Some people seem to have natural abilities when it comes to operating machinery while others take time to develop those abilities. When it comes to heavy equipment, you don’t necessarily need a wide range of skills before undertaking training, however, you do need to be the type of person who can quickly develop those abilities. So what abilities does a good heavy equipment operator require?

• Control – Heavy equipment operators are required to quickly and repeatedly adjust controls of their equipment, often to very precise positions, and these adjustments are often very small, yet may have a large impact on the finished work.
• Coordination – One of the most important abilities is that of coordination between hand, legs and eyes. Sometimes it’s not as easy as it looks, however, operators very quickly learn how to coordinate their limbs to control their equipment’s actions.
• Steadiness – This ability is required in conjunction with coordination and control. Keeping a hand or foot very steady on a control while moving other controls, or moving over rough terrain, can be difficult. Being able to make very minor adjustments (control) ensures you maintain the accuracy of the work your equipment is completing.
• Dexterity – This ability is used in conjunction with coordination, however, it often requires different limbs to be doing reverse operations; for example, one hand pushing forward while another pulls back.
• Reaction – Being able to react quickly is important, however, being able to react and make the right corrective movement is even more important, and sometimes, that movement may feel unnatural. This is a skill that can take time to learn, however, for safety reasons, it is one that should be developed as quickly as possible.

You can liken some of these abilities to those of a car driver. For example, being able to make fine adjustments to the steering as you drive at speed down the highway; the ability to change gear while breaking or accelerating in a vehicle with a manual gear box; and reversing with a trailer attached (this requires opposite movements to what comes naturally). Attending a heavy equipment training program that gives you in the seat operator practice on a range of heavy equipment will help you to develop these abilities quickly. Get them right, and that’s half the battle to becoming a great heavy equipment operator. Fortunately, with a good training regime, these abilities become second nature and you hardly ever need to consciously think about them – a bit like driving a car really.

Christmas can be a lot of fun for many people, especially children. Heavy equipment operators, crane operators and truck drivers often get in on the act as well, playing their roll in bringing joy to tens of thousands. Every town seems to have a Christmas parade of some description, and truck drivers are often busy driving floats, for the lucky few, driving the truck that has Santa in his festive seat. Backhoes are interesting additions to many parades, their peculiar shape offering a lot of opportunities for those with a little imagination.

Backhoes are those machines you see in construction sites that look a little like a scorpion ready to strike. The ‘hoe’ part of the vehicle can often be dressed for a variety of effects while the loader at the front makes a great ‘mouth’, especially with a few well painted teeth added. Being wheeled vehicles, they operate over roads with ease and they are generally not as loud as other heavy equipment.

Of course, truck drivers and backhoes are not the only heavy equipment to make it into a Christmas parade. Front loaders are also popular – last year we witnessed a front loader following Santa’s truck, with the loader proudly carrying all the gifts that were to be handed out to children. It was certainly a different role to that normally undertaken by its operator.

Heavy equipment operators are only selected to appear in parades if they are well experienced and have safe working histories. Heavy equipment is dangerous, and parades are very dangerous areas, especially where excitable children are present – and after all, that’s normally why we have parades, to amuse the children (or the child in us).

In order to participate in a parade like those we see at Christmas, heavy equipment operators need to good skills, the kind of skills that are developed after a good heavy equipment training program. We can’t promise you’ll ever appear in a parade, but we can promise to deliver the best heavy equipment training in the country, and that’s a good start.

As we get a little closer to the Christmas-New Year break, employers slow down their recruitment just a little. Fortunately, they don’t come to a complete stop. Contract deadlines still need to be met and workers in the heavy equipment industry frequently move on, either to warmer climates or to better paying jobs closer to home. This week’s vacancies are carryovers from last weekend where employers are still looking to fill vacancies.

Heavy Equipment Operators – Onawa, IA
A variety of positions for operators of loaders, backhoes, trackhoes and forklifts, just to name a few. If you have heavy equipment experience of any description, then this vacancy could be worth following up.

Heavy Equipment Operator – Milford, CT
Prefer an operator with demolition experience, particularly in the removal of asbestos.

Heavy Equipment Operator – Fairfax, VA
Several positions for operators of rubber tire loaders, track machines, backhoes, and road graders. Would prefer applicants who also hold a CDL with semi-tractor trailer truck experience.

Crane Operators – IA, Forest City

Heavy Equipment Operators – Mass

You can find more details on these positions through our job site. If you have heavy equipment experience and want to add a commercial drivers license, contact us. You can be ready to add a CDL to your resume in as little as two weeks through our truck driver training program.

We have discussed in the past the attributes required to become a good truck driver. However, sometimes it’s worth turning things around. Today, we’ll discuss whether truck driving is suitable for you – and it’s not suited to a wide range of people. So what does truck driving offer people who decide to take it up as a career?

