Two designations, one telescopic crane
NCCCO splits mobile crane certification by crane type. If the cab rotates with the upperworks, you test for the swing cab designation, TLL. If you run the machine from a carrier cab that stays put, you test for fixed cab, TSS. Both practicals happen on a telescopic boom machine, and both use the same six tasks.
Passing the practical is only half of the credential. You also need the written exam for the same designation, and NCCCO wants both passed inside a 12-month window. Plenty of people sit the written tests first and then come out to the yard, but the order is up to you.
Before you apply, check three NCCCO requirements: you are 18 or older, you meet its physical standards, and you agree to its substance abuse policy.
The course, task by task
The examiner hands you a test weight on the hook and a layout of circles, barrels and a corridor. Four tasks are about control; two are about knowing the machine.
| Task | Clock | What the examiner watches |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-operational inspection | Untimed | You point out five items on the crane and explain how you'd check each, roughly a minute apiece. |
| Stop circle | Timed | The ball goes up at least 10 feet, then settles inside the circle with no swinging. |
| Hand signals | Untimed | Four standard ASME B30.5 signals, each answered with the right motion. |
| Barrels | Timed | The ball drops into two barrels, one after the other, with smooth feathered controls. |
| Zigzag corridor | Timed | The loaded weight travels the corridor forward and then backward without brushing its edges. |
| Safe shutdown | Untimed | You shut the crane down and explain how you'd leave it secured overnight. |
Every timed task has an optimum time. Beat it and nothing comes off your score. Run past it and points drop little by little, and at 1.5 times the optimum the examiner may stop the task. The current NCCCO candidate handbook has the full scoring rules, so read it before you test.
Mistakes that end a mobile practical
Most points are lost to time and bumps. A few errors cost much more:
- Telescoping the boom. The boom length is set for you. Extending or retracting it is not allowed at any point in the exam.
- Unsafe acts. Anything uncontrolled or reckless, like a load swinging free or a careless swing, can disqualify you.
- Ignoring the examiner. Missing an instruction or a stop signal counts against you heavily.
- Extra people in the test area. Only exam personnel belong inside it, so friends and coworkers wait outside.
Your morning on the yard
- Within the 24 hours before your slot, watch the NCCCO Candidate Video.
- Arrive with a photo ID that shows your date of birth (a driver's license works) and wear PPE that meets federal OSHA rules.
- Take about 15 minutes to get familiar with the controls of the crane.
- Use roughly 5 minutes of unscored time with the test weight to get its feel.
- Run the six tasks while the examiner scores.
- Go home. NCCCO sends results by email and posts them to your candidate portal, usually within about 12 working days after it receives the score sheet.
Getting your hands ready
The practical exam is a testing service; nobody teaches you on test day. Training comes first, in one of our TWC-approved courses.
Operators who already run a hydraulic crane at work often pick the 40-hour fixed/swing cab course, which concentrates on the written and practical exams. Someone who has never sat in a cab gets far more seat time from the 120-hour course. Both repeat exam-style tasks on our yard many times, so the circles and corridor look familiar when it counts. Students who travel in from far away can look at the premium fixed/swing cab course, which adds housing.
Short on confidence at the barrels? You can book hourly crane time before your date. Our what to expect page covers the rest of training week.