Crane Operator Certification

Types of Cranes

Telescoping Boom Cranes

TB<21: Under 21 tons (fixed cab)
TB 21-75: 21 to 75 tons (fixed or rotating cab)
TB>75: Over 75 tons (rotating cab

Multi-Purpose Cranes

ABC: Articulating Boom Cranes

Lattice Boom Cranes

LBCR: Carrier mounted
LBCW: Crawler mounted

(These designations are combined into a single Lattice Boom Carrier/Crawler certification)

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How to Get Certified

In order to earn an accredited CIC crane operator certification candidates must take and pass both Written Exams and a Practical Exam.

The Written Exams will consist of a general knowledge portion and a supplemental exam section for each type of certification the candidate wishes to achieve.

The Practical Exam is a demonstration of the candidate’s skills actually operating the crane. At CIC one Practical Exam can qualify an operator for several types of certification, as long as the corresponding Written Exam supplements are passed. If your company does not have a practical examiner or has not made arrangements to hire one, please visit our Find A Practical Examiner page for contact information. The practical exam will consist of several timed challenges on hand-eye coordination, depth perception, maintaining a load under control, and hand signal recognition. Please visit this page for information on the practical exam.

Crane operator certifications are valid for a period of five years from the date the first Written or Practical Exam is passed. All certification requirements must be completed within one calendar year of the first exam being passed.

Should a candidate fail their written or practical exam, they may retest once at any time for a processing cost of $65 per written exam or $55 per practical exam. Should a candidate fail twice in a row, they will be restricted from retesting for 30 days from the time of their second failure. Candidates are granted unlimited retests within this restriction for one calendar year from the time of passing their first exam.

Exam Delivery Methods

CIC written exams are available in electronic or paper forms. Please visit our page How to Set Up Your Written Exams if you require further information on setting up exams.

Electronic:

Electronic exams are delivered through CIC’s electronic testing system. The exams are timed automatically by the testing system and scored instantly upon submission, with an email with the results being sent to the email on record.

Paper:

Paper exams are mailed via UPS to the care of the proctor, who oversees the testing and is the only individual handling the exams in a group before sending them back to CIC for scoring. Paper exams are scored within 15 business days of package receipt, with an email sent to the address on record with the group or individual scores. Paper exams incur an additional fee of at least $40 to the test group for shipping and handling, with the potential of extra fees to cover shipping costs if additional shipping is incurred due to the actions of the registrar.

CIC is unfortunately unable to provide testing for a group in which candidates utilize both electronic and paper testing in the same session unless valid ADA paperwork is provided for those candidates. While CIC understands that some individuals may be uncomfortable or unfamiliar with modern technology, the construction industry is rapidly changing and will require these skills more and more often to remain employed. Mixed testing groups also provide additional challenges to CIC employees to ensure accurate registration and shipment of exams and increase the potential for costly mistakes. As such, CIC requires that all candidates in a testing session are registered for one method of exam delivery.

Test Sites

Public:

Public exam sites are third-party testing organizations such as universities that CIC maintains a contract with for testing. CIC maintains an internal list of public test sites which is always expanding, and will locate available sites within a candidate’s area for testing. CIC maintains exclusive right to contact test sites for scheduling and remits any payment from the candidate to the site for utilizing their services.

Private:

Private exam sites are set up at the workplace of a candidate or private testing center for the explicit purpose of CIC testing. It is the test site’s responsibility to fulfill the requirements to become an exam site and ensure a secure testing room. CIC requires that the site provide an internal proctor or allows CIC to hire an external proctor (at added cost to the test group). If you require an external proctor, please visit the Forms page and download the Proctor On-Site Request Form to accompany your registration.

Exam Accommodations

If you require ADA accommodations for a disability, please visit our Forms page and complete an ADA Accommodation form.