Steel crane operator vs port crane operator

The differences between steel crane operators and port crane 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 steel crane operator and a port crane operator. Additionally, a port crane operator has an average salary of $44,298, which is higher than the $38,900 average annual salary of a steel crane operator.

The top three skills for a steel crane operator include hand tools, customer orders and torches. The most important skills for a port crane operator are CDL, , and .

Steel crane operator vs port crane operator overview

	Steel Crane Operator	Port Crane Operator
Yearly salary	$38,900	$44,298
Hourly rate	$18.70	$21.30
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	30,309	32,651
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

Steel crane operator vs port crane operator salary

Steel crane operators and port crane operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Steel Crane Operator	Port Crane Operator
Average salary	$38,900	$44,298
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $59,000	Between $27,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between steel crane operator and port crane operator education

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

	Steel Crane Operator	Port Crane Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Steel crane operator vs port crane operator demographics

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

	Steel Crane Operator	Port Crane Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 98.5% Female, 1.5%	Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 0.7% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 0.7% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between steel crane operator and port crane operator duties and responsibilities

Steel crane operator example responsibilities.

Certify with Hilti nail guns and oxygen torches.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Operate Kone overhead cranes to offload railcars, load CTL line with steel coils and fix coil rows.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.

Port crane operator example responsibilities.

Coordinate all safety efforts with management to meet or exceed requirements of client specifications and OSHA regulations.
Drive truck to location and offload buildings to designate site using an ABC crane.

Steel crane operator vs port crane operator skills

Common steel crane operator skills

Hand Tools, 76%
Customer Orders, 11%
Torches, 7%
CNC, 6%

Common port crane operator skills

CDL, 100%

Steel Crane Operator vs. similar jobs

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Transportation Industry
Steel Crane Operator
Steel Crane Operator vs Port Crane Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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