jobfacts

Crane driver

Crane drivers — SOC 2020 8221

Crane drivers supervise and undertake the operation of cranes, jib cranes, power driven hoisting machinery and power driven stationary engines to raise and lower mine and other cages, and to lift and move equipment, materials, machinery and containers.

Also calledMobile crane driverTower crane operatorGantry crane operatorOnsetterLift driverWinderand 75 more titles
Typical full-time pay£46,5002025 Provisional
People in the job12,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month957↑ 3.3%on last year · 197th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time crane drivers earn, 2025
£46,500 typical£38,90025%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%£38,900
Median£46,500
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £46,500
North West!£53,500
South East!£44,700
East of England!£43,700
East Midlands!£37,500
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £46,500
North West£53,500 (small sample)
South East£44,700 (small sample)
East of England£43,700 (small sample)
East Midlands£37,500 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £44,300
  • 2024 £45,500
  • 2025 Provisional£46,500
↑ 4.9% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 957 jobs for crane drivers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,189
Jul 20261,230
Jun 2026Not published
May 20261,040
Apr 2026945
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026794
Jan 2026930
Dec 2025397
Nov 2025964
Oct 20251,011
Sept 20251,067
Aug 20251,051
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20251,055
Apr 2025932
Mar 2025961
Feb 2025943
Jan 2025759
Dec 2024471
Nov 2024762
Oct 20241,090
Sept 20241,011
Aug 20241,174
Jul 20241,139
Jun 20241,036
May 20241,179
Apr 20241,001
Mar 2024681
Feb 2024671
Jan 2024733
Dec 2023479
Nov 2023653
Oct 2023716
Sept 2023728
Aug 2023827
Jul 2023909
Jun 20231,197
May 20231,081
Apr 2023986
Mar 20231,120
Feb 2023950
Jan 20231,140
Dec 2022860
Nov 20221,274
Oct 20221,373
Sept 20221,367
Aug 20221,547
Jul 20221,445
Jun 20221,391
May 20221,472
Apr 20221,070
Mar 20221,418
Feb 20221,292
Jan 20221,307
Dec 20211,070
Nov 20211,446
Oct 20211,498
Sept 20211,351
Aug 20211,270
Jul 20211,647
Jun 20211,484
May 20211,394
Apr 20211,343
Mar 20211,756
Feb 20211,043
Jan 20211,132
Dec 2020837
Nov 20201,154
Oct 20201,660
Sept 20201,324
Aug 20201,358
Jul 2020916
Jun 2020667
May 2020484
Apr 2020662
Mar 20201,211
Feb 20201,490
Jan 20201,385
Dec 20191,232
Nov 20191,409
Oct 20191,370
Sept 20191,183
Aug 20191,202
Jul 20191,437
Jun 20191,346
May 20191,491
Apr 20191,011
Mar 20191,041
Feb 2019859
Jan 20191,249
Dec 2018715
Nov 20181,051
Oct 20181,274
Sept 20181,588
Aug 20181,447
Jul 20181,297
Jun 20181,449
May 20181,319
Apr 20181,214
Mar 20181,399
Feb 20181,012
Jan 20181,163
Dec 2017825
Nov 20171,130
Oct 20171,280
Sept 20171,424
Aug 20171,610
Jul 20171,500
Jun 20171,763
May 20171,489
Apr 20171,500
Mar 20171,563
Feb 20171,140
Jan 20171,154
Is there a shortage of crane drivers?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsWell above usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
27%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives, which includes crane drivers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London159
North Northamptonshire55
West Northamptonshire53
Thurrock43
Bristol, City of37
Glasgow City31
Braintree30
Perth and Kinross29
Birmingham27
Bedford26
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where crane drivers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of crane drivers
n/p
n/p
n/p
42%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
25–34Not published
35–44Not published
45–54Not published
55–6442% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent–
Not published
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!39%
GCSEs or equivalent!52%
Other qualifications!51%
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalentNot published
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent39% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent52% (small sample)
Other qualifications51% (small sample)
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: construction of other civil engineering projects nec (32%), other specialised construction activities nec (20%).

How to get in

Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 52%
Apprenticeships
1
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
2 years
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course like construction plant operations.

This would teach you how to operate different types of plant machinery. You could then apply to construction companies for a trainee crane driver position.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Lifting Technician Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship to become a crane driver.

You may do a Port Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, if you're going to work in a port. This would train you on how to operate gantry cranes and lifting machinery in a cargo terminal.

These can take between 1 and 2 years to complete. They combine on-the-job training with off-site study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Work your way up

You could start as a construction groundworker, labourer or plant operator.

Once you've got experience of using heavy plant machinery like excavators, you could do crane driver training.

You could also work as a slinger-signaller, the person who guides lifting operations from the ground, then move into crane driving after completing extra training.

What you’ll need

  • have a category C1 or C LGV licence if driving mobile cranes on public roads

Registration and professional bodies

Registration
  • You'll usually need a Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) card or National Plant Operators Registration Scheme (NPORS) card to work on a site
Career tips

Safety on site is extremely important. Being able to communicate clearly with your slinger-signaller team on the ground is essential.

It's also important to have the confidence to ask questions if any instructions are unclear, especially when starting out.

Further information

You can find more details about how to become a crane driver from Go Construct.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for crane driver. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • gives signals for movement of cage carrying workers/equipment
  • starts crane or engine motor and checks that cables run freely and that brakes and drum(s) are working
  • manipulates levers, switches and pedals to rotate jibs into position and turns winding drum to raise or lower hook, bucket or other holding equipment
  • lifts load or cage, or hauls object into required position and lowers or positions for ground workers to detach, unload or load
  • watches control panel for warning lights and indications of wind speed and direction and carrying capacity of crane
  • oils and greases machine and checks ropes

Skills

  • follow safety procedures when working at heights
  • set up crane
  • perform minor repairs to equipment
  • follow health and safety procedures in construction
  • inspect construction sites
  • inspect crane equipment
  • interpret 2D plans
  • interpret 3D plans
  • keep heavy construction equipment in good condition
  • maintain crane equipment
  • operate cranes
  • operate mobile crane
  • operate railway lever frames
  • perform high risk work

Knowledge

  • crane load charts
  • mechanical systems
  • electricity
  • cable-propelled transit

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives, a group of 14 jobs that includes crane drivers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 6.7%about 80,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035748,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.