Mobile Crane Operator
Written Exam | Practical Exam | How Do I Test?

ELIGIBILITY

Requirements for certification include the following:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Meet Physical Requirements
• Comply with CCO’s Substance Abuse Policy
• Pass Written Examinations (Core and one Specialty)
• Pass Practical Examination(s) - Candidates must pass the Practical exam within twelve months of passing the written examination.
• Comply with the NCCCO Code of Ethics

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Certified crane operators must continue to meet ASME B30.5 physical requirements throughout their certification period and attest to their agreement to this requirement in their application.

Means of compliance with ASME physical requirements include but are not limited to the following:

• CCO Physical Examination Form (valid for three years)
• A current DOT (Department of Transportation) Medical Examiner's Certificate (valid for two years)

CCO WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS

The written examination program consists of a Core examination in crane operation, as well as four crane Specialty examinations. The Core examination has 90 multiple-choice questions. Candidates are allowed 90 minutes to complete the Core examination.

All Specialty examinations consist of 26 multiple choice questions. Candidates are allowed 55 minutes to complete each Specialty examination.

All candidates are required to take the Core examination regardless of the Specialty(s) in which they wish to be certified.

CCO Specialty Examinations:

• Lattice Boom Crawler Cranes (LBC)
• Lattice Boom Truck Cranes (LBT)
• Large Telescopic Boom Cranes (Swing Cab) (TLL)
• Small Telescopic Boom Cranes (Fixed Cab) (TSS)

Candidates must register for the Core and at least one of the Specialty examinations. Certification requires competency in both the Core and one or more Specialty categories.

CCO PRACTICAL EXAMINATIONS

The CCO Practical Examination demonstrating crane operation proficiency is available in three (3) crane types:

• Lattice Boom Cranes
• Large Telescopic Boom Cranes (Swing Cab)
• Small Telescopic Boom Cranes (Fixed Cab)

A candidate must pass both the written Core and at least one Specialty examination as well as the corresponding Practical Exam in order to be certified.

CCO CERTIFICATION TIMEFRAMES

Candidates must pass a Written and a Practical Exam in the category they wish to be certified in.  Candidates have 12 months after they pass their first exam (Written or Practical) in which to take the corresponding Written or Practical Exam in the same category.  Candidates may take their Written and Practical Exams in any order.  For example, a candidate passing the Written Exams (Core + Specialty) in the Large Telescopic Crane (Swing Cab) category has 12 months to pass the Large Telescopic Crane Practical Exam.

Candidates who do not take and pass both the Written (Core + Specialty) and Practical Exams within the 12 month timeframe will be required to start the certification process again from the beginning.

If a certified candidate subsequently becomes certified in additional Specialties, the five year certification period for additional Specialties begins at the same time as he/she was originally certified, i.e. all Specialties expire on the same date regardless of when in the five-year certification period the candidate passed them.

RECERTIFICATION

CCO certification is valid for five (5) years. Candidates must complete all of their recertification requirements during the 12 months prior to their expiration date. This includes:

• Passing the Written Recertification Examinations
• Continuing to meet Physical Requirements
• Compliance with CCO’s Substance Abuse Policy
• Compliance with the Code of Ethics

Candidates who can document at least 1,000 hours crane-related experience during their period of certification do not need to take the practical exam to recertify.

Crane-related experience is defined as: operating, maintenance, inspection or training.

However, candidates who do need to take the Practical exam must do so before their certification expires. There is no “grace period” after the date of expiration. Candidates whose certification has lapsed must take the full written and practical examinations over again in order to be recertified.

The written recertification examination consists of a Core examination in crane operation, as well as four Specialty examinations.

The Core examination has 40 multiple-choice questions with a time limit of 40 minutes.

Each Specialty examination consists of 10 multiple-choice questions with a time limit of 25 minutes.  Four of the questions on each Specialty exam are calculation load chart questions.

Recertification candidates are allowed two (2) attempts to pass the recertification Core and Specialty exams before their certification expires. Candidates who are unsuccessful after two (2) attempts must take and pass the regular Core and Specialty exams.

Certified candidates may take their written recertification examinations up to one (1) year prior to their date of expiration. Regardless of the date of the recertification examination within that one year period, the new five-year certification period begins from the date of expiration of the candidate’s initial certification.

