Is there any drivers out there that’s went onto cranes.
I fancy giving it a go.
Just looking for some advice on job work and if the money is any better
3k for the course.
Suppose if you get a grand a week it pays for its self quite quickly and you have the Hgv licence to fall back on in the quiet months.
Getting a start with no experience may be tough tho.
Pretty sure its a lot of waiting about near enough every job.
Waiting on contractors, safety permits, waiting on the wind dying down, waiting on stuff arriving. As with most things will be a health and safety minefield in some of the big works.
Can be sat all day then a handful of lifts in an hour, or a lift in the morning wait all day then another at night. Think the hours vary with whatever. Unpredictable hours but were all probably quite used to that!
So basically its not for everyone. Probably best speaking to someone who is on them to get a beter picture with firms in your area and what particular type of work or industry they focus on etc.
As mentioned above and similar to truck drivers, good experiencd guys will be worth there weight in gold, so no doubt you’ll be starting at the bottom, suppose how good you are/quickly you learn will be the factor for how far you can go and get on the bigger cranes etc.
As mentioned there will be a lot of sitting around waiting between trucks delivering for example or stuff that needs moving. Been on enough sites to talk to them, but it suits some.
One thing that should be mentioned is this only gets you the red card not the blue one. From memory that only lasts 2 years and then you have to redo the whole thing, unless you do further training for the blue one, ie more money.
big one of Baldwins broke down on the roudabout near M6 j15 the safto…causing chaos
Any clue about on the wages ?
Google says 22 - 66k so not much help really.
most my loads get crained off, i was speaking to one of the crane ops a few week back and said you must be on a killing.
suprisingly he was only on £1o an hour. for a 3k course id give that a miss.
You will start (if you get a start ) on the small ones (25 - 50 ton range ) and build up your experience . Dont be thinking you’ll go straight on to a 100,200,500t+crane .
Lots of sitting about for all the reasons mentioned above + you can be "winded off "- ie to windy
Lots of time away - its a bit like tramping
Its team work on the bigger ones (and the smaller ones as well ) when you count in the banksmen and all the ballast trucks etc - if your not a team player you won’t get far.
Cranes are a small tight knit community - mess up once and every potential employer will know what you have done