Certification Overview
The NCCCO Dill Rig Operator Task Force that developed this certification program was made up of experts from all aspects of the industry—operators, users, trainers, safety supervisors, manufacturers—who together represent many thousands of hours of related experience. These volunteers gave freely of their time and expertise with the primary goal of improving the safety of all whose work brings them into contact with foundation drill rigs and anchor/micropile drill rigs.
HOW TO BECOME CCO-CERTIFIED
Visit How to Test for instructions on applying for and taking CCO Written and Practical Exams; visit How to Recertify for instructions on recertification.
Complete instructions and exam applications are also contained in the Candidate Handbook for each program.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for certification, you must:
CCO WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS
You must pass both the written exam and the practical exam to be certified for a five-year period. Candidates meeting the eligibility requirements may take either the Written Examinations or the Practical Examination(s) first.
CCO has three options for taking written exams: Online Proctored Testing (OPT), Test Center Testing (TCT), and Event Online Testing (EOT). Decide which option is best for you.
The Drill Rig Operator Written Examinations consist of a Core Examination in drill rig operation and up to two drill rig Specialty Examinations. Certification requires competency in both the Core and one or both Specialty designations.
The Core Examination has 90 multiple-choice questions. Candidates are allowed 90 minutes to complete the examination. Each Specialty Examination consists of 45 multiple-choice questions; candidates are allowed 45 minutes to complete each Specialty Examination.
All candidates are required to take the Core Examination, regardless of the Specialty(s) in which they wish to be certified. The Specialty Examinations are:
- Foundation Drill Rig (FDR)
- Anchor/Micropile Drill Rig (AMP)
CCO PRACTICAL EXAMINATION
The Drill Rig Operator Practical Examinations demonstrate drill rig operation proficiency and are available for two drill rig types:
- Foundation Drill Rig (FDR)
- Anchor/Micropile Drill Rig (AMP)
A candidate must pass the Written Examinations (Core + Specialty) as well as the Practical Exam that corresponds with the written Specialty taken to be certified for a five-year period.
Candidates may take the Practical Examination on either or both of the drill rig types, provided they have passed/will pass the Written Examination for the corresponding designation within the 12-month time frame.
The Practical Examinations comprise tasks designed to assess the specific operating skills necessary for each type of drill rig operations. Foundation Drill Rig Operator skills tested include: inspecting the equipment, site safety protocols, identifying operational controls, picking up and laying down pipe, tool positioning, drilling, and safe shutdown/securing. Anchor/Micropile Drill Rig Operator skills tested include: inspecting the equipment, forward and reverse travel, vertical drill steel joint, angled and vertical drill steel placement, and safe shutdown/securing.
Learn more about the NCCCO Practical Exam process.
CCO CERTIFICATION TIMEFRAMES
Candidates must pass both Written and Practical Examinations to be certified for a five-year period. The Written and Practical Exams may be taken in either order. Candidates have 12 months from the time they pass their first Written or Practical Exam for each equipment type in which to pass the corresponding (Written or Practical) Exam.
Any tests passed within a 12-month period count towards certification. For example, a candidate who passes the Drill Rig Operator Core Written Exam but fails the Foundation Drill Rig Specialty Exam in January 2019 and then passes the Foundation Drill Rig Operator Practical Exam in June 2019 has until January 2020 to retake and pass the Foundation Drill Rig Operator Specialty Written Exam.
If a certified operator subsequently becomes certified in an additional operator designation by taking the appropriate written and practical exams, the certification period for the additional designation expires at the same time his/her original certification (i.e., all operator designations expire on the same date, regardless of when in the five-year certification period the candidate passed them). If the new designation is added within the final 24 months of his/her certification period, the certificant is exempt from recertifying for the new designation after five years; after that, however, certificants must recertify for all designations during the 12 months prior to their certifications’ expiration date. This ensures that all of the certificant’s operator designations maintain the same expiration date.
Candidates for certification or recertification may petition for an extension of NCCCO’s standard timeline(s). NCCCO staff shall have the discretion to make the initial determination of whether a requested extension should be granted. Petitions for an extension of time are generally denied absent a showing of extraordinary circumstances. Denials of such petitions may be appealed to the Appeals Committee.
CERTIFICATION POLICIES
The following policies apply to all CCO certification programs:
These policies are also covered in the Candidate Handbooks for each program.
CERTIFICATION CARDS
Certified operators receive a laminated photo ID card at no cost when they certify, add a designation, or recertify.
Replacement cards may be obtained from NCCCO at a cost of $25 and ordered online.
Certification cards remain the property of NCCCO, are not transferable, and must be returned to NCCCO upon demand.