Crane Operator Classes for Houston Students: Planning Your Training Trip to Seagoville

We don't hold classes in Houston. Houston-area students come to our yard in Seagoville, southeast of Dallas, for training and the NCCCO practical exam. With a little planning, the trip is straightforward.

The drive up I-45

Seagoville is about 240 road miles north of Houston. The usual route is I-45 north toward Dallas, then east on I-20 toward Seagoville. Without bad traffic, plan on roughly four hours each way. That is too far to commute daily, so Houston students stay near the school for the length of the course.

If you would rather fly, Dallas Love Field and DFW International are the closest airports. You'll still want a car, because classes run every weekday and you will need to get between your lodging and the yard.

Where to stay

You have two main choices:

• A premium course with optional room and board. Our premium courses offer optional room and board for students who travel in, which removes the hassle of booking and budgeting a hotel. See premium courses with optional room and board.
• Book your own. Some students prefer to arrange their own hotel or stay with family in the Dallas area. Build lodging, meals and fuel into your budget before you enroll.

Either way, arrive the evening before your first class so the first morning isn't spent in traffic.

Training out of town has one real advantage: fewer distractions. Students who stay near the school can spend evenings on load chart problems and practice questions instead of a long drive. Use that time. The NCCCO written exams reward steady repetition, and an hour a night of chart work adds up quickly over a multi-week course.

Keep weekends simple too. Driving back to Houston every Friday and returning Sunday night is possible, but it costs about eight hours on the road. Many students find it easier to stay put on shorter courses and go home once the exams are done.

Why the course matches Houston work

The Houston region has a lot of crane work in refineries and chemical plants along the Ship Channel, at the port, and in commercial and highway construction across the metro. Plant turnarounds and maintenance use a mix of telescopic and crawler cranes, and owners there commonly expect NCCCO-certified operators and qualified riggers and signal persons.

That makes a few credentials especially useful for Houston-area workers: mobile crane certification for telescopic cranes, a lattice boom crawler certification for heavier plant and civil work, and rigger and signal person certification for ground crews.

Paying for training from Harris County and nearby

1. Workforce funding: in the Houston-Galveston region, ask Workforce Solutions (the Gulf Coast Workforce Board's system) about WIOA training funds. They decide eligibility. Our courses are approved by the Texas Workforce Commission.
2. GI Bill® benefits: we're approved for Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) and Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31). See VA information.
3. Employer sponsorship: many plant contractors pay for training. A company with several workers can arrange company classes at our Seagoville facility.
4. Self-pay: tuition is on the funding page.

A checklist before you leave Houston

• Confirm your start date on the training schedule.
• Have your funding approval or payment arranged in writing.
• Pack a photo ID, work boots, outdoor work clothes and rain gear.
• Plan for Texas heat in summer: water, sun protection and a hat that fits under a hard hat.
• Tell us if you'll arrive late on day one so we can plan for it.

Which course to choose

For Houston students who travel in, the Premium Plus Mobile Crane Operations Fixed/Swing Cab Course combines operator training with optional room and board. Experienced plant operators who need crawler certification can look at the Premium Mobile Crane Operations Lattice Course. Ground crew should consider the Rigger/Signal Person Certification Level I 28 Hours course.