Crane Exam Prep for Van Buren's Port and Plant Crews

Barge, rail and truck: the transfer business

Five Rivers Distribution operates a private port in Van Buren where barges are loaded and unloaded, and the same company manages the port of Fort Smith. A 2012 report described corn being transferred from barges to railcars at its intermodal facility, and a coal loading dock on site. Consolidated Grain and Barge also lists a riverfront terminal in Van Buren.

Dock cranes and mobile cranes working barges deal with things a jobsite operator rarely sees: a deck that moves under the load, river current, wind funneling along the water, and the constant question of how much weight the bank or dock wall can take. Steel coil and wire rod are dense, unforgiving loads; a coil that slips from a C-hook or a bundle that shifts in a choker can do a lot of damage.

• Know the difference between gross and net capacity when lifting with heavy below-the-hook devices
• Account for sideloading when a barge drifts during the pick
• Check dock and bank bearing capacity before setting outriggers near the edge

Bekaert and the steel supply line

The clearest example of river-linked industry is Bekaert, the Belgian wire company, which makes steel cord in Van Buren and announced a $16 million expansion with 40 new jobs there in 2018. According to the port operator, most of the raw steel used by Bekaert's Van Buren and Rogers plants comes in through the port of Van Buren and leaves by truck or rail.

Inside a steel cord plant the lifting is constant: overhead cranes moving rod coils, maintenance riggers changing out drawing machines, and contractors with mobile cranes when new equipment arrives. Those are the settings where rigging qualification and signaling skills earn their keep.

When the river rises

Record flooding hit this stretch of the Arkansas River in spring 2019, and port operators warned at the time that terminal operations could be shut down for months. Flooding leaves behind saturated soil, scoured banks and debris; ground that held a crane last year may not hold one after high water. Post-flood repair also brings demand for lifting work on docks, pumping equipment and damaged structures.

Even in normal years, lift planning near the river should consider soil moisture after heavy rain, spring severe storms moving in from Oklahoma, and summer heat that tires crews and stresses hydraulics.

Courses and regulations

Van Buren's employers have shifted over time. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas lists poultry processing, trucking, canning and healthcare among the city's past and present industries, and notes Tyson closed its Van Buren plant in 2023. Whatever the employer, Arkansas does not license crane operators. Private-sector work falls under federal OSHA through the Little Rock Area Office, and Subpart CC requires accredited certification plus an employer evaluation for operators, and qualified signal persons and riggers. Details are in our requirements guide.

Good fits for local crews are mobile crane operator for dock and transfer work, Rigger Level II for steel handling and plant installs, and signal person for anyone guiding lifts on a noisy waterfront.