Jobs / Transportation and material moving / 53-7021.00
Crane and Tower Operators
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
- US jobs
- 42,890
- Median wage
- $68,080 a year
- Job family
- Transportation and material moving
Can agents do the work of crane and tower operators?
We read the evidence for the whole job family, Transportation and material moving: Unmeasured (no change in 12 months)
No direct benchmark gives a success rate.
0% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark.
- 13%Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processingNot measured
- 11%Operate lifting or moving equipmentNot measured
- 11%Maintain vehicles in working conditionNot measured
- 11%Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipmentNot measured
- 10%Inspect facilities or equipmentNot measured
- 9%Direct organizational operations, activities, or proceduresNot measured
- 6%Read documents or materials to inform work processesNot measured
- 5%Inspect completed work or finished productsNot measured
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in transportation and material moving, not always this occupation's tasks.
Direct evidence
Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.
- 82%Waymo Driver (rider-only, 220.6M miles through March 2026) · Mar 2026Unrated
Also relevant
These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
- Inspect crane site conditions to determine ground stability.
- Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.
- Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes.
- Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
- Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary.
- Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.
- Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.
- Direct truck drivers backing vehicles into loading bays and cover, uncover, or secure loads for delivery.
- Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions.
- Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements, and remove and batch packaging tickets.
Other job titles for this occupation (63)
Crane Operator · Equipment Operator · Heavy Equipment Operator · Machine Operator · Mobile Crane Operator · Overhead Crane Operator · Port Crane Operator · Scrap Crane Operator · Tower Crane Operator · Woodyard Crane Operator · Acid Crane Operator · Boom Cat Operator · Boom Crane Operator · Boomswing Operator · Bottom Crane Operator · Bridge Crane Operator · Burial Vault Deliverer · Burial Vault Installer · Cantilever Crane Operator · Cathead Operator · Cell Tower Technician (Cell Tower Tech) · Certified Crane Operator · Charging Crane Operator · Cherry Picker Operator · Cinder Dump Crane Operator · Cinder Pit Crane Operator · Clamshell Operator · Coal Tower Operator · Coke Crane Operator · Crane Driver · Crane Ladle Person · Demolition Crane Operator · Derrick Boat Lever Operator · Derrick Boat Leverman · Diesel Crane Operator · Electric Crane Operator · Erecting Crane Operator · Gantry Crane Operator · Hydrocrane Operator · Ladle Crane Operator · Locomotive Crane Operator · Mill Crane Operator · Mixer Crane Operator · Mold Yard Crane Operator · Monorail Crane Operator · Ore Bridge Operator · Overhead Crane Truck Loader · Pig Machine Crane Operator · Pit Crane Operator · Pouring Crane Operator · Power Crane Operator · Radio Control Crane Operator · Scrap Drop Crane Operator · Scrap Drop Operator · Sorting Grapple Operator · Steam Crane Operator · Steel Crane Operator · Tower Loader Operator · Tractor Crane Operator · Truck Crane Operator · Whirley Operator · Wrecking Crane Engine Operator · Yard Crane Operator