Truck driving can be a demanding job. There are schedules that must be met, sometimes crucial schedules. Manufacturers now work to a system known as ‘just-in-time deliveries’. This is a situation where little stock is held for long periods; rather, they rely on stock (or parts or raw materials) arriving ‘just in time’ for processing. If those materials are held up, production grinds to a halt. Meeting schedules is one of the major factors that measure whether or not a truck driver is very good, or just hum-hum satisfactory, or plain unreliable (a short career there).

Obviously, driving skills are important. Where arriving according to schedule is important, it goes without saying that arriving safely is equally if not more important. A manufacturer may excuse a load that is half a day late, but they’ll never excuse a situation where a load doesn’t arrive at all because of poor driving skills.

Truck driving careers are not about long days and weeks away from home, and poor work conditions. Truck drivers now have good working conditions, are well paid, and choose the type of work they wish to do – local, intrastate or interstate. A truck driver’s hours are now regulated so it is illegal to drive for long hours at a time – you must take breaks and you must spend time out of your truck.

So what does a truck driving career demand of its drivers? Good driving skills, the ability to think and plan ahead so that you can avoid problems and arrive on time, and a dedication to looking after both your truck, the load you are carrying, and yourself. Really, they’re not too demanding – all you need is a good truck driver training school and your set to go.

If you work as a heavy equipment operator, then there’s a very simple reality about today’s workplace – you can’t have too many skills. Employers, when listing job vacancies, are now looking for operators with a range of talents. The most common is the wide range of heavy equipment that an operator has experience with. Other skills often requested include CDL licenses with experience on dump trucks or heavy equipment haulage. Employers are also looking for individuals who have had training and experience as a signal person and/or crane operator.

You don’t need to go to the expense of adding too many skills. If you start by learning as much as possible across a range of heavy equipment, you’ll meet an employer’s major requirement. Over time, however, it has been shown time and again that the addition of a commercial drivers license has added value to an individual’s career opportunities.

Modern machinery has changed to the point that some jobs can now be done in far less time. Rather than having an operator idle while awaiting their next task, employers are now wanting to move them onto alternative machinery. It’s understandable – an idle worker is not productive, yet the employer still needs to pay their wage.

If you are considering a heavy equipment training program, then be sure to gain as much experience across a range of equipment as possible. If you are already skilled as a heavy equipment operator, consider adding a commercial drivers license or a crane operators certificate to your skills list. You will open up more employment opportunities and add a lot more variety to your career.

One of more profitable careers in heavy equipment is that of a crane operator. Because cranes are specialized, they require specific training rather than being included in a heavy equipment training program. However, specific training does not mean you are restricted to one type of crane. While many people opt for an entry level position as a mobile crane operator, you can cast your aspirations a little higher operating a range of cranes.

ATS Crane Operator Schools provide training that meets industry requirements on a number of different cranes. If you are looking at crane operator training, we provide certification programs in:

• Fixed and Swing Cab Mobile Hydraulic Cranes
• Lattice Boom (Crawler or Truck)Cranes
• Articulated Boom (Knuckleboom) Cranes
• Rigging / Signalperson Training and Certification

Training is delivered to NCCCO standards and operators can receive NCCCO certification if they pass the requires tests at the conclusion of their training. NCCCO certification is a nationally recognized qualification which makes operators compliant in all states for work operating cranes that they have received certification in. Certification was introduced to ensure that all operators met minimum standards when it comes to operating skills and safety knowledge.

When undertaking training at ATS, you will receive a blend of classroom and in-the-seat training. This ensures you are trained in the theoretical side of crane operations, a required skill if you are going to be successful in this field. It also ensures you receive all the safety training required to satisfy the safety component of the NCCCO tests.

There are a lot of different types of crane in use around the country. When looking at training to become a crane operator, be sure your crane operator training school has a range of cranes that you can gain experience on, and that you have adequate hands-on, and classroom based training.

If you have experience on a range of heavy equipment, then there are plenty of jobs on offer around the nation. We have one employer this week who is looking to fill up to 20 positions with operators who can work on multiple machinery. If any of these vacancies appeal, or if you want to see which other jobs are still available, then visit our job site – your next job could be just waiting for your application.

Multiple Construction Equipment Ops – Onawa, IA
16-20 positions. Successful candidates will participate in project completion through operation of medium duty heavy equipment e.g. loaders, backhoes, trackhoes, forklifts, etc. and assistance to the site managers on lesser tasks.

Construction Positions – Milford, CT
Now accepting applications/resumes for…Asbestos/Lead Supervisor
Must have own transportation. Heavy Equipment Operator
Demolition experience a plus.

