Home / Tasks / Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment
In 10 of the 44 jobs that do this, AI or robots already show up on it, most often as robots doing it. In the other 34, there's no evidence yet. Jobs spend a median of 17m of an 8-hour shift on it, and about 8.0 million U.S. workers hold these jobs.
34No evidence yet
10Robots
Every job that does this
Each job words the task its own way. Minutes are that job's estimate for a typical shift; the label is the evidence for that job's version.
| Job and its version of the task | Per shift | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Crane and Tower OperatorsMove levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads. | 4h 34m | No evidence yet |
| Pile Driver OperatorsMove hand and foot levers of hoisting equipment to position piling leads, hoist piling into leads, and position hammers over pilings. | 2h 40m | No evidence yet |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsMove levers or controls that operate lifting devices, such as forklifts, lift beams with swivel-hooks, hoists, or elevating platforms, to load, unload, transport, or stack material. | 2h 28m | Robots |
| Hoist and Winch OperatorsMove levers, pedals, and throttles to stop, start, and regulate speeds of hoist or winch drums in response to hand, bell, buzzer, telephone, loud-speaker, or whistle signals, or by observing dial indicators or cable marks. | 1h 47m | Robots |
| Refuse and Recyclable Material CollectorsOperate automated or semi-automated hoisting devices that raise refuse bins and dump contents into openings in truck bodies. | 1h 31m | Robots |
| Drywall and Ceiling Tile InstallersHang drywall panels on metal frameworks of walls and ceilings in offices, schools, or other large buildings, using lifts or hoists to adjust panel heights, when necessary. | 1h 18m | No evidence yet |
| Dredge OperatorsStart power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually. | 1h 5m | Robots |
| Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and GasPush levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in and out of wells. | 1h | Robots |
| Tank Car, Truck, and Ship LoadersOperate ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors, hoists, and other specialized material handling equipment such as railroad tank car unloading equipment. | 48m | No evidence yet |
| BoilermakersAttach rigging and signal crane or hoist operators to lift heavy frame and plate sections or other parts into place. | 46m | No evidence yet |
| Structural Iron and Steel WorkersFasten structural steel members to hoist cables, using chains, cables, or rope. | 36m | No evidence yet |
| Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and TendersOperate controls to move or discharge metal workpieces from furnaces. | 34m | No evidence yet |
| Tire Repairers and ChangersRaise vehicles, using hydraulic jacks. | 34m | No evidence yet |
| RiggersControl movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other equipment. | 30m | No evidence yet |
| Hazardous Materials Removal WorkersLoad or unload materials into containers or onto trucks, using hoists or forklifts. | 29m | No evidence yet |
| MillwrightsMove machinery and equipment, using hoists, dollies, rollers, and trucks. | 28m | No evidence yet |
| Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment OperatorsRaise rails, using hydraulic jacks, to allow for tie removal and replacement. | 26m | No evidence yet |
| Machinery Maintenance WorkersTransport machine parts, tools, equipment, and other material between work areas and storage, using cranes, hoists, or dollies. | 25m | Robots |
| Helpers for Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble SettersMove or position materials such as marble slabs, using cranes, hoists, or dollies. | 18m | Robots |
| Sailors and Marine OilersOperate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system. | 18m | No evidence yet |
| GlaziersLoad and arrange glass or mirrors onto delivery trucks, using suction cups or cranes to lift glass. | 18m | No evidence yet |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, GeneralDismantle machines, equipment, or devices to access and remove defective parts, using hoists, cranes, hand tools, or power tools. | 17m | No evidence yet |
| Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and RepairersLift equipment into position, using cranes and rigging tools or equipment, such as gin poles. | 17m | No evidence yet |
| Roustabouts, Oil and GasGuide cranes to move loads about decks. | 17m | No evidence yet |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and RepairersDig holes, using augers, and set poles, using cranes and power equipment. | 16m | No evidence yet |
| Commercial DiversRecover objects by placing rigging around sunken objects, hooking rigging to crane lines, and operating winches, derricks, or cranes to raise objects. | 16m | No evidence yet |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandAttach slings, hooks, or other devices to lift cargo and guide loads. | 13m | No evidence yet |
| Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine SpecialistsRaise trucks, buses, and heavy parts or equipment using hydraulic jacks or hoists. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersOperate lifting or moving devices to move equipment or materials to access areas to be painted. | 12m | Robots |
| Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related RepairersLift units or parts such as motors or generators, using cranes or chain hoists, or signal crane operators to lift heavy parts or subassemblies. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Continuous Mining Machine OperatorsMove levers to raise and lower hydraulic safety bars supporting roofs above machines until other workers complete framing. | 12m | Robots |
| Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticOperate hoists to place workpieces onto machine feed carriages or spindles. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Service Unit Operators, Oil and GasThread cables through derrick pulleys, using hand tools. | 9m | No evidence yet |
| StonemasonsRemove sections of monument from truck bed, and guide stone onto foundation, using skids, hoist, or truck crane. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service TechniciansExamine engines through specially designed openings while working from ladders or scaffolds, or use hoists or lifts to remove the entire engine from an aircraft. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and InstallersLift and align components into position, using hoist or block and tackle. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Electromechanical Equipment AssemblersOperate small cranes to transport or position large parts. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticOperate hoists to position dies or patterns on foundry floors. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersControl hoists to remove parts or products from work stations. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Telecommunications Line Installers and RepairersDig holes for power poles, using power augers or shovels, set poles in place with cranes, and hoist poles upright, using winches. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Earth DrillersRetrieve lost equipment from bore holes, using retrieval tools and equipment. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and BlastersLower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples. | 5m | Robots |
| Derrick Operators, Oil and GasClamp holding fixtures on ends of hoisting cables. | 5m | No evidence yet |
| Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersTurn cranks or press buttons to activate winches that move cars under sawing cables or saw frames. | under 1m | No evidence yet |
How to read this
This task type comes from O*NET's detailed work activities, which link similar tasks across jobs. A label applies to one job's version of the task: AI use comes from real AI conversations (Anthropic Economic Index) and robot evidence from deployments in real workplaces. "No evidence yet" may just mean the task is rare in the data. How we keep time.
See all 250 shared tasks, or find any job on the big clock.