Most people think of heavy equipment and the construction industry. Ironically, there are probably more heavy equipment operators working outside the construction industry than in. Heavy equipment can be found on the land working with farmers, to mines and on to the sea – in fact, some large ships have onboard cranes, fork lifts and even small loaders that used in the cargo holds.

One of the biggest users of heavy equipment is the mining industry. Mining has been one of the backbones of industry and as mining starts to boom again, so too will the economy. Mining has a reputation for using the biggest and best heavy equipment available. While it does use some very large equipment, it also uses a lot of your more traditional sized heavy equipment. The mining industry also requires truck drivers and crane operators, and because of the remoteness of some mines, they have a high turnover of operators.

The timber industry is another which has a steady demand for heavy equipment operators, crane operators and truck drivers. The heavy equipment used in the timber industry tends to be smaller than that used in mining, however, it is also more specialized and requires further on the job training.

Small contractors are a surprisingly large employer of heavy equipment operators, and can often be the best place for rookie operators to seek employment. Small contractors do generally work on the periphery of construction projects, however, operators and their heavy equipment are hired out to everyone. As an operator you may be working on a new construction site today, helping a farmer build a dam tomorrow and next week in a residential backyard digging a hole for a swimming pool. Small contractors certainly offer diversity and the chance to quickly learn a broad range of skills.

If you are interested in a career as a heavy equipment operator, you’re not restricted to the construction industry. You’ll find your skills are required in a wide range of industries, the only real limitation being your own restrictions on where you want to work.

There are numerous reasons why now is a great time to get a Heavy Equipment Operator’s certification. One big reason is the fact that the economy is beginning to pick back up after several years of faltering. When the economy begins to improve, the housing market will begin to improve and, as a result, the construction industry will begin to increase the production of new homes. This will ultimately increase the demand for trained and experienced heavy equipment operators around the country.

Another huge industry that is always hiring heavy equipment operators is the oil industry, and what better time than now to move into the oil industry? With oil prices continuing to rise and our continued need for this high-priced material, there is no sign of this industry fading any time soon. This means steady jobs and good salaries for operators willing to relocate to areas that are flush with oil such as Texas or, more recently, North Dakota. There is currently an oil boom in North Dakota that has resulted in the migration of a large number of heavy equipment operators heading there to find their new careers and fortunes.

Mining companies continue and will continue to hire operators around the country and internationally. In an effort to lower our oil use, many municipalities and industries are trying to move toward cleaner coal use. Also, many batteries used in new smart phones and electric cars require the mining of elements and metals found under the ground. There are numerous other types of mines that will continue to need the skills and experience of heavy equipment operators around the globe.

An additional industry that will continue to need the skills of heavy equipment operators is Road Building. As our country’s infrastructure continues to deteriorate, the more operator jobs will become available around the US. New roads are currently being built, but at the same time, many of the older roads are becoming more and more deteriorated by age and the elements. These damaged roads will need to be repaired or replaced in the immediate future. The bridge disaster, in Minnesota, in 2007 was just an introductory chapter of what could happen as a result of not maintaining the bridges and roads in the US.

As stated above, there are many reasons that lean toward an increase in the demand for heavy equipment operators. In some instances, these jobs may require an operator to relocate, but in many situations, the jobs will be right at home as the economy improves. If an operator is not already certified to operate heavy equipment, now is a great time to get this training completed. The experience that can be gained now in the slower times can really improve an operator’s opportunities for growth in the better times that are on the way.

If you’re interested in a career as a truck driver then your first move has to be to acquire a commercial drivers license or CDL. Without this license, you cannot legally drive a truck on a public road. Your next question is probably, “How long and how many hours of truck driving do I need”. The answer may well surprise you.

For those diligent and able to grasp driving concepts quickly, you can complete your truck driver training program in as little as three weeks. Through ATS Truck Driving School we provide you with both the hands-on behind-the-wheel training as well as the classroom training in road rules and other relevant material. Once you have completed your training, you will be ready to pass your CDL tests and be qualified to drive trucks on the open roads.

We don’t miss anything with our training. Reversing in articulated vehicles can be difficult but we spend time training you on how to do it and then give you time to practice the maneuver. You also get time driving on the open road so you get a feel for what it is like having traffic around you. Driving tips like safe breaking are also part of your training.

At ATS we have a long a proud record for training truck drivers. Our drivers work in a wide range of industries including construction, excavation, road building, sand and gravel and the mining industry. In fact, if you can think of a truck driving job, I am sure there will be an ATS graduate somewhere driving a truck in that job. If you’re interested in a career as a truck driver, contact us for more information on how you can complete a truck driver training program in as little as three week.

We often talk about heavy equipment and heavy equipment careers, but what machinery is actually included in that title? My first reaction is to ask ‘how long is a piece of string’ since it can be difficult to quantify what is or isn’t ‘heavy equipment’.

Generally speaking, most wheeled, or tracked, equipment that is involved with the movement of dirt could be classified as heavy equipment. This includes:

• Backhoes
• Wheel loaders
• Front end loaders
• Scrapers
• Excavators
• Bulldozers
• Road graders
• Rock trucks
• Skid Steers
• All-Terrain Forklifts

These are your standard line up of machinery in that category. There are also specialized machines that are used in some industries that are advanced forms of those listed. Mining and forestry are big users of specialized equipment – a good example would be one of the giant long line excavators – when I say giant, I really do mean giant.

