Camden · Highland Industrial Park · NCCCO prep online

Ouachita County Crane Prep for Camden's Defense Industry

Camden's economy turns on the Highland Industrial Park, where Lockheed Martin and Aerojet Rocketdyne, now part of Lockheed, build missiles and rocket motors. Both have spent heavily on new buildings since 2018, and every expansion means steel erection, process equipment setting and plant maintenance. Our online prep helps operators, riggers and signal persons around Camden get ready for nationally accredited written exams without leaving a shift schedule.

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Expansions at the industrial park

Lockheed Martin announced a $142 million investment in its Camden-area operations in June 2019, with 326 new jobs, and broke ground that October on a Long Range Fires production facility. Its Camden headcount went from 594 in 2018 to 1,047 at the end of 2022.

Aerojet Rocketdyne announced a $50 million expansion in 2018 and later added a solid rocket motor plant. Reporting in 2025 described a $215 million Pentagon agreement to modernize its plants in Camden and two other states, aimed at faster output of Javelin, Stinger and GMLRS motors. In February 2024, Raytheon and Rafael, working as R2S, broke ground on a $63 million facility in East Camden.

New plant construction calls for tower or crawler cranes, mobile cranes for steel, and plenty of rigging for production equipment. Defense sites also have strict access and safety programs, so a documented, current credential carries weight with contractors bidding the work.

Lifting inside a defense plant

Propellant and explosives areas change how lifts are planned. Expect controlled access, limits on equipment and ignition sources, and lift plans reviewed by plant safety staff. Contractors new to these sites usually get site-specific training on top of any certification, so knowing load charts and rigging basics cold before you badge in saves time and trouble.

The rules that apply to plant and construction lifts

Arkansas has no state crane license and no OSHA State Plan. Federal OSHA, through its Little Rock Area Office, enforces 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC on construction lifts: operators need accredited certification and an employer evaluation, signal persons must be qualified under 1926.1428, and riggers under 1926.1425. Small private employers can also request a free, confidential visit from the ADLL OSHA Consultation Section, which does not issue citations.

Read the full breakdown in our Arkansas certification requirements.

River bottoms, timber and summer heat

Camden grew up on the Ouachita River, and the bottomland soils along it soften quickly after the heavy rains that south Arkansas gets in spring. Timber trucks and loaders work the pine forests that surround the city. Summer heat and humidity add another layer: hydration, shade and shorter work windows for crews on steel.

For exam travel, Little Rock is roughly two hours north of Camden, while El Dorado and Shreveport lie to the south and southwest. Written exams can be done at home through Online Proctored Testing, so only the practical needs a trip.

Matching a course to your role

Questions people ask

Will a certification get me hired at Lockheed or Aerojet?

We can't speak for any employer and don't promise jobs. A current credential documents your knowledge, but hiring decisions are the company's.

Can I study between overtime shifts?

Yes. Lessons and practice questions are available around the clock, on a phone or a computer.

Where do I take the practical?

At an accredited practical test site arranged through the certifying body. Online study prepares you for the written side only.

Is there a renewal course for operators already certified?

Yes. The mobile crane recertification course reviews the written material. Certifications last five years, and enough documented crane hours can waive the practical retest.

We have several people who need signal person training. Can they enroll as a group?

Yes. Use the enrollment form and list the headcount.

Suggested courses for this area

  • Rigger Level II

    Online preparation for the NCCCO Rigger Level II written test, focused on the weight, balance-point and tension math a lead rigger needs when the load's numbers are not handed to them.

  • Mobile Crane Operator

    Self-paced study for the NCCCO mobile crane Core and your LAT, TLL or TSS specialty, aimed at Arkansas operators on hydros, all-terrains and crawlers.

  • Signalperson

    Study for the NCCCO Signalperson written test on any device, covering standard hand signals, voice and radio communication, crane behavior and the federal OSHA rules for directing a lift.

  • Tower Crane Operator

    Study for the single NCCCO tower crane written exam online, then test hands-on on a hammerhead, luffer or self-erector, as Bentonville and Little Rock projects keep adding cranes.

Towns covered in Ouachita County

Neighboring areas

Start your Arkansas crane certification prep

Name the card you need (operator, rigger or signal person) and the part of Arkansas you work in. An enrollment advisor writes back with the matching course and what the exam steps look like from there.

  • Self-paced lessons that open on any device, day or night
  • Practice questions written in the style of NCCCO written tests
  • Crew enrollment for Arkansas contractors and plants

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