N.M. Stat. § 60-15-7 — NM Code / Chapter 60 / Article 15 / Section 60-15-7
§ 60-15-7. Requirements for licensure
Status: in_force

A. The department shall issue a license for a class I crane operator with an endorsement to an applicant who files a completed application, accompanied by the required fees, and who submits satisfactory evidence that the applicant:

(1) is at least twenty-one years of age;

(2) has passed a written examination as prescribed by the department or has successfully completed an employer's in-house training program approved by the council;

(3) has had a physical examination, including substance abuse testing, within the twelve-month period preceding the date of application, showing that the applicant is in satisfactory physical condition for performing the functions of a class I crane operator; and

(4) within the past three years, has completed at least five hundred hours of seat time in the type of crane for which the applicant seeks a license and an endorsement and has successfully passed a practical examination administered by a council-approved examining vendor or completed an employer's in-house training course approved by the council in the type of crane for which the applicant seeks a license and an endorsement.

B. The department shall issue a license for a class II crane operator to an applicant who files a completed application, accompanied by the required fees, and who submits satisfactory evidence that the applicant:

(1) is at least eighteen years of age;

(2) has passed a written examination prescribed by the department or has successfully completed an employer's in-house training course approved by the council;

(3) has had a physical examination, including substance abuse testing, within the twelve-month period preceding the date of application, showing that the applicant is in satisfactory physical condition for performing the functions of a class II crane operator; and

(4) within the past three years, has completed at least five hundred hours of seat time in the actual operation of hydraulic cranes with over ten tons and up to one hundred tons lifting capacity with a maximum boom length of one hundred fifty feet, regardless of mounting or means of mobility, and has successfully passed a practical examination administered by a council-approved examining vendor or has completed an employer's in-house training course approved by the council in the type of crane for which the applicant seeks a license.

C. A class II crane operator who seeks to become licensed as a class I crane operator shall keep a log book of the class II crane operator's seat time and must accumulate fifty hours of seat time under the direct supervision of a class I crane operator.

D. The department shall issue a license for a class III crane operator to an applicant who files a completed application, accompanied by the required fees, and who submits satisfactory evidence that the applicant:

(1) is at least eighteen years of age;

(2) has passed an examination prescribed by the department; and

(3) has had a physical examination, including substance abuse testing, within the twelve-month period preceding the date of application, showing that the applicant is in satisfactory physical condition for performing the functions of a class III crane operator.

E. A class III crane operator who seeks to become licensed as a class I or class II crane operator shall keep a log book of the class III crane operator's seat time within the past three years and must accumulate five hundred hours of seat time under the direct supervision of a class I or class II crane operator who is properly licensed in the kind of crane being operated.

F. A class III crane operator shall not operate a crane unless under the direct supervision of a class I or class II crane operator who is properly licensed in the type of crane being operated.

G. The department shall recognize an in-house crane operator card issued to an applicant who:

(1) is at least eighteen years of age;

(2) is participating in an in-house training course approved by the council; and

(3) has had a physical examination, including substance abuse testing, within the twelve-month period preceding the date of application, showing that the applicant is in satisfactory physical condition for performing the functions of a crane operator.

H. A person with an in-house crane operator card shall only operate a crane for the employer who provided the approved in-house training course. The employer of a person with an in-house crane operator card shall provide that operator with supervision and additional training by a class I or class II crane operator who is properly licensed in the type of crane being operated to ensure compliance and safe operation of the crane pursuant to the Crane Operators Safety Act.

I. An in-house crane operator card shall be valid for two years and is not subject to extension or renewal.