What Crane Certification Really Costs in Arizona

Certifier fees: what NCCCO publishes

NCCCO posts its candidate fees on its website, and those are the one part of the budget that is the same for everyone. As published at the time of writing, NCCCO's fee schedule is labeled effective January 1, 2024. Fee schedules change, so check the current page at nccco.org before you apply; the handbook for each program also points back to that page.

For the mobile crane operator program, the published schedule lists the Core written exam at $140, and each specialty (lattice boom, telescopic boom fixed cab, telescopic boom swing cab) at $80 for the written and $70 for the practical. A candidate earning one specialty therefore pays the certifier for one Core written, one specialty written and one practical, with each extra specialty adding its own written and practical fees.

For Rigger Level I, Rigger Level II and Signalperson, the same schedule lists $105 for the written and $95 for the practical for each program. Fees for other programs, such as tower crane, articulating crane, service truck crane and digger derrick, are on the same NCCCO page; we have not repeated them here because we could not confirm each figure. The schedule also covers charges such as late applications, rescheduling and retests, which are worth reading before you book.

If you take the written exam through Online Proctored Testing instead of at a test center, check the current NCCCO fee page and the application for that option, since the way you test can affect what you pay and how you schedule.

• Mobile crane Core written: $140 (NCCCO, as published at time of writing)
• Each mobile crane specialty: $80 written + $70 practical
• Rigger Level I, Rigger Level II, Signalperson: $105 written + $95 practical each
• Other programs, late fees and retest fees: see NCCCO's current fee page

The practical exam: the cost that varies most

The certifier's practical fee pays for the exam itself. It does not supply a crane, a test course, test weights, rigging or the accredited practical examiner's time at the site. Those are provided by whoever hosts the practical, usually a training company, a crane rental firm or a test site coordinator, and they charge for them separately. That charge is often the largest single line in a candidate's budget, and it varies widely.

What drives it: the type and size of crane (a large lattice crawler costs far more to mobilize than a boom truck), how many candidates share the day, whether you need practice time on the machine before you test, and whether the host bundles the practical with its own training. Some hosts quote a per-candidate site fee; others fold everything into a training-and-testing package.

Arizona practical exams are most often scheduled around the Phoenix and Tucson areas, where cranes and examiners are concentrated. Candidates from places like Flagstaff, Yuma, Kingman or Sierra Vista should get quotes from more than one host and ask exactly what is included: crane time, practice runs, retest pricing and the certifier's fee itself.

Employers that own cranes sometimes arrange practicals on their own equipment for groups of operators, which can lower the per-person cost considerably. Ask your company before paying a site fee out of pocket.

Training, prep, travel and retakes

Exam preparation. You can prepare for written exams with self-study, an online course, an in-person classroom course or a combined training-and-testing program. Classroom and hands-on programs usually cost more because they include instructors and equipment time. Our online prep covers the written exam knowledge, including load charts; pricing depends on the course and on whether you enroll as an individual or as part of a crew, and an enrollment advisor provides it after you fill out the enrollment form. Our prep does not include the certifier's fees or a practical exam. Use the NCCCO practice questions guide to gauge how much study you need.

Seat time. The most expensive part of becoming an operator is usually not a fee at all. It is the supervised operating time needed to pass the practical and to satisfy an employer. Candidates who get that time on the job, as an operator in training or through an apprenticeship, are effectively having it paid for. People who buy hands-on time from a school are paying for crane hours, an instructor and fuel. See how to become a crane operator in Arizona for the routes into seat time.

Travel. Distance in Arizona adds up quickly. A practical in the Phoenix area can mean a round trip of several hours and possibly a night in a hotel for someone from the Colorado River communities or the White Mountains. Online proctored testing can remove the written-exam trip, but the practical is always in person.

Retakes. A failed exam means paying the retest fee for that exam and, for a practical, often another site fee. That is the strongest financial argument for preparing properly the first time, especially on the load chart questions that trip up many candidates. Also keep NCCCO's 12-month window between passing the written and the practical in mind; letting it lapse means repeating an exam you already paid for.

Recertification: the cost that comes back every five years

NCCCO certifications last five years, so certification is a recurring cost rather than a one-time purchase. For crane operator programs, recertification is completed in the 12 months before expiration and requires the written recertification exam. Operators who can attest to at least 1,000 hours of crane-related experience during the period are not required to retake the practical, which saves the practical fee and the site charges that come with it. Check the current recertification fees on NCCCO's fee page.

Letting a card lapse is the expensive mistake: NCCCO allows no grace period, and an expired operator must pass both written and practical exams again as a new candidate. Put the expiration date in your calendar a year ahead. The mobile crane recertification course is a refresher aimed at that exam.

Who else can pay: employers, apprenticeships and ARIZONA@WORK

Employers. Many Arizona contractors, crane rental companies and industrial employers pay for certification because OSHA's crane rule requires certified operators on construction work and because their customers ask for it. Some pay everything up front; others reimburse after you pass or ask you to stay for a set period. Get the terms in writing, including what happens if you leave. Companies certifying several people at once can set up group enrollment through our enrollment form.

Registered apprenticeship. Apprentices in programs such as the Arizona Operating Engineers Apprenticeship, jointly run by IUOE Local 428 and the Associated General Contractors of Arizona, are paid for on-the-job hours while they train. Ask the program what certifications it covers and when.

ARIZONA@WORK and WIOA. Arizona's public workforce system, ARIZONA@WORK, administers training funds under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) through local workforce areas covering the state's counties and the City of Phoenix. Eligible job seekers, such as dislocated workers and adults who meet program criteria, may qualify for funded training. WIOA-funded classroom training generally must come from a program on Arizona's Eligible Training Provider List, which is searchable on Arizona Job Connection (azjobconnection.gov), and local areas give priority to training for in-demand occupations that leads to a recognized credential. Local policies also allow on-the-job training arrangements with employers outside the provider list. Rules, eligibility and funding vary by local area, so the first step is contacting the ARIZONA@WORK office for your county.

Veterans. Veterans may be able to use GI Bill benefits for approved training or licensing and certification tests. Confirm with the VA whether a specific exam or program is approved before you pay.

Once you have a budget, compare it against what the work pays using the crane operator salary guide, and see where certified operators are needed in the Arizona crane jobs guide. General questions about how our prep works are answered in the FAQ.