To crane or not to crane

My point was go with an open deck carrier, not a box carrier. If your plan is to get into heavy haul, the more experience running flats, steps, double drops, rgns the better. So get that otr experience with someone like tmc or btc, even melton. Then in a couple years move up to someone like keen so you can advance up from regular flat to more specialized.

Heavy haul is a very specialized field. It's a long term goal. No one that is worth working for is going to even look at your application until you get a LOT of open deck experience.

 

Since you have it all figured out flatbed_NC,

Would you do a favor to all the other up and coming wannabes and chronicle your journey for us.

Or will you be like all the other know it alls and never be heard from again?

 

I don't know any heavy haul company that would even look at a driver who hauled vans to get his experience for insurance. Tying down boring loads may suck but it shows you want to work hard and aren't afraid of getting dirty. I hauled a van for 2 months in my 5 year career and I couldn't do it. Got so boring. Was even a good private company that paid hourly on the highway. I quit to go haul cars which lots of companies I've interviewed at says looks good on a resume.

 

It's about 50/50 around here. Of the 4 major crane outfits in this general area, 2 of them are union.
I've worked around both and there's not a whole lot of difference other than the union guys won't hardly miss a break.
I know other parts of the country can be quite different. In some of the heavily unionized states, if you drive a truck that's all you do and even the crane operator doesn't drive the crane.

I read about a crane job in NY. You had a teamster drive the crane to the job, you had other teamsters bring in the counterweight, another crew then showed up to assemble the crane ( ironworkers I think). The operator arrived and did nothing but sat in the operator cab and ran the crane. In other words, it took about 8 guys to do a job that would only take 3 around here.

 

I was leased to a small heavy haul company, who also has a small van division.

I can tell you with great certainty, that they wouldn't even even think of putting you in the heavy haul division with only van experience.

 

Cranes are the same as HH I think. I had guys ask me if I was hiring operators- what experience/certs to you have? "I ran a boom truck setting trusses for XYZ Lumber". And that qualifies you to run/drive a 50t AT? I think not.

As to the OP's question about learning craning-

1. Rigging shop/shop truck
   
2. Rigger I (pays crap, abused by the Rigger II)
   
3. Rigger II (Pays better, abused by the operator)
4. Boom truck/fixed cab
   
5. Mobile hydraulic (under 40t)
6. Mobile hydraulic (over 40t)
7. Keep working your way up to that big Manitowoc.......

If you live in a state that requires certification (NCCCO), that can get expensive real fast if the employer isn't paying for it.

 

Most operators start out as oilers, I've seen plenty start out oiling on big crawlers and move right into running them. I was an oiler technically at ALL and I have my fixed cab hydro CCO but I have ZERO desire to run a crane.