Written and practical CCO exams for mobile crane, tower crane, overhead crane, riggers, and signalpersons. Test at our Cary, NC site — or we bring the exam to your yard, anywhere in the country.
CCO certification is issued by designation, not as a single blanket license. Pick the machine you run. Most operators carry two or three.
| Code | Designation | Who it's for | Exams |
|---|---|---|---|
| TLL | Telescopic Boom — Swing Cab | Hydraulic truck and all-terrain cranes | Core + Specialty + Practical |
| TSS | Telescopic Boom — Fixed Cab | Boom trucks, carry decks | Core + Specialty + Practical |
| LBC | Lattice Boom Crawler | Crawler crane operators | Core + Specialty + Practical |
| LBT | Lattice Boom Truck | Truck-mounted lattice | Core + Specialty + Practical |
| TWR | Tower Crane | Hammerhead, luffing, self-erecting | Written + Practical |
| OVR | Overhead Crane | Bridge and gantry, plant and shop | Written + Practical |
| STC | Service Truck Crane | Mechanics and field service trucks | Written + Practical |
| DD | Digger Derrick | Utility and line work | Written + Practical |
| RIG I | Rigger Level I | Routine, pre-planned lifts | Written + Practical |
| RIG II | Rigger Level II | Load weight and center of gravity calcs | Written + Practical |
| SIG | Signalperson | Anyone giving crane signals on site | Written + Practical |
NCCCO stands for the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, a nonprofit that develops and administers the CCO certification program. An NCCCO certification — the card operators call a CCO card — proves you passed independently written and practical exams for a specific type of crane.
It is not a state license and it is not a training certificate from a school. It is a third-party credential accredited under ANSI/ISO 17024, which is why general contractors and owners accept it nationwide.
A CCO card is valid for five years. Getting one takes two things: passing the written exam for your designation, and passing the hands-on practical exam.
Multiple choice, taken on a computer at our test site. Mobile crane candidates take a Core exam plus a Specialty exam for each designation. Covers load charts, site conditions, rigging, and operations.
Timed hands-on tasks on the machine: chute test, corridor travel, zigzag, stop the swing, and a pre-operational inspection. Scored by an NCCCO-accredited Practical Examiner.
You can take them in either order, but both must be passed within a 12-month window of each other. Most candidates knock out the written first, then schedule the practical.
Crane operator certification cost varies by how many designations you carry and whether you test at our site or we come to you. Straight pricing, no packages you don't need.
Add-on designations tested on the same day are discounted. NCCCO exam fees are included in the prices above — nothing gets billed to you separately later.
NCCCO recertification is cheaper, faster, and simpler than starting over — but only if you move before your expiration date. Once a card lapses past the grace window, you're back to the full exam sequence at full price.
Your recertification window opens. This is the cheapest, easiest time to act. Book now and you're done before it's urgent.
Card is no longer valid for work. Many GCs will pull you off the site the same morning it shows expired.
Recertification is off the table. You retake the full written and practical exams as a new candidate.
Requirements differ by designation and by how long you've been operating. Send us your card and we'll tell you exactly what you need — no charge for that.
Sending twelve operators to a test site means twelve sets of travel costs and two days of lost production. We'd rather come to you. Our examiners travel nationwide and test your crews on your own equipment, on your schedule.
Testing on familiar iron also tends to produce better pass rates — operators aren't fighting an unfamiliar cab on exam day.
We verify your machine meets exam requirements before we roll out.
Weekends, night shift, or during a planned outage. Whatever keeps the job moving.
Operators, riggers, and signalpersons tested in the same visit.
Volume pricing, consolidated billing, documentation for your safety file.
Give us headcount, location, and equipment. We'll come back with a firm number and available dates.
Under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1427, employers must ensure operators of most cranes used in construction are certified by an accredited certifying body. CCO certification satisfies that requirement in every state.
Certification alone isn't the finish line. The employer still has to evaluate each operator and document that they can safely run the specific equipment and perform the tasks the job demands.
We hand you the documentation you need for both halves: the CCO credential itself, and employer evaluation records that hold up when a compliance officer or a GC's safety manager asks for them.
Riggers and signalpersons fall under 1926.1425 and 1926.1428 — qualification requirements that CCO Rigger and Signalperson certification is built to meet.
Twenty-five sample questions pulled from the same domains as the CCO written exam — load charts, site setup, rigging, and operations — with the answer key and an explanation for each one. Free, no strings.
New certification or recertification, one operator or a full crew. Call us or pick a date and we'll confirm same day.