No crosstown leg
Students from the west and south sides of San Antonio spend their first half hour just reaching I-35. From Selma you merge onto it near home and stay on it through New Braunfels, San Marcos, Austin and Waco. In the Dallas area you leave the interstate and head east to Seagoville. Expect about four hours of driving, more if Austin is backed up.
That shorter trip helps on the 120-hour course, which runs about three weeks. Heading home Friday evening and returning Sunday is still a long drive, but it is more manageable from Selma than from most of the metro.
Cranes you can see from the frontage road
You do not need to imagine highway crane work. TxDOT's I-35 Northeast Expansion (NEX) has been building elevated lanes along I-35 through this stretch, including around the Loop 1604 interchange. Projects like that depend on several roles working together:
- Operators of hydraulic and lattice boom cranes setting beams, caps and formwork.
- Riggers choosing slings and hitches, finding the load's center of gravity and inspecting hardware.
- Signal persons giving hand or radio signals when the operator cannot see the load or the landing spot.
We have no connection to that project and cannot speak for its hiring. It is simply a clear local example of where certified operators, riggers and signal persons work.
Which course matches highway and bridge work
If you want to operate, start with a telescopic crane course: the 120-hour fixed/swing cab course for beginners, or the 40-hour version if you already have seat time. Bridge crews also use lattice boom crawler cranes, and our 40-hour lattice course prepares you for that NCCCO certification.
If you would rather work on the ground, the 28-hour rigger and signal person course prepares you for NCCCO Rigger Level I and Signalperson. OSHA requires qualified riggers and signal persons on many crane lifts, and the course is a short way into the trade. Some students add it to an operator course so they understand both ends of a lift.
Three counties, one workforce board
Selma's city limits reach into Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe counties. That might seem confusing for funding, but all three are served by Workforce Solutions Alamo. Ask them about WIOA eligibility and whether they can approve a provider near Dallas before you enroll. Veterans can use the Post-9/11 GI Bill® or VR&E with us, and employer sponsorship is common for people already on construction crews. See funding options.
Lodging for the length of the course
Even a shorter trip from the San Antonio area is too long to repeat daily. Book a room near Seagoville, or pick a premium course with the same approved hours and an option for room and board. Check the training schedule for start dates, and plan to arrive the night before day one.
Rules highway crews live by
Highway and bridge lifts bring hazards you will study closely in class. Power lines are the big one: OSHA's crane rule (29 CFR 1926.1408) requires planning before any part of a crane, load or rigging could come within 20 feet of a line up to 350 kV, and greater distances apply for higher voltages. Traffic is another, since lifts often happen beside open lanes, so the swing radius has to be barricaded and the signal person has to keep an eye on what is moving around the work zone. Ground near new embankments and fill can be softer than it looks. Expect all three topics to come up in classroom discussion and again when you set up in the yard.
Traveling with a coworker from the same crew? Two people sharing a room and a car cuts costs, and studying load charts together in the evening helps both of you. If your employer is sending several people, ask about company classes.