Crane Certification Prep Along I-20 in Cleburne County

Southwire’s expansion and what it means for crews

Southwire’s Heflin wire and cable plant opened in 1996 as Forte Power Systems. In late 2025 the company announced a $176 million expansion, its fourth at the site, adding about 340,000 square feet and more than 85 jobs, with new capacity expected online in late 2027.

Building on that scale means steel erection, precast and roof equipment picks, and later the installation of heavy production lines and cable reels inside the finished building. Contractors on a job like this expect operators who are certified, signal persons who can direct blind lifts and riggers who can rig machinery without damaging it. Manufacturing is already the county’s largest job sector, followed by education, health care and construction.

Courses that suit local work

• Mobile crane operator for steel, precast and equipment picks on plant construction
• Rigger Level 2 for machinery moves and multi-crane plans
• Signal person for crowded sites where the operator cannot see the hook
• Tower crane operator for operators who follow work toward Atlanta and Birmingham high-rises

Mountain sites and Southern weather

The Shoal Creek and Talladega districts of the Talladega National Forest extend into Cleburne County, and much of the land was heavily logged and eroded before the federal purchase in the 1930s. Work in this terrain, from cell towers to utility lines to forest service bridges, often means narrow pads, steep approaches and fill that has not been compacted.

Spring storms can bring tornadoes along the I-20 corridor, and summer brings high heat, humidity and lightning almost every afternoon. Questions about ground bearing pressure, outrigger mats, wind and staying clear of power lines are on every written exam for good reason.

Two states, one national card

Many Cleburne County operators work in Georgia as often as Alabama. Neither state issues a general crane operator license, and both rely on federal OSHA. That makes an accredited national certification the credential that travels. On construction sites, OSHA’s 1926.1427 requires that certification along with an employer evaluation; 1926.1425 and 1926.1428 set qualification standards for riggers and signal persons. In-plant overhead cranes, like those at a wire mill, fall under 1910.179.

Federal OSHA covers Alabama’s private employers through area offices in Birmingham and Mobile. Our Alabama requirements guide covers the details.

Getting tested

You can sit the written exams through online proctoring, at a computer test center or at a scheduled test event. The practical is a hands-on test at a practical site and cannot be done online. From Heflin, Anniston is close by, and both Birmingham and Atlanta are reachable in well under two hours on I-20. Contractors can enroll several people at once through the enrollment form.