[Note: Candidates who recertify more than 12 months prior to their expiration date will have their new certification period begin immediately, not from the end of their current certification period.]

Recertification exams are available at regularly scheduled test administrations. Candidates wishing to recertify should contact the Test Site Coordinator who set up the initial certification. Candidates whose employment circumstances have changed should ask their new employer to schedule a test administration.

Candidates who are not certified in all Specialties may add a new Specialty at the same time as they take their recertification examinations by taking the full examination in that Specialty.

For more information about recertification, please contact CCO’s Recertification Department at (703) 560-2391 or via e-mail at info@nccco.org.

DISCIPLINARY POLICY

CCO’s Ethics and Discipline Committee is responsible for establishing and implementing standards of conduct, such as ethical standards, policies and procedures for disciplinary action. Grounds for revocation of certification status shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Period of certification exceeded without renewal.
2. Evidence of falsification of any information on any documents submitted to CCO or its agents.
3. Evidence of non-compliance with ASME B30 medical requirements.
4. Evidence of non-compliance with CCO’s Substance Abuse Policy.
5. Evidence of culpability in an accident during certification period.
6. Evidence of non-compliance with the Code of Ethics.

Certified Operators who wish to appeal a decision regarding revocation of their operators status, must do so in writing stating the grounds for the appeal. This should be addressed to:

Executive Director

National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO)
2750 Prosperity Avenue
Suite 505
Fairfax, VA 22031

NCCCO has established policies and procedures to fairly and consistently address alleged violations of the Code of Ethics.  The complaints procedures have been designed to ensure that only valid and actionable complaints are investigated and considered, and that all parties involved in the complaint have an opportunity to document circumstances warranting the complaint, and to respond to the complaint. 

NCCCO has a two-tier process to ensure that issues regarding the practice and conduct of certified crane operators are fairly and reasonably investigated and determined, and that the public is protected against unprofessional and unethical conduct by certificants.  Complaints against certificants are initially investigated by NCCCO’s Manager of Test Integrity who reports to NCCCO’s Ethics and Discipline Committee. If the complaint is considered actionable, the Ethics and Discipline Committee informs both the certificant and the complainant of the official opening of the investigation.

Following the investigation of the complaint, the Ethics and Discipline Committee informs the certificant and the complainant of its decision.  If a sanction is imposed, the certificant may request an appeal of the decision to the NCCCO Board of Directors.  The decision of the NCCCO Board of Directors is final.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICY

It is the policy of CCO that crane operators shall not use a prescribed or over-the-counter substance which would impair the ability to operate cranes safely.

This includes illegal drugs, controlled substances (including trace amounts), look-alike drugs, designer drugs, or any other substance which may have an effect on the human body of being a narcotic, depressant, stimulant or hallucinogen.

An exception to this rule is that an operator may use such a substance or drug if it is prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner who is familiar with the operator’s medical history and all assigned duties, and who has advised the operator that the prescribed substance or drug will not adversely affect the operator’s ability to safely operate a mobile crane.

CCO-certified crane operators shall comply with the substance abuse testing provisions of ASME B30.5.

It is a condition of certification that crane operators certified by CCO attest to their compliance with this Substance Abuse Policy. Non-compliance with this policy automatically revokes a candidate’s certification status.

CERTIFICATION CARDS

Certified operators receive a laminated photo ID card at no cost when they certify for the first time and when they complete the requirements for recertification.

Replacement cards, cards showing certification in an additional specialty, or revision of cards for candidates who retake and pass a specialty they previously failed, may be obtained from International Assessment Institute at a cost of $25.00.  To order, contact Jennifer at jennifer@iaiexam.com or 727-449-8525.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

If candidates change their address they must notify CCO as soon as possible. Failure to do so may cause candidates to miss important updates on the CCO program that could affect their certification.

Changes of address should be sent to International Assessment Institute (IAI). They must be in writing, but can be sent via letter or fax.  A form is provided for this purpose in the Candidate Handbook.  Forms can be faxed to 727-461-2746 or mailed to:

IAI

600 Cleveland St, Suite 900

Clearwater, FL 33755