Crane operator vs operator

The differences between crane operators and operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a crane operator and an operator. Additionally, a crane operator has an average salary of $54,275, which is higher than the $37,928 average annual salary of an operator.

The top three skills for a crane operator include cranes, NCCCO and CDL. The most important skills for an operator are safety procedures, CDL, and emergency calls.

Crane operator vs operator overview

	Crane Operator	Operator
Yearly salary	$54,275	$37,928
Hourly rate	$26.09	$18.23
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	34,918	159,077
Job satisfaction	4.67	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 56%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	47	43
Years of experience	4	4

What does a crane operator do?

A crane operator's work involves the control of draglines or cranes to lift, move, position or place machinery, equipment, and other large objects at industrial or construction sites, ports, surface mines, railway yards, and other similar locations. Their tasks and duties include conducting crane maintenance such as lubricating and cleaning, inspecting cranes, and assembling tower cranes. Some of them work with all three cranes, namely the boom trucks, mobile cranes, and tower cranes, while others prefer to specialize.

What does an operator do?

Operators are skilled workers who are in charge of working on an industrial machine or a specific aspect of the manufacturing business. They are trained to operate machines, learning how to use them. They are also responsible for the maintenance and repair of the machine, and they should be able to troubleshoot problems and provide remedies to them. They must be knowledgeable about the different parts of the machine and how to mitigate any challenges that may arise. Operators should be alert, detail-oriented, and familiar with safety and health guidelines.

Crane operator vs operator salary

Crane operators and operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Crane Operator	Operator
Average salary	$54,275	$37,928
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $83,000	Between $27,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	North Dakota
Best paying company	Katerra	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between crane operator and operator education

There are a few differences between a crane operator and an operator in terms of educational background:

	Crane Operator	Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 56%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Crane operator vs operator demographics

Here are the differences between crane operators' and operators' demographics:

	Crane Operator	Operator
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 95.5% Female, 4.5%	Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 0.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 16.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	2%	4%

Differences between crane operator and operator duties and responsibilities

Crane operator example responsibilities.

Perform preventive maintenance on cranes in accordance with manufacturer and OSHA requirements.
Train, test and certify to run all small and large hydraulic cranes through NCCCO.
Operate LBT and TLL cranes, loading and unloading concrete bridge girders in a precast yard in a production setting.
Rig cranes to handle constriction materials using appropriate nylon and wire rope slings, shackles and other material handling equipment.
Arch, MIG, and TIG welding.
Maintain and use appropriate PPE.

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Operator example responsibilities.

Assist in developing the company s short and long term training plans and managing yearly ammunition allocation.
Assist and manage the extrusion process of polyester raw material in pellet or chip form to produce finish rolls of plastic.
Manage day-to-day transportation and logistics services for multinational account base.
Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Job require basic math skills: fractions and decimals.
Ensure safety of all equipment during production in compliance with strict OSHA and safety regulations.

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Crane operator vs operator skills

Common crane operator skills

Cranes, 25%
NCCCO, 7%
CDL, 7%
OSHA, 4%
Hoisting, 4%
Safety Rules, 3%

Common operator skills

Safety Procedures, 15%
CDL, 6%
Emergency Calls, 6%
Preventative Maintenance, 4%
Quality Checks, 4%
Dozer, 4%

Crane Operator vs. similar jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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