Tomato Season, Seed Labs and Levees: Woodland Crane Prep

The cannery calendar

Tomato processing plants run hard from mid-summer into early fall, then shift into maintenance mode. Off-season work includes evaporators, tanks, boilers, pumps, conveyors and roofing, much of it lifted in or out through roof openings or across crowded plant yards. Contractors often have a short window to finish before the next harvest, so lifts are scheduled tightly and stacked one after another.

That pace rewards crews who can rig correctly the first time. Rigger Level I covers hardware, hitches and inspection; Rigger Level II adds the load calculations and planning that bigger plant lifts require.

Warehouses and seed facilities

Woodland's industrial areas near Interstate 5 include large distribution centers and agricultural research and seed-processing facilities. New buildings mean tilt-up panels and steel erection; established ones mean rooftop units, racking and process equipment. Much of the smaller work is done with boom trucks, so check the service truck crane course or the articulating crane course if that is your equipment.

Flood country rules the ground

Woodland sits between Cache Creek to the north and the Yolo Bypass to the east, which floods intentionally in wet years to protect Sacramento. Levee and channel improvements, bridge replacements and pump work along these waterways are regular sources of crane jobs. The soils are deep alluvial clay and silt that hold water after winter rain. Set up on mats, keep heavy loads away from levee slopes unless an engineer approves it, and expect delays when the bypass is running.

• North winds in fall and spring can be strong and gusty across open farmland.
• Summer afternoons routinely pass 100 degrees.
• Tule fog on winter mornings reduces visibility on I-5 and rural job sites.

Getting to the test

Most Woodland candidates take their written exams through online proctoring or at a Sacramento-area test center. The practical exam is different: it must be taken in person, on the type of crane you want certified, at a site the certifying body has scheduled. Plan for that trip and for some seat time beforehand. Our course covers what the written tests ask; it can't give you hours on a machine, so arrange practice with your employer.

Certification under Title 8

A Woodland employer that puts someone in the seat of a mobile or tower crane needs that person to hold an accredited certification for the crane type, a requirement California set in 2005. There is no California crane license; the certificate from the accredited body is the credential. See our requirements guide.