Depot Crane Operator Jobs

Freight handling on trains usually requires not only the strong muscles of the workers but also the heavy lifting capabilities of a large crane.

This essential piece of machinery allows the depot crane operator to lift massive loads from trucks and other train cars and set them onto flatbed rail cars. These loads can be anything from lumber and steel pipes to electric generators and hydraulic boilers for industrial use.

Once the crane operator sets the cargo in place it’s up to the freight or cargo handler to properly secure the items in place upon the train cars.

By using steel tie-down cables and straps, the freight is kept in place while it travels between depot destinations.

Pay and Responsibilities

Depot crane operators can make very good salaries depending on their years of experience and the company they work for.

For example, operators with 1-4 years of experience operating a crane can easily earn from $17.13 to $30.17 an hour. Operators with 5-9 years of experience can earn $22.15 to $31.15 every hour they’re on the job. Those who’ve been operating cranes for 10 years or more, get the highest pay of course, owing to their years of experience on the job. These seasoned veterans can command salaries of $27.01 to $42.30 an hour. The salary for this type of work will also fluctuate depending on the company you may be working for and the location of the work.

For example, operating a crane in Texas and doing the same sort of work overseas in Kuwait, may have completely different pay scales.

Those people setting out to do this sort of work first need to apprentice for thousands of hours (usually 4,000) to thoroughly learn all the aspects of the job. While training for this position, your salary will be lower due to your lower responsibility level, but the pay is still above average.

The job market for crane operators is very good with companies usually renting new cranes when they find new operators because of the amount of crane work that needs to be done.