Heavy Equipment Operator – Fairfax, VA
Multiple positions located in Lorton, Virginia. Under general supervision, operates a variety of heavy construction-type equipment to include rubber tire loader, track machines, backhoe, and road grader. Also drives a semi-tractor trailer truck. Performs pre-operational inspections, and preventive maintenance.

Crane Operators – IA, Forest City

Heavy Equipment Operators – Mass

If you don’t have training on a wide range of heavy equipment, then you need to review your training. All students in our heavy equipment training program get the opportunity to train on equipment such as loaders, bulldozers, graders and excavators, and that’s just a small list. Our graduates are ready to operate a wide range of machinery – perfectly suited to some of those positions advertised above.

Winter may be approaching, but it seems the amount of work available for heavy equipment operators is not easing. In fact, demand for operators in this sector is steadily on the increase. According to a quick search on Indeed.com, as of today, there are almost 4,500 positions available waiting for operators. While 4,500 may not sound like a lot, it is up from this time last year where there were just over 3,800 vacancies listed on Indeed.com.

Job vacancies are across a range of industries including construction, forestry, mining, conservation, land clearing, reclamation, landscaping, utilities and the army. The latter is an interesting option – the army prefers to recruit heavy equipment operators that have already undertaken their equipment training, and who have a reasonable amount of experience on that equipment. The army will train operators to use their specific equipment, however, they still need that core base of skills to work with.

Today’s employer is looking for one key factor – quality training. Heavy equipment is expensive with some machinery costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is no way an employer is going to allow an untrained operator to use their equipment when they have invested so much money in them. OSHA guidelines also insist that operators are qualified in some way, and that they have completed safety training designed for heavy equipment operators.

The work is there, the job advertisements clearly show that. Even as winter approaches, employers are still recruiting, and while new recruits do find it a little tougher initially, those that have undertaken their training through a reputable heavy equipment training school are finding their first jobs. That’s all takes – good training and that first job, from there, you can build a long and successful career.

While many construction sites slow down their activities over winter, other industries ramp up their activities. Landscape gardening is one area that is not thought of as a user of heavy equipment, yet in many cases, heavy equipment is the only machinery suited to a job. Frozen ground is no fun to dig in by hand, yet excavators and backhoes can often work with little effort.

So what sort of jobs would heavy equipment be used in landscape gardening. One of the more frequent tasks is the movement of whole trees. Winter, or the dormant season, is the best time to move a tree. Excavators and backhoes are perfectly designed for this type of work, including cutting through excess root systems. Mobile cranes are often used to lift the tree, root ball and all, into a truck ready for transport.

Before trees are transplanted, an excavator or backhoe will dig a large hole. A mobile crane is then used to lower the root ball into the hole, and to hold the tree upright while the soil is then back-filled into the hole. Backhoes are a handy tool for this job – the shovel can dig the hole while the loader can be used as a bulldozer to push the soil. In some cases, one of those nimble little skid-steer loaders is used to back-fill and compress the soil.

Whether you’re operating a mobile crane, excavator, backhoe or skid-steer loader, precision and caution is most important. For a large tree to be transplanted successfully, the tree needs to be moved quickly and with as little damage as possible. The skill of landscape gardeners and heavy equipment operators manage this on an almost daily basis – and those trees, some of them giants, survive the experience. If you’re interested in landscape gardening and heavy equipment operations, the two do go hand-in-hand – moving trees is just one of many jobs. For landscape gardeners, undertaking heavy equipment training could be what you need to further progress in the industry.

Heavy equipment operations is a viable career option for many people who are currently out of work. As an eligible training provider for many government programs, we know that we can help many of these out of work individuals start new careers. We even offer a free one-day training workshop that interested people can attend, just to see if they are suited to a heavy equipment career. The good news is that one-day event is totally free.

This may be of interest to those in employment agencies whose responsibility it is to help people find work. If your clients are eligible for one of the government programs, you can send them to the one day program to see if they are interested in and suited to this industry. This is an ideal way of ensuring that government grants are allocated to individuals who will get the most benefit from them.

Associated Training Services has a long and successful history of working with agencies to help people commence new careers. This is built on a long and successful history of training in the heavy equipment, truck driving, and crane operating fields. We have worked successfully with departments of workforce development, Workforce Investment Act (WIA), dislocated worker re-training programs, Trade Adjustment Act (TAA), vocational rehabilitation, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), state Departments of Veterans Affairs, Federal Veterans Administration.

Our eligible training program is available to anyone, not just individuals referred through employment agencies. If you are interested in a career as a heavy equipment operator, then contact our admissions staff for more information on this offer, along with any other offers available. A career as a heavy equipment operator is both interesting and lucrative, and the demand for new operators is steadily growing.