The are two components to a successful career as a heavy equipment operator – your training and your first job. Heavy equipment operator training provides you with the core skills required to gain employment. Once you have those core skills, it’s important for a number of reasons to find a good first job as a heavy equipment operator.

Obviously, building on those core skills is a vital step to a successful career. There is more to that first job than just gaining experience. That first job gives you the opportunity to develop your reputation – and reputation is what will help you gain future employment more than any other factor. If you have a reputation for being a skilled operator who is always on time, always works safely and who looks after their equipment, you’ll find yourself in demand by employers.

How do you get that first job? It can be difficult, especially if you’re new to the industry. As you develop your career, one of the things you’ll quickly discover is that it’s an ‘insider’ industry and that it’s hard for ‘outsiders’ to open doors. When looking at a heavy equipment operator training school, ask them if they can ‘open doors’ for you.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools does more than just ‘open doors’. We have a dedicated Career Services department whose only role is to help you gain suitable employment once you have completed your training. We work with you from day one helping you develop those soft skills that make finding employment so much easier. Research now shows that graduates who have been taught how to create resumes, fill in applications, and develop interview skills have a much higher success rate when it comes to looking for employment.

We also help students identify potential employers (and we have a huge database of potential employers), approach employers, and apply for job vacancies. Students (and graduates) also have access to our dedicated jobs website – a place where employers can post job vacancies. We know that our job is not to just train people to become heavy equipment operators – our job is to help people build a career as a heavy equipment operator, and that includes developing core skills and finding that first job.

Learning to become a truck driver is only a little harder than learning to drive a standard car. The rules and regulations are a lot broader, and a big rig can be tricky to maneuver. However, if you have ever reversed a car and trailer successfully, then you’ve probably got the basic skills set in place – if you haven’t, then you’re in for some fun.

You can go from complete novice to work ready as a truck driver in as little as five weeks through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools. We will take you through all the rules and regulations in preparation for your theoretical tests that are required to attain a truck drivers permit. This permit allows students to drive trucks on open roads with a suitably licensed truck driver alongside them.

Once a student has completed their training, we will help them attain their commercial truck drivers license (CDL) and any endorsements required for their career path. With a CDL in hand, they are ready to commence work in their new profession. Although driving big rigs may appear daunting, once you have gained the skills and had some practice, you’ll be surprised at how easy they are drive. This is why women are increasingly turning to truck driving.

If you’re interested in a career as a truck driver, then contact us for more information on truck driver training programs, entry requirements, and course dates. Truck driving is a lucrative career once you have completed your training and gained a little experience.

Excavators are one of societies most essential pieces of heavy equipment. Water, gas, and waste water are all delivered to and from homes through underground pipes. Whilst I’m sure we could go back to the good old pick and shovel, it’s a very slow process. Excavators can do in one hour what it takes a team of men all day to achieve, and with fewer accidents.

Modern equipment now utilizes the most up-to-date technology – this includes GPS, computers and lasers. An excavator operator can dig a hole to a precise depth and width. If they have plans that show where pipes are, an experienced operator can unearth those pipes without causing any damage. We are also seeing an increase in other underground services such as electricity and telephone. One false move by an operator and we could have all of our services cut in an instant. Fortunately, accidents such as this are rare.

Whilst digging trenches is the realm of an excavator, there are other tasks. An excavator can be fitted with a wide range of attachments making it a useful tool in jobs such as demolition work. Excavators are also one of the most important pieces of equipment in mining, mind you, a mining excavator is huge compared to those you see on building sites.

It only takes a few of weeks of training to become an excavator operator. Excavator operators are well paid and there are always plenty of opportunities available. If you think about it, we are always going to need excavators if we want underground services, and that means there will always be opportunities for excavator operators.

There are times when ‘just good enough’ is not going to be good enough. Under current workplace regulations, all riggers and signalpersons require qualification. This is a basic standard that ensures workers follow the OSHA guidelines when working as either riggers or signalpersons.

After basic rigger training, your workers will receive a qualification compliance card. Whilst that means your workers meet OSHA guidelines, is it really enough for your workplace. Those who are in a leadership role generally need more in-depth training that covers a wider range of topics. Our qualification training program can be completed in as little as eight hours – our certification program requires at least 32 hours of training and assessment. Furthermore, on completion, graduates are issued both the NCCCO Rigging Level One and the NCCCO Signalperson Certification.

Our rigger/signalperson training program exceeds the OSHA qualification standards and prepares participants well for busy workplaces, especially as team leaders. The aims of both programs are to make workers more safety conscious, to increase their skills, and to increase their knowledge of rigging. For employers, we can offer training in our classrooms, or at your workplace, whichever is most convenient.

