Broward County Crane Operator and Rigger Exam Prep

Port Everglades and the airport next door

Port Everglades sits inside the boundaries of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Dania Beach, and its southern container berths lie almost under the approach to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. That neighbor shaped the port's equipment. When it bought new ship-to-shore cranes from ZPMC, it chose a low-profile design about 175 feet tall that reaches out rather than up, described at delivery as likely the largest low-profile container cranes ever built. Seven older Southport cranes were upgraded from 46.5 tons to 65 tons so they can twin-pick containers.

The port also took on the Southport Turning Notch extension, lengthening the turning area from 900 feet to 2,400 feet to create new cargo berths, with crane rail extended along Berth 30 and landside infrastructure for six more Super Post-Panamax cranes. Wharf construction, crane rail work and terminal maintenance are the kind of jobs that keep mobile crane operators and riggers busy at the port year after year.

How the work changes as you head inland

• Coastal cities: high-rise towers in downtown Fort Lauderdale and along the beaches in Hollywood and Pompano Beach, with tower cranes that often need FAA review because of the airport.
• Central corridor: hospital expansions, school construction, warehouses near the airport and the I-595 interchange, and commercial work along I-95.
• Western suburbs: Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Weston and Coral Springs bring residential, retail and municipal projects, plus utility and pump-station work near the Everglades levees.
• Seminole Tribe lands: the tribe's Hollywood reservation hosts large hospitality construction. Federal OSHA generally covers private contractors there, and the tribe may set its own site requirements.

No Broward crane ordinance, and the state law that matters

There is no Broward counterpart to Miami-Dade's 2008 crane ordinance in force, and since 2012 Florida law has preempted local regulation of construction hoisting equipment. There is no county or city crane operator license anywhere in Broward. What an employer must show is that operators of covered cranes hold accredited certification for the equipment, that each has been evaluated by the employer, and that signal persons and riggers are qualified under OSHA.

The 2025 state law on cranes and hurricanes, s. 489.1132, F.S., does apply here. Sites with tower cranes, covered mobile cranes or hoists must keep a hurricane plan available on site, and the contractor in control must have the equipment secured no later than 24 hours before hurricane impacts are expected. Broward's coastline is fully exposed to Atlantic storms, so that plan is a real document on most high-rise jobs.

Ground and weather notes for Broward lifts

Coastal Broward is built on sand and fill over limestone, with groundwater close to the surface. West of the Turnpike the soils get softer and wetter near canals and former wetlands. Crane mats, bearing calculations and level checks are part of normal setup. Summer brings heat, near-daily lightning and fast squalls; winter cold fronts can bring gusty north winds along the coast. Crews also deal with salt exposure on any job within a mile or two of the beach.

Online prep for Broward operators and crews

Our self-paced courses run on any device, around the clock, with exam-style practice questions for the NCCCO written exams. Port and coastal crews usually start with mobile crane operator or tower crane operator; utility crews in the west often need digger derrick prep. Written exams can be taken by online proctoring or at a test center, and the practical is a hands-on exam at an approved site. Companies can enroll several workers at once through the enrollment form.