NECS Fall 2024 Newsletter

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NEW ENGLAND CRANE SCHOOL

fall 2024

What About Bob?

Anyone been wondering what our practical examiner Bob is up to since our last update? Bob continues to travel around New England, testing operators and regaling us with stories of his adventures. Here are just a few fun snippets from his recent travels.

October in New Hampshire:
Finally, a sunny day in New Hampshire! Yahoo! I had a beautiful fall foliage ride over to Hollis this morning. Is it just me, or are drivers going much faster than they used to? Sometimes it feels like route 101 is the New Hampshire Autobahn!

Jeff had his crane all warmed up for his practical and together we made quick work of setting up the test course. I knew he was a recert but I was surprised to learn he has been an operator for only six years! Jeff made quick work of the targets and the slalom course; a cool six minutes and zero deductions. I suppose that’s what being an owner operator does for you. Sharpens the skill set.

April in Rhode Island:
What an absolutely beautiful spring day to be in a boatyard! I never thought I’d be giving practical exams in the company of some of sailing’s greatest racing yachts. These are the America’s Cup boats that my childhood friends and I idolized. Oh yeah, I was having a great day.

I guess being able to talk the talk and watch a very busy boat yard in action was an elixir. The yard managers and all the operators were nice and put up with my thousands of questions. I hope I didn’t seem like I was too much of a kid in a candy store to them, but I was! I complimented one of the owners on his choice of cranes and he simply said, “ …we want to be the best crane service in the area so we need the best cranes to achieve that.” Agreed!

August in Maine:
Then there was Roy, nice guy and really did me a solid by testing in “the land of OZ.” Saved me four hours of driving. I can only guess that the Wizard Mark alluded to on OZ street was all too happy to make the big Terex as uncontrollable as possible. I offered Roy as much time as he needed to get used to the crane, the boom of which was described by his colleague as akin to a true whippy lightweight flyrod with a brookie on the other end of the cable. He wasn't kidding either. A very herkie jerky crane, but we got through it.

May in Vermont:
Thursday started with an early run to visit Lawrence in the Green Mountains. I passed many of the mountains I skied on in my younger days when the kids were just beginning to ski and snowboard. It was fun to remember all the experiences, both good and alittle scary.

By the way, my fourth grade teacher told us that “alittle” is a word and the proper way to write “a little.”

I turned off the state route onto a gravel road and turned onto another gravel road and headed deep into the forest. I was feeling alittle nervous when out of nowhere a rather large business appeared. I spotted a crane boom amidst the pine trees so I figured I was in the right place. Lawrence appeared out of the service bay and confirmed it. The old Grove RT he showed me had lever controls that reminded me of my days running old Pettibones and Droit RTs, lifting boats.

Forty-five minutes later I was in Barre, pronounced ‘berry’ so I’m told—'bar’ is where I can get a beer. Dave’s cute little National only has 46 feet of boom. He told me about how they used to move granite around with it back in the day and how they do it today. He said that little crane has seen the better half of the country from New England to the Mississippi valley. Pretty cool. He aced the exam with a smile.

I really enjoy getting out there and meeting all these people. It puts a smile on my face too.

What goes up must come down—except when it comes to prices

We all know the story because it affects all of us. A pound of beef that cost $3.37 in 2012 now costs $5.33. A gallon of milk that cost $3.49 is now $3.86. And for New England Crane School, the cost of travel for our instructors and examiners – especially hotel rooms – has gone up by an average of nearly 50%.
We’ve only raised our prices twice in our 13-year history and we’ve been proud of keeping our prices low for our customers, but it is time to raise prices again. Beginning in January, our new public class pricing will be:

Qualified signal person and basic rigging: $350 per person, or $325 per for groups of three or more
NCCER rookie/long operator class: $2200 ($1900 for those skipping the practical training day)
NCCER recert/short class: $1400
Written exam by appointment: $400
Practical exam by appointment $550
NCCCO operator class: $2200 for one exam category, $2500 for two


	New England Crane School 2023–2024 Season Schedule

September 18, 2024
Qualified signal person and basic rigging, Concord, NH

Sept 19–20, 2024
NCCER recert/short operator cert class, Concord, NH
This class is meant for re-certifying operators, or operators who are looking for a fast-track option and are willing to study on their own.

Sept 30–Oct 4, 2024
NCCER rookie/long operator cert class, Shawmut Equipment, S. Easton, MA
This class is meant for rookies or people who need more classroom prep time. We can also modify it for experienced operators who still need to get certified

October 21–25, 2024
NCCER rookie/long operator cert class, Montpelier, VT
This class is meant for rookies or people who need more classroom prep time. We can also modify it for experienced operators who still need to get certified

November 4, 2024
Qualified signal person and basic rigging, Dover, NH

November 4–8, 2024
NCCER rookie/long operator cert class, Dover, NH
This class is meant for rookies or people who need more classroom prep time. We can also modify it for experienced operators who still need to get certified

December 4, 2024
Qualified signal person and basic rigging, Montpelier, VT at AGCVT

December 5–6, 2024
NCCER recert/short operator cert class, Montpelier, VT at AGCVT
This class is meant for re-certifying operators, or operators who are looking for a fast-track option and are willing to study on their own.

January 8, 2025
Qualified signal person and basic rigging, Concord, NH

January 9–10, 2025
NCCER recert/short operator cert class, Concord, NH
This class is meant for re-certifying operators, or operators who are looking for a fast-track option and are willing to study on their own.

January 20–24, 2025
NCCCO operator cert class
This class is for experienced operators only. We can take recert candidates in this class also.

February 3, 2025
Qualified signal person and basic rigging, Portland, ME

February 3–7, 2025
NCCER rookie/long operator cert class, Portland, ME
This class is meant for rookies or people who need more classroom prep time. We can also modify it for experienced operators who still need to get certified

February 10, 2025
Qualified signal person and basic rigging, Montpelier, VT at AGCVT

February 10–14, 2025
NCCER rookie/long operator cert class, Montpelier, VT at AGCVT
This class is meant for rookies or people who need more classroom prep time. We can also modify it for experienced operators who still need to get certified

March 5, 2025
Qualified signal person and basic rigging, Portland, ME

March 6–7, 2025
NCCER recert/short operator cert class, Portland, ME
This class is meant for re-certifying operators, or operators who are looking for a fast-track option and are willing to study on their own.

March 19, 2025
Qualified signal person and basic rigging, Burlington, VT

March 20–21, 2025
NCCER recert/short operator cert class, Burlington, VT
This class is meant for re-certifying operators, or operators who are looking for a fast-track option and are willing to study on their own.

April 7, 2025
Qualified signal person and basic rigging, Dover, NH

April 7–11, 2025
NCCER rookie/long operator cert class, Dover, NH
This class is meant for rookies or people who need more classroom prep time. We can also modify it for experienced operators who still need to get certified

April 23, 2025
Qualified signal person and basic rigging, Concord, NH

April 24–25, 2025
NCCER recert/short operator cert class, Concord, NH
This class is meant for re-certifying operators, or operators who are looking for a fast-track option and are willing to study on their own.

May 12–16, 2025
NCCER rookie/long operator cert class, Shawmut Equipment in S. Easton, MA
This class is meant for rookies or people who need more classroom prep time. We can also modify it for experienced operators who still need to get certified

June 5–6, 2025
NCCER recert/short operator cert class, Concord, NH
This class is meant for re-certifying operators, or operators who are looking for a fast-track option and are willing to study on their own.

For more information or to register:
email desiree@newenglandcraneschool.com
or visit www.newenglandcraneschool.com

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