Associated Training Services (ATS) delivers training though highly trained and respected rigger and signal training instructors. ATS has almost fifty years of training experience in areas of heavy equipment operations, crane operations and truck driving. We have developed a good reputation for producing well-trained graduates – if you need to ensure your workers are OSHA-compliant, then talk to us – we can discuss your needs and organize training programs to fit in with your workers’ buys schedules.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training Schools has a website dedicated to job listings. Jobs listed include the complete range of heavy equipment operations, truck driving and crane operations. Graduates from our training schools can freely access this website to see the latest job vacancies. If you’re an employer looking for skilled workers in these areas, you too can access the website to list any job vacancies.

Our graduates can also submit their resumes, so prospective employers can review them prior to listing a job vacancy. Our graduates are well trained and ready for entry level employment. You will also find graduates who have developed their skills in the workplace and who are now ready for more challenges – you certainly can’t classify them as novices now.

If you are looking for quality workers, our interactive website makes that search so much easier. As an employer, you can search our list of graduates based on experience and either city, state or zip code. Listing a vacancy is free, however, you will need to fax us details of your job listing – we will then contact you with your login and password.

Job seekers can search the site for any job vacancies, or search our employer database for potential employers. Job seekers can also search for employers in a particular city, state or zip code. If you are looking for work, or looking for workers, our interactive job site makes is easy for both job seekers and employers. It is free for both groups to access and is provided as a service by our career services department. If you want more information, feel free to contact us toll free on 1.800.383.7364.

There are a lot of people who see heavy equipment in use and either wonder what it would be like to operate one themselves or wish they had opted for a career as an operator. For many, the desire to learn to be a heavy equipment operator is still there, however, something holds them back. One of the biggest hurdles is simple fear – in a way, it’s a fear of the unknown, and that just happens to be one of mankind’s biggest fears.

A number of negatives always appear – can you relate to any of these?

• Can I afford the cost of training?
• Is there work available once I finish my training?
• Will I be any good as a heavy equipment operator?
• Will my family support me?

I am sure there are many other questions, however, those four cover the most common, and they all have basis in that unknown. You can quickly dismiss the last negative – just talk to your family. If you want to change careers, and heavy equipment is one of your options, then discuss this with your family. Discuss the initial upfront costs, however, don’t forget to mention how lucrative a career it is.

Can you afford the cost of training? You don’t need to pay for all of your training up front. There are loan options available, and once you start working as a heavy equipment operator, you’ll soon have those loans cleared. There are also several government programs available to help cover some of the costs – you may be eligible for one of those, particularly if you are an ex-military service person.

When it comes to employment, ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training Schools work with their students to help them find that all-important first job. We don’t just deliver training, we have a dedicated career services department and their whole reason for being is to help you find employment in your chosen field.

Finally, will you be any good at it? You won’t know until you try it out. If you have any doubts about your ability, call us and discuss your options. Who knows, you may be able to visit our training school, talk to the instructors and students, and perhaps even get to sit in the seat of one of our machines. It’ll certainly give you a feel for the job. We can’t answer every question, however, we’ll do our best.

Need heavy equipment to help with a demolition job? The backhoe could just be the ideal tool. Backhoes are one of the most versatile pieces of heavy equipment used in construction. Their ‘hoe’ is ideal for digging trenches, knocking down walls, and even ‘raking’ debris into a pile. The loader at the front is then ideal for cleaning up debris by scooping it up and emptying it all into dump trucks.

A backhoe’s versatility doesn’t end there. Backhoes are one of several pieces of heavy equipment that can have specialized tools attached. These tools include a breaker that can be used to break up concrete blocks. A backhoe will often be called in to do this job in situations where the concrete is too large or too thick for standard jackhammers. The breaker is only one of many attachments that include tools such as an auger, a grapple, and single and triple shank rippers. Together, these tools make a backhoe a very handy tool around demolition sites.

A little less effective is an excavator. Excavators have the same range of attachments that a backhoe supports, however, an excavator doesn’t have the scoop at the front to collect and remove debris. A second piece of equipment in the form of a loader is required. One trend is to replace backhoes with mini-excavators and bob cars. Between them, they offer a lot of flexibility and can be used very effectively in confined spaces. That option does require two heavy equipment operators, a cost factor that businesses are ever mindful of.

The recommendation from the industry now is fairly simple – learn to operate as many different types of heavy equipment as possible. Whilst backhoes are still popular, it is wise to also learn how to operate an excavator and loader, and perhaps a bulldozer as well. Heavy equipment training through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training Schools is delivered using a wide range of machinery. You can graduate with well-developed skills in a variety of heavy equipment giving you the versatility to pick and choose the jobs that appeal to the most.

When looking at heavy equipment job listings, it’s important to read the requirements that an employer has included. They are there for a reason – the employer is looking for someone with those skills, attributes, or experience. When reviewing job listings, pay particular attention to the type of heavy equipment and the type of work being done. Job listings this week are light on, although the last month has been quite busy. The job vacancies below are a good example of the types of jobs we receive and the skills, attributes, and experience that an employer is looking for.

Backhoe Operator
Jacksonville, FL
Load Adjusts and Transfer Company hiring heavy equipment operators with experience operating backhoes.

Excavation Equipment Operator
Jacksonville, FL
Heavy equipment operators required to operate excavation equipment

Heavy Equipment Operator
Allentown, PA
Full-time heavy equipment operator required. Must have Heavy Equipment Experience.

Heavy Equipment Operator & CDL
Fort Polk, LA
Seeking Heavy Equipment Operator to join our outstanding team at the Fort Polk Army Base in Louisiana.

Heavy Equipment Operator II
Hawaii
The Heavy Equipment Operator II will be responsible for the safe and efficient operation of material handling and processing equipment at the assigned Hawaiian Earth Products facility, as directed by the Operations Manager.

Heavy Equipment Operators
Southern States
Operators required for forestry projects in southern states.

Heavy Equipment Operator
Palo Alto, CA
Heavy Equipment Operator in the Public Works Maintenance Operations-Street Division. Operators may be required to operate one or more types of heavy equipment.

Heavy Equipment Operator
Mountain Pass, CA
Operates designated machine or equipment. Observes and follow all safety rules and procedures. Performs other duties and activities as directed. Typically requires 2-5 years of related experience and certification.

Equipment Operator
Mendota, CA
Operate and maintain front-end loaders and other material handling equipment such as conveyors, reclaimers, disc screens, and truck dumpers.

Heavy Equipment Operator
Cedar Rapids, IA
Operate motor grader, dump truck, and other equipment. May also be required to operate low-boy and heavy equipment such as a bulldozer, motor graders, front-end loaders, and excavators; plows snow; sanding equipment; drive trucks; and unskilled labor when not operating.

To see these and any new jobs that arrive firsthand, take regular visits to our dedicated job website. You’ll find vacancies listed for heavy equipment operators, crane operators, and truck drivers. For more information on training programs to prepare for a career in one of those fields, visit our heavy equipment training website.

Mention heavy equipment and most people think of a bulldozer. That probably relates back to most people’s childhood where a bulldozer was an essential toy in every sandbox. In the adult world, bulldozers are still one of the most popular choices when it comes to heavy equipment careers.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, depending on your mind set, many employers see life differently. Rather than employing a bulldozer operator, their preference is to employ a heavy equipment operator – in other words, an operate who is skilled across a range of heavy equipment. That’s not to say you can’t spend your whole working life as a bulldozer operator. Having those extra skills does come in handy when times are quiet.

In truth, there is a certain sameness coming into heavy equipment. The levers, buttons and pedals are very similar across most heavy equipment. Bulldozers run on tracks, but then, so too do many other types of heavy equipment. Bulldozers have a range of attachments that can be added to the rear – so too do excavators and backhoes. Most heavy equipment machinery now utilizes modern technology such as onboard computing, GPS and laser technology.

The big difference between each type of machinery is the type of work done. Bulldozers typically push dirt around. Excavators excavate, loaders load and graders grade. Modern operators learn how to perform each job, how their heavy equipment interacts in various environments and with different soil types.

Bulldozers are still the number one choice for many new operators to the industry. However, if they have attended a good heavy equipment operator training school, then they will have the range of skills that many employers are now looking for.

There are three steps to a successful career as a heavy equipment operator:

• Finding a good heavy equipment training school
• Successfully completing your training
• Finding a good employer

You’ve found a good heavy equipment training school – we stand by our record of providing well-trained heavy equipment operators to a wide range of industries. When it comes to successfully completing your training, we try to do everything possible to help you through the training – whether or not you succeed depends on your attitude and willingness to learn. When it comes to finding a good employer of heavy equipment operators, that’s a lot easier than you may think.

In fact, we have you covered in that area as well. When you commence your training at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools, you will be introduced to a member of our Careers Services team. They will work with you to find suitable employers in the area you wish to work. They will also coach you through the various components of securing a job. This includes creating a resume, filling in job applications, cold calling, and interview strategies.

We will also give you access to an employer database that is filled with thousands of potential employers. Our dedicated job site is also available where you can check on a regular basis for any heavy equipment jobs that have been listed. Every Saturday we list the best jobs here as well.

When you put the package together, we deliver a fairly comprehensive service. Our heavy equipment operator training is second to none when it comes to quality and meeting industry standards. Our Career Services team help you find the right employers. The only ingredient missing is your dedication – if you have plenty of that, then we’re ready to help you take those first steps to a successful career as a heavy equipment operator.