What the work involves, what it pays, and real lines you can start from. Answer a few small questions and leave with a resume.
Also called acid crane operator, boom cat operator, boom crane operator and boomswing operator.
$68,080
Median pay a year
42,890
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Crane and Tower Operator resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Crane and Tower Operator
Summary
Crane and tower operator moving materials and products using mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment, ensuring load safety and equipment maintenance
Experience
Crane and Tower Operator
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Moved levers, depressed foot pedals, or turned dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, and electromagnets for lifting and placing loads
Determined load weights and checked them against lifting capacities to prevent overload
Inspected and adjusted crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage
Inspected cables or grappling devices for wear and installed or replaced cables as needed
Directed helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes
Cleaned, lubricated, and maintained mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs as necessary
Reviewed daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions
Skills
Checking & Planning
Inspecting material-moving equipment, Weighing materials, Inspecting work, Verifying information or specifications
Core Skills
Maintaining material moving equipment, Reviewing work orders, Cleaning machinery and equipment, Securing cargo, Driver's license
Hands-On Work
Loading materials, Installing parts
Education
Certificate Your training program, Year
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What to put on a Crane and Tower Operator resume
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What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Determined load weights against lifting capacitiesOperated cranes and other moving equipmentInspected and adjusted crane mechanisms regularlyChecked cables for wear and replaced as neededDirected helpers in placing blocking under cranesCleaned and maintained crane mechanisms and accessories
becomes
On your resume
Determined load weights and verified them against lifting capacities to prevent overload and ensure safe operations.
Inspected and adjusted crane mechanisms regularly to ensure safe and efficient operation
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Show what improved once the load weights were verified.
The line
Determined load weights and verified them against lifting capacities, reducing the risk of accidents on site.
Show what improved once the load weights were verified.
Pick one that fits
Reduced risk of accidents on siteImproved overall safety for crewEnhanced efficiency in load handling
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Add what got better because you inspected and adjusted mechanisms.
The line
Inspected and adjusted crane mechanisms regularly to ensure safe and efficient operation
Add what got better because you inspected and adjusted mechanisms.
Pick one that fits
Minimized downtime due to mechanical failuresEnsured smoother lifting and lowering processes
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
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What it is made of
Skills for a Crane and Tower Operator resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Inspecting material-moving equipment
Weighing materials
Maintaining material moving equipment
Reviewing work orders
Inspecting work
Verifying information or specifications
Cleaning machinery and equipment
Loading materials
Securing cargo
Installing parts
Operating moving or lifting equipment
Recording production data
The work itself
What a Crane and Tower Operator does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
What it pays
How much does a Crane and Tower Operator make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$52,600
Median
$68,080
75th percentile
$83,200
About 42,890 people do this work in the United States.
This page is about the occupation Crane and Tower Operators. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.