Crane and Tower Operators

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

• Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions.62

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• Weigh bundles, using floor scales, and record weights for company records.57
• Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes.47
• Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.46

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

• Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.33
• Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.33
• Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements, and remove and batch packaging tickets.34

Task exposure values and classifications come from the versioned data release — they are structured data, not model output. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 44 puts Crane and Tower Operators in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this level is about the mix: 1 of 11 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 7 augmentable, and 3 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

One next move: adopt AI deliberately on the augmentable tasks and build visible evidence of the durable ones.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

No adjacent role in the current data release is at least 10 points lower with ≥50% skill overlap — we don’t label anything “safer” unless the data supports it.

Labor-market context

• $68,080median wage
• 42,890employed
• 3,800annual openings
• +2.8%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Hoist and Winch Operators 41
• Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators 45
• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining 38
• Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines 40
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators 34
• Riggers 40

FAQ — Crane and Tower Operators

What does a score of 44 mean for a Crane and Tower Operators?

It means that, weighted across the 11 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 44 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

The highest-exposure tasks are: Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions. Exposure is scored per task from structured data, not generated by a language model.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The most durable responsibilities are: Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage; Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed; Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements, and remove and batch packaging tickets. Durable tasks typically depend on judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.