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Transport & Logistics · Updated Aug 2026

Crane and Tower Operators

Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
41/100
Moderate

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
39/100
Low

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence83/100
Task coverage88%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.High
68
Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes.High
69
Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions.Medium
68
Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.High
37
Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.High
30
Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.High
22
Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements, and remove and batch packaging tickets.Medium
35
Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.Medium
22
Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary.High
14
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes.69
  2. Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.68
  3. Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions.68
  4. Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.37
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary.01
  2. Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.02
  3. Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.03
  4. Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.04
  5. Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

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Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency63
Physical dependency65
Adoption pressure38
Labour-market resilience66
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence83/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →