To be eligible for licensing, you need to prove that you have the skills to operate heavy equipment, which you can learn at a construction operator school. At HEC, once you take and pass heavy equipment level 1 and 2 programs, you’ll have a Certificate of Heavy Equipment Operations and will get your operator’s card (license). If you want to operate cranes, you’ll need to take additional courses. At HEC, it requires 12 weeks of training to certify on the lattice boom, swing cab and fixed cab cranes. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires the additional training. In some cases, you may also be required to have a CDL (commercial driver’s license) if your equipment carries hazardous materials or weighs more than 26,0001 pounds when traveling on public roads.