by NCCCO as a test site for both the NCCCO written and NCCCO practical exams. This means you can receive your training and your certification through the one training organization.

There are many different duties being performed on a job site on any given day. There are bulldozers moving dirt and rocks. There are excavators and dump trucks removing debris from an area that needs clearing. But, the piece of heavy equipment that most laymen notice is the crane. After all, it reaches up toward the sky, so it is seen from the furthest distance. Most people have seen the standard cranes on a construction site such as the lattice boom crane or the swing cab hydraulic crane. But, more frequently now, there is a different crane being seen more often than not called the articulating crane or knuckle boom crane.

This highly maneuverable articulating crane has been used for quite a while in Europe, but it is just recently being seen a lot more in the US. The reason for its increased popularity is because of its versatility on a job site, and its ability to move a load around like no other crane. With some additional crane training , a heavy equipment operator can quickly be operating one of these cranes. The articulating crane looks very similar to a human arm in that it has bendable “joints” or “knuckles” that can be manipulated in any direction. This flexibility allows the crane to go into places that a normal crane cannot such as place a load in a window or a door. The articulating crane is also controlled by a computer that is constantly monitoring the crane’s movements to ensure safe operation.

This diverse articulating crane has become the go to crane on many work sites. It can actually take the place of several different cranes on many sites. When not in use this crane can fold in on itself, so it takes up less room than a standard crane. The articulating crane can definitely take a job site to the next level.

You wouldn’t normally associate heavy equipment with the film and television industry, yet they do appear frequently on camera. What many people don’t realize is that cranes, particularly mobile cranes, are a common tool used behind the camera. For many directors, mobile cranes are used in preference to a wide range of specialist tools that are available.

Mobile cranes are a useful tool for quickly moving scenery, props and even whole buildings when required. Mobile cranes are also used to mount fixed cameras – the director is able to locate a camera exactly where required given the light and other factors present. A smaller version of a mobile crane is mounted on rails. This allows camera operators to smoothly follow the action, being raised and lowered as required.

The skills required to operate these cranes are no different to those required in general industry. It does take a well trained and experienced operator who has well developed skills to follow the precise directions of a film or TV director. The biggest difference is that, in general industry, a crane operator has all the time in the world to complete a task. In the film and television industry, a director expects a crane operator to act quickly, and to get it right first time, every time.

If you’re for a career with a difference, then perhaps a career as a crane operator in the film and television awaits. You will need to undertake mobile crane operator training first, and you will need to develop those skills through a general industry job. However, once you have honed your skills, you can apply for specialist positions within the film and TV industry – every operator has to start somewhere, they just need those fine skills.

One of more profitable careers in heavy equipment is that of a crane operator. Because cranes are specialized, they require specific training rather than being included in a heavy equipment training program. However, specific training does not mean you are restricted to one type of crane. While many people opt for an entry level position as a mobile crane operator, you can cast your aspirations a little higher operating a range of cranes.

ATS Crane Operator Schools provide training that meets industry requirements on a number of different cranes. If you are looking at crane operator training, we provide certification programs in:

• Fixed and Swing Cab Mobile Hydraulic Cranes
• Lattice Boom (Crawler or Truck)Cranes
• Articulated Boom (Knuckleboom) Cranes
• Rigging / Signalperson Training and Certification

Training is delivered to NCCCO standards and operators can receive NCCCO certification if they pass the requires tests at the conclusion of their training. NCCCO certification is a nationally recognized qualification which makes operators compliant in all states for work operating cranes that they have received certification in. Certification was introduced to ensure that all operators met minimum standards when it comes to operating skills and safety knowledge.

When undertaking training at ATS, you will receive a blend of classroom and in-the-seat training. This ensures you are trained in the theoretical side of crane operations, a required skill if you are going to be successful in this field. It also ensures you receive all the safety training required to satisfy the safety component of the NCCCO tests.

There are a lot of different types of crane in use around the country. When looking at training to become a crane operator, be sure your crane operator training school has a range of cranes that you can gain experience on, and that you have adequate hands-on, and classroom based training.

While many construction sites slow down their activities over winter, other industries ramp up their activities. Landscape gardening is one area that is not thought of as a user of heavy equipment, yet in many cases, heavy equipment is the only machinery suited to a job. Frozen ground is no fun to dig in by hand, yet excavators and backhoes can often work with little effort.

So what sort of jobs would heavy equipment be used in landscape gardening. One of the more frequent tasks is the movement of whole trees. Winter, or the dormant season, is the best time to move a tree. Excavators and backhoes are perfectly designed for this type of work, including cutting through excess root systems. Mobile cranes are often used to lift the tree, root ball and all, into a truck ready for transport.

Before trees are transplanted, an excavator or backhoe will dig a large hole. A mobile crane is then used to lower the root ball into the hole, and to hold the tree upright while the soil is then back-filled into the hole. Backhoes are a handy tool for this job – the shovel can dig the hole while the loader can be used as a bulldozer to push the soil. In some cases, one of those nimble little skid-steer loaders is used to back-fill and compress the soil.

Whether you’re operating a mobile crane, excavator, backhoe or skid-steer loader, precision and caution is most important. For a large tree to be transplanted successfully, the tree needs to be moved quickly and with as little damage as possible. The skill of landscape gardeners and heavy equipment operators manage this on an almost daily basis – and those trees, some of them giants, survive the experience. If you’re interested in landscape gardening and heavy equipment operations, the two do go hand-in-hand – moving trees is just one of many jobs. For landscape gardeners, undertaking heavy equipment training could be what you need to further progress in the industry.

Mention a mobile crane and most people think of a truck with a crane attached somewhere. While the principle behind most cranes is similar, mobile cranes themselves come in many different styles, each designed to do a particular job. In some industries – for example, the logging industry – there are purpose-built cranes that are only suited to that job. Other types of cranes include:

• Rough Terrain Crane – designed to carry loads across a rough terrain
• All Terrain Crane – designed for use the highway and rough terrain
• Carry Deck Crane – this crane has a deck that holds a load for transporting
• Pick and Carry Crane – similar to a carry deck crane
• Telescopic Handler Crane – forklifts on a telescopic boom
• Crawler Crane – these cranes run on tracks (like a bulldozer) rather than wheels
• Railroad Crane – normally mounted on a flatbed rail car
• Floating Crane – normally mounted on a pontoon

These cranes can come in a range of sizes, for example, a floating crane can be the size of a ship and can be used to assist the building of oil rigs. Railroad cranes, while generally mounted on flatbed rail cars, can also have conventional wheels that can be raised and lowered over trolley wheels that can run on rails.

What is important for those interested in crane operations is that crane operator training for each of these cranes is the same. The principles of lifting are the same, the only difference being in the way individual cranes are stabilized prior to lifting. Like most machinery, this is specific to the type and brand of crane used, and requires basic on-the-job training for that specific unit, training that is provided by the employer. What a new graduate needs is a thorough introduction to mobile crane basics – from there a graduate can build on skills developed. Mobile cranes come in many guises, however, there’s only one form of mobile crane operator training required, and that the training providing by ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools.