How NCCCO certification works, what each course costs, how long it takes, how to pay with VA benefits, and what to expect at our yard in Seagoville, Texas. If your question is not here, call us.
Take a crane operator course, then pass the NCCCO written and practical exams for the crane you want to run. At Miller Crane Works in Seagoville, near Dallas, beginners take the 3-week 120-hour or Premium Plus mobile crane course. Both end with the NCCCO exams for telescopic boom swing cab (TSS) and fixed cab (TLL) cranes, taken at our yard on the cranes you trained on. You need to be 18 or older with a valid driver’s license.
NCCCO is the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, the nonprofit that sets the written and practical exams for crane operators, riggers and signal persons. CCO is the name on its certification cards. Miller Crane Works is a CCO EDU Accredited Training Provider and NCCCO test site in Seagoville, Texas, so students train for the exams and take them in the same place.
Usually, yes. When people in Texas ask for a crane operator license, they mean NCCCO certification. Texas does not issue its own crane operator license, and OSHA requires construction crane operators to be certified by an accredited testing organization such as NCCCO. A few other states and cities do issue licenses, so check the rules where you plan to work.
OSHA requires construction crane operators to be certified by an accredited testing organization, or by an audited employer program. NCCCO is an accredited testing organization, and its certification is the one most employers ask for.
At Miller Crane Works, a beginner takes 3 weeks: the 120-hour or 141-hour Premium Plus mobile crane course, Monday to Thursday, ending with the NCCCO exams. Operators who already have seat time can take the 40-hour course in 4 days. Your instructor decides when you are ready to take the practical exam, and some students test out in week 2.
NCCCO certifications are valid for 5 years. After that you must recertify. Miller Crane Works runs recertification written exams every Monday at our Seagoville yard.
Mobile crane telescopic boom swing cab (TSS) and fixed cab (TLL), lattice boom truck (LBT) and crawler (LBC), tower crane (TWR), and NCCCO Rigger Level I and Signalperson. Each has a course that ends with the NCCCO exams at our yard. We also give NCCCO practical exams by appointment, including overhead crane (OVR) and digger derrick (DDO).
Most ask for the mobile crane fixed and swing cab certification (TSS and TLL). If you are already certified, lattice and tower are one-week endorsements.
OSHA requires signal persons to be qualified, either by a third-party qualified evaluator or by the employer’s own qualified evaluator. NCCCO Signalperson certification is a third-party way to show it. Our four-hour qualification class is built for company crews.
No. To enroll at Miller Crane Works you need a regular valid driver’s license, not a commercial driver’s license. NCCCO certification does not require a CDL either. Some employers want a CDL so operators can drive truck-mounted cranes on public roads, so check with the companies where you plan to apply.
No. The 120-hour and Premium Plus mobile crane courses are built for people who have never run a crane. You need to be 18 or older with a valid driver’s license.
It depends on your experience. If you have never run a crane, choose the 120-hour course ($6,400) or Premium Plus (141 hours, $8,500), both 3 weeks. If you already operate a crane and need the NCCCO card, choose the 40-hour course ($2,800, 4 days) or Premium ($3,600), which adds simulator time. Call (214) 763-0513 and we will recommend a course, not the most expensive one.
Both add crane simulator time, for different students. Premium Plus is the beginner path: 141 hours over 3 weeks, including 20 hours on the simulator, for $8,500. Premium is for experienced operators: the 40-hour course plus a simulator block, 48 hours in 1 week, for $3,600. Both prepare you for the NCCCO TSS and TLL exams.
Yes. The lattice boom and tower crane courses at Miller Crane Works require a current NCCCO fixed or swing cab certification (TSS or TLL) first. If you do not have one yet, start with the 40-hour or 120-hour mobile crane course. Lattice courses start every Monday, and tower courses start every other Monday.
The NCCCO Rigger Level I and Signalperson course at Miller Crane Works is 28 hours over 3 days, Monday to Wednesday, for $2,550. It covers rigging hardware, load control and hand signals, and ends with both NCCCO exams. Books and your first NCCCO test fees are included. No crane certification is needed. Classes start every other Monday.
Real cranes. Every certification course at Miller Crane Works includes hands-on time on the cranes in our Seagoville yard, the same cranes you take the NCCCO practical exam on. The Premium and Premium Plus courses add time on a crane simulator before you test.
The 120-hour course splits time between classroom and field. Premium Plus adds 20 hours on the simulator to 37 hours in the field. You will run the crane every week, not just at the end.
No. Miller Crane Works teaches in person at our yard in Seagoville, Texas. The NCCCO practical exam is taken on a real crane, so seat time is what gets you through it. Each day mixes classroom work with time on the cranes.
At Miller Crane Works, the beginner 120-hour mobile crane course is $6,400 and Premium Plus is $8,500. The 40-hour course for experienced operators is $2,800. Lattice and tower endorsements start at $2,950, and the 3-day Rigger and Signal Person course is $2,550. Every course price is listed on our courses page.
Yes. Course tuition at Miller Crane Works includes the NCCCO exam fees for the certification the course prepares you for, so there are no extra exam or NCCCO fees on top. If you need a retest, call (214) 763-0513 and we will go over the cost.
Yes. Students paying for themselves have flexible payment options. Call (214) 763-0513 and our admissions team will go over them with you.
Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover through Stripe. A 3% fee applies to all credit and debit card payments. Bank transfer with no fee. Business checks, cashier's checks and money orders, made out to Miller Crane Works. No personal checks.
Students paying for themselves have flexible payment options. Veterans can use eligible VA education benefits, job seekers may qualify for WIOA training funds through their local workforce board, and many employers pay for their workers. Call (214) 763-0513 and our admissions team will talk through what fits you.
Call (214) 763-0513 for a quote. Recertification and exam-only prices depend on the crane and the exams you need. Recertification written exams run every Monday at our Seagoville yard, and practical exams are by appointment.
The school is approved for VA education benefits. The VA decides what each person receives. Apply at va.gov, then send us your Certificate of Eligibility and we will certify your enrollment.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) and Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, Chapter 31). The school does not accept the Montgomery GI Bill. All 12 of our courses are approved for VA education benefits. The VA, not the school, decides who is eligible and what each person receives.
Apply for a Certificate of Eligibility at va.gov at least 30 days before your class, because a first application can take up to 30 days. Then send Miller Crane Works the certificate, your driver’s license, your high school diploma and transcripts from any higher education. Our admissions team handles the school’s VA paperwork and will walk you through it.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds job training through local workforce boards. Eligibility and amounts are decided by your board, not by us. Start with the office for your county.
Yes, if you qualify. The school is approved for VA education benefits. The VA decides what each person receives. WIOA training funds are available through workforce boards in many states. See the funding page for details.
Many do. We can invoice the company directly and provide any documentation their training budget needs.
Day classes at Miller Crane Works run Monday to Thursday, 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, about half in the classroom and half in the crane yard. Friday is kept for NCCCO testing and practice, not classes. Groups of 5 or more can also ask about after-hours classes in the evenings or at weekends.
Mobile crane and lattice courses start every Monday. Tower crane courses start every other Monday, and Rigger and Signal Person classes start on the alternate Mondays. Enroll by Friday 5 PM CT for Monday's class. Each course page lists its next start dates. Ask in the chat or call (214) 763-0513 to check a date.
Classes at Miller Crane Works are limited to ten students per instructor. Each mobile crane and rigger class start takes up to 10 students and each tower class up to 8, so you spend more time in the operator’s seat.
Yes, for groups. Miller Crane Works runs after-hours crane classes for groups of 5 or more, in the evenings or at weekends on dates agreed with the group. Individual students join the regular Monday to Thursday day classes.
At our yard in Seagoville, Texas. Written and practical exams are administered on site as part of every certification course.
Yes. If you have passed the NCCCO written exams elsewhere, you can book the practical here by appointment.
Yes. Practice time on the crane you will test on is $250 per hour. Call to book hours before your exam.
Four areas: the pre-operational inspection, load handling through a set course, standard hand signals, and securing and shutting down the crane.
You can retest. Call us and we will schedule practice time and a new exam date.
Students in a Miller Crane Works course take their exams as part of the course. Recertification written exams run every Monday. Practical exams and practice time are by appointment, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Friday is the best day for practice, because no classes use the yard.
Not with Miller Crane Works. The school has one location, in Seagoville, Texas, about 20 minutes southeast of downtown Dallas, and every practical exam we give is taken there. Students from elsewhere in Texas and other states drive in or fly into Dallas for the week.
You must be 18 or older with a valid driver’s license and a high school diploma or GED, plus transcripts for any higher education you have taken. No crane experience is needed for the beginner courses. NCCCO also requires candidates to meet its physical requirements and comply with its substance abuse policy; we explain both when you enroll.
Yes. Miller Crane Works is regulated by the Texas Workforce Commission, Career Schools and Colleges, school number S4168. Our student grievance policy is published on this site.
English. Classes, course materials and calls with our staff are in English; no course is taught in Spanish. If you want to take an NCCCO exam in another language, call us before you enroll and we will check what is available for your certification.
Yes. Call ahead and we will show you the yard and the cranes you will train on.
Since September 2009. Miller Crane Works is an independent crane operator school in Seagoville, Texas, and the only Texas provider on CCO EDU’s list of Accredited Training Providers. Students train on mobile, lattice and tower cranes and take their NCCCO exams on the same cranes at our yard.
Miller Crane Works is rated 4.7 out of 5 from 135 Google reviews. Our testimonials page has what students say in their own words.
Steel-toed boots and a hard hat are required; we lend a hard hat if you do not have one. Wear work clothes you can climb in, and bring sunglasses, because you spend a lot of time looking up at the boom. We send a short list when you enroll.
The Rigger and Signal Person Qualification is built for company crews and runs at your site or ours. We can also bring rigger and signal person certification and recertification written exams to you. Crane operator certification courses run at our yard because you train and test on the same cranes.
Tell us your headcount and we will quote. Small groups can also join an open Rigger and Signal Person Level I class, which starts every even-week Monday at our yard.
Yes. We invoice the employer, who can pay in any of these ways. Bank transfer with no fee. Business checks, cashier's checks and money orders, made out to Miller Crane Works. No personal checks. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover through Stripe. A 3% fee applies to all credit and debit card payments.
Yes. Send us your operators’ expiry dates and we will schedule them across the year so nobody lapses.
Yes. Group recertification can be scheduled at our yard or on site. See the employer page for on-site days.
Not at present. Tell us what your crew needs using the form on this page, and we will let you know what we can offer.
Miller Crane Works is at 304 Tunnell St, Seagoville, TX 75159, about 20 minutes southeast of downtown Dallas. It is the school’s only location, and all training and NCCCO testing happens there. Call (214) 763-0513 before you visit.
The nearest airports are Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW), about 45 minutes to Seagoville and Dallas Love Field (DAL), about 35 minutes to Seagoville. Out-of-town students usually arrive on Sunday so they are ready for class at 7:00 AM on Monday. Call us before you book your flight so we can confirm your start date.
Many book one of two nearby hotels that give Miller Crane Works students a discounted rate: Best Western Executive Inn, 1910 N Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX, (972) 287-9100 (about five minutes from the yard) and Best Western Plus Christopher Inn & Suites, 752 Pinson Rd, Forney, TX, (972) 552-1412 (about twenty minutes from the yard). Call the main line before you book and we will share the details.
Miller Crane Works trains and tests for NCCCO certification; the school does not place graduates in jobs. Job placement is not guaranteed. Miller Crane Works provides training and guidance toward certification. Most employers ask for the NCCCO mobile crane certification (TSS and TLL), which our beginner courses lead to.
NCCCO certifications are valid for 5 years. You can take the recertification written exam in the twelve months before your card expires. If you let it lapse, you may have to retest fully, so do not wait until the last month.
Not if you recertify before your certification expires and meet NCCCO’s recertification requirements. The practical is required again only if your certification has lapsed.
Your current NCCCO card, a government photo ID and your NCCCO candidate information. We will confirm the paperwork when you book.
Yes. Once you hold the NCCCO mobile crane certification (TSS or TLL), you can add lattice boom (LBT and LBC) in a 20-hour course from $2,950, or tower crane (TWR) in a 20-hour course from $2,950. Both take 2 to 3 days at our Seagoville yard.
Last updated October 27, 2026. Prices are course tuition as listed on our courses page. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Call (214) 763-0513 or send us a message. We will point you to the right course, not the most expensive one.