A Complete Guide: How to Get NCCCO Certified Online
What you can do online, what must happen in person, and the five moves that take you from choosing a designation to holding an NCCCO card.
Certification Guides
Crane Rules on Portland Jobsites
Oregon OSHA has jurisdiction
Private projects in Portland are inspected by Oregon OSHA under the state's approved plan, which must be at least as protective as federal Subpart CC.
Four accredited certifiers
NCCCO, CIC, NCCER and OECP all offer OSHA-recognized crane certifications. NCCCO is the one Portland employers request most.
No city or state license
Portland and Oregon don't issue a separate crane operator license. Your accredited card plus employer evaluation is the standard.
Projects that cross the river into Washington fall under that state's rules, which differ. Verify with the agency for wherever the crane sits.
Portland's Crane Hot Spots
Close-in towers
Mixed-use and residential towers in the central city depend on tower cranes working over busy streets and transit lines.
Shipyards and terminals
Ship repair and cargo handling on the rivers call for crawler cranes and careful marine rigging. See port and shipyard crane training.
Industrial east side
Manufacturers and steel fabricators run overhead cranes and ship big pieces by truck.
Portland Certifications in Demand
Skyline
NCCCO tower crane
Covers hammerhead, luffing and self-erecting configurations common in the central city.
Tower crane certification overview →Riverfront
Lattice boom crawler
The heavy-lift workhorse on terminals and big foundations.
LBC exam prep →Alternate path
OECP telescopic boom
An accredited alternative some contractors accept for hydraulic cranes.
OECP telescopic overview →Tower crews
Signal person
Tower crane picks in the core rely on signal persons who can't always see the hook.
Signal person course →From Portland Rain Days to Exam Day
Choose the certifier
Ask your employer, then read our NCCCO vs. CIC vs. NCCER vs. OECP comparison.
Use downtime to study
Wet-weather shutdowns are ideal for working through tower and crawler load-chart problems online.
Book the written
Proctored testing centers around the metro offer computer-based exams; practice with our CCO practice tests first.
Finish the practical
Practical sites and dates vary. Confirm with the site, then rehearse every task.