Crane drivers: salary in the UK
About £38,876 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +5.1% on last year
£4,092 a month About £3,240 a month after tax 6 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £36,570 in 2021 to £49,106 in 2026 (+34%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | x | x | £36,570 | x | x |
| 2022 | x | x | £35,081 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | x | £44,292 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £36,639 | £45,512 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | £38,950 | £46,707 | x | x |
| 2026 | x | £41,576 | £49,106 | x | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £49,106 a year and half earn more. That is 20% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
Ranked by median, it is number 77 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,240 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,131 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | £39,283 | £3,274 |
| 25th (P25) | £41,576 | £3,465 |
| 30th | £42,380 | £3,532 |
| 40th | £43,639 | £3,637 |
| Median (50th) | £49,106 | £4,092 |
| 60th | £51,892 | £4,324 |
| 70th | x | x |
| 75th (P75) | x | x |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £49,111 | £52,921 | 6 |
| Women | x | x | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £38,876 | £3,240 |
| Scotland | £37,577 | £3,131 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £49,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 79 job titles to SOC 8221 Crane drivers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Bank hand
- Banker
- Banksman
- Bottom hand
- Bridge operator
- Cable engine driver
- Cage attendant
- Cage hand
- Cage winder
- Cageman
- Capstan hand
- Capstan man
- Crane driver
- Crane hoister
- Crane man
- Crane operator
- Crane tenter
- Derrick driver
- Donkey engineman
- Drift mouth attendant
- Drum driver
- Elevator driver
- Elevator operator
- Engine winder
- Forge gantry man
- Gantry driver
- Gantry liftman
- Gantry man
- Grab driver
- Haulage driver
- Haulage engine driver
- Haulage engineman
- Haulage foreman
- Haulage motor man
- Hauler driver
- Hoist attendant
- Hoist driver
- Hoist operator
- Hoist tenter
- Hoistman
- Incline driver
- Incline winder
- Lander
- Lift driver
- Lifter
- Liftman
- Magnet driver
- Onsetter
- Paddy driver
- Paddy mail driver
- Runner
- Runner man
- Screen motor man
- Signaller
- Signalman
- Skip driver
- Skip winder
- Spillager
- Staple pit banksman
- Staple pit onsetter
Show all 79 titles
- Staple pit winder
- Steam liftman
- Straddle carrier driver
- Tandem driver
- Telpher motor driver
- Tip driver
- Underground corporal
- Wagoner
- Winch attendant
- Winch driver
- Winch operator
- Winchman
- Winder
- Winderman
- Winding engine attendant
- Winding engine driver
- Winding engine operator
- Winding engineer
- Winding engineman
Similar occupations
All jobs in Process, plant and machine operatives
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.