Northern New England's premier source for crane-related training and certification programs
Summer 2015

New England Crane School’s 2015/2016 Class Schedule

October 23, 2015
Signal/rigging class, White River Junction, VT

January 25, 2016
Signal/rigging, sponsored by AGCVT in Montpelier, VT

January 26 – 29, 2016
Operator certification class, sponsored by AGCVT in Montpelier, VT

February 8 - 11, 2016
Operator certification class, sponsored by ABC NH – VT in Concord, NH

February 19, 2016
Signal/rigging class, Portsmouth, NH

February 28 – 29, 2016
Operator refresher and recertification class, sponsored by AGCVT in Montpelier, VT

March 21, 2016
Signal/rigging class, Portland, ME.  Promo code for ABC Maine members

March 22 - 25, 2016
Operator certification class, Portland, ME.  Promo code for ABC Maine members

April 11, 2016
Signal/rigging class, Burlington, VT.  Promo codes for AGCVT members and Woods CRW customers

April 12 – 15, 2016
Operator certification class, Burlington, VT.  Promo codes for AGCVT members and Woods CRW customers

May 20, 2016
Signal/rigging class, sponsored by AGCVT in Montpelier, VT

Are you a member of the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NLRA)? Ask about our promo code for a discounted member rate.

For more information or to register, call 603-614-4331 or visit newenglandcraneschool.com.

We run our public classes on a seasonal basis, from late fall to spring. If you have an urgent need for an operator certification class or a qualified signal person and rigging class during the summer months, give us a call! We can give you a quote for an onsite class at your location, or if we get enough requests we can schedule a public class in your area.

Who Has to Pay for Operator Certification?

Lately we have heard from several of our customers who paid to certify a brand new operator, only to have the operator leave the company for another opportunity shortly after. Experienced operators are tough to find in New England right now, so this is frustrating for employers not only because of the expense, but also the impact on operations during the busy construction season.

Does an employer have to pay for operator certification? OSHA mandates that you must pay to certify any operator in your employ as of the date of the final rule, which was November 8th of 2010. So legally speaking, you could require any operator hired after that date to pay for his own certification. We all know, however, that this would be impractical and might result in losing your best operators. 

One thing we suggest you consider (subject to the advice of your attorney) is to have a new hire sign an agreement stating that he will be responsible for reimbursing you for certification costs if he leaves your employ within a specified time frame. Whether you can actually collect from him is a different question, but such an agreement may at least serve to emphasize the cost of certification and the ethical considerations involved, and may make your new hire think twice before jumping ship. This is not to suggest that any operator who makes a job change after being certified is necessarily making an unethical decision; there will always be cases in which an opportunity comes along that is truly the right career move, despite the unfortunate timing. On the other hand, we have heard of cases in which the operator deliberately waited for his employer to pay for certification before accepting an offer that had already been on the table. We see this as inconsiderate at best and unethical at worst, and we hate to see this happen to our customers. If you are hiring a new operator this season who is not yet certified, we suggest you speak to your attorney about any options you may have for protecting your investment.

First CIC-certified Operators Come Up for Recertification in 2016

cic logo

We have been recertifying NCCCO-certified operators since 2014, but in 2016 we will begin to see our first CIC recertifications. OSHA mandates that all nationally accredited third party operator certifications are good for five years, and New England Crane School certified its first operators in 2011. 

While we will be doing our best to track our customer’s recert dates and contact them before the deadline, it would be wise for both employers and operators to track their own expiration dates. There may be cases where the operator has changed employers and we can’t find him, or cases in which contact information has changed.  If you let your recert date go by, you will have to start the certification process all over again, rather than taking recertification exams.

Recertification exams consist of the following:

  • A 50-question written recertification exam for each capacity of crane you are currently certified to run.
  • If you can submit a form from your employer stating that you have 1000 hours of time spent as the designated operator during the past five years, you will not need to take a practical exam.  Your hours must be on the higher capacity of crane you are recertifying for, however.  For example, if your current cert is for over 75 tons and your hours are all on a 25 ton boom truck, you will either have to recertify in the 21 to 75 ton category, or take a new practical exam.  Hours spent as the “designated operator” can include time spent traveling and setting up the crane.
  • You must verify ongoing ability to meet medical requirements and sign new code of ethics and substance abuse policies.

On February 28 – 29, 2016, New England Crane School will offer a two-day recert and refresher course in Montpelier, VT. The class will consist of one day in the classroom to prepare for the written recert exams, and a second day for the exams. The class is also open to any NCCCO or NCCER operator who needs to recertify, as long as they are willing to have their certification converted to CIC. Contact us for details of the certification conversion process.

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