Hit 2,000 hours without a single spotter call, that number kinda shook me

Checked my logbook yesterday during a slow shift on the Grove Street site and noticed I hit 2,000 hours running the 130-ton Liebherr without ever once calling a spotter for a blind pick. That honestly surprised me because I used to think spotters were for rookies or sketchy sites, but last spring we had a near miss with a power line in Tulsa and the foreman made us all use spotters for a month straight. That month drilled the habit into me, and I learned to set up my swing path so I can see the load 95% of the time just by adjusting my boom angle and cab position. The milestone matters because it proved I wasn't just getting lucky, I was actually planning each lift better than I did in my first year. Has anyone else tracked hours or lifts and found a number that made them rethink how they work?

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rileyl6721d agoMost Upvoted

If I had 2,000 hours without a spotter call, I'd be less impressed and more worried my spotter was just sleeping in the truck the whole time." But really, that power line near miss is the kind of thing that sticks with you forever. Funny how one bad week can change your whole setup for the better, even if it makes you feel like a rookie again. I tracked my hook time once for a month and realized I was wasting half my day repositioning because I didn't plan my boom swings ahead. Your number just means you figured out the cheat code, congrats on not dying or killing anyone for 2,000 hours, that's the real milestone anyway.