When we talk about a career as a heavy equipment operator, it generally refers to a career operating one or more machines on that list. In fact, heavy equipment training gives you a feel for almost every one of those machines giving you the flexibility to choose your equipment after training.

Many operators remain proficient on a range of machinery thus providing flexibility for their employer. Good examples are the excavator, wheel loader and backhoe. The skills required for both the excavator and wheel loader are also related to the backhoe – three machines, three times as many employment opportunities – hence a heavy equipment career. Do you have a choice, or would you like the option of learning to operate a range of heavy equipment?

Excavators of course do one job extremely well, they excavate. However, that term can be applied quite loosely. For example, mining is one area where excavators perform quite well yet we may not consider it excavating. The same could be said for quarrying and a range of other tasks. Technically, any job that entails digging is excavating – so why not use an excavator?

With that in mind, it is a good thing that this excavator has such a long reach. As the photo shows, the excavator is reaching into the middle of the river. Excavators are used a lot around waterways. They help to keep the bottom clean of debris, silt and rocks, allowing the river to flow cleanly. Some excavators are employed full time, working from one point on a river to another. Once it gets to the end point, it is time to go back to the start again.

There are some areas around the world where excavators are used to ‘mine’ river beds. The floor of the river is dug up and any minerals, particularly gold, are removed before being placed back into the river.

Other rivers use excavators as land based dredges. they can be quite effective in removing silt deposits from the floor of the river. This is often necessary to ensure boats and leisure craft are able to negotiate the river freely.

Working as a heavy equipment operator is not always going to be in a traditional area like construction or road building. There are a lot of unusual or different uses for heavy equipment – some more demanding on skills than others. If you’re looking for a demanding job in heavy equipment, you may want to consider excavator training. You could be working at a mine, in a quarry, on a building site or perhaps in a river – you just never no.

When looking at heavy equipment careers you may wonder which industries offer the best opportunities. Heavy equipment by definition is any heavy machinery, not just earth moving machinery. A crane could be considered heavy equipment as could a rock crusher and tree lopper so the breadth of industries is quite large. Below is a list of the more popular industries that provide career opportunities for heavy equipment operators.

Heavy equipment career in construction

The most popular career path for heavy equipment operators is through the field of construction. This in itself has a wide range of opportunities. You have the traditional road construction crews that spend their working lives building roads, tunnels and bridges. This sector is one of the largest employers of heavy equipment operators.

The second biggest sector is that of commercial construction. This is the building of office blocks, factories, shopping centers and housing projects to name just a few. Heavy equipment is used on some construction sites from start to finish and provides one of the most varied careers when it comes to heavy equipment operations.

Heavy equipment careers in mining

Mining is the second largest industry to offer heavy equipment careers and includes both above and under ground mining projects. Mining heavy equipment ranges from small excavators and front end loaders to massive, and I do mean massive, excavators. Since mining projects are generally in isolated areas and involve degrees of danger, these careers can be amongst the most lucrative.

Heavy equipment careers in agriculture

Heavy equipment in the form of bulldozers had their origins in agriculture with the first bulldozers being nothing more than a farm tractor with a blade attached to the front. The use of heavy equipment in agriculture waned for a while but it is being used far more frequently now. There are teams of operators that now work exclusively in the agricultural sector building dams and clearing scrub land.

Forestry is another sector that is starting to rely on heavy equipment. This is one sector where new technology is constantly being introduced to help control the growth of trees, perform pruning on a large scale, and of course to fell the trees in a controlled way.

Those are the three largest industries to use heavy equipment. Other industries that could offer heavy equipment careers include the military and waterfront. Smaller niches include snow plowing, landscape gardening, pipe laying and small constructions like in-ground swimming pools.

There are heavy equipment careers in almost all industry sectors in the country. It is really a case of thinking about what sort of work you would really like doing. Is it building roads, or building houses; perhaps working in the mines, or working on large landscape gardening projects. Find a sector that appeals to you, undertake the heavy equipment training required, and your career in heavy equipment awaits.

One of the biggest problems in the construction industry at present is getting our youth interested. This lack of interest is flowing through to heavy equipment careers with the numbers of young people who are undertaking training dropping each year.

The future of any industry is in our youth. As they gain knowledge and experience, they transfer that knowledge onto future generations. There are a lot of programs around, such as the Block Kids Program, a program that tries to get our youth interested in construction. When it comes to heavy equipment, we tend to rely on the fascination that children develop when playing in their sand pits at an early age.

Whilst many complain about the lack of youth coming through, heavy equipment is perhaps one industry where we can be more relaxed. It doesn’t matter how old you are. If you are reasonably fit, reasonably intelligent and willing to look, listen and learn then you can be trained to operate heavy equipment.

There is a lot of emphasis placed on youth. However, many employers shy away from taking on the very young. Not only do they lack experience on the equipment, they lack experience in driving in general and they lack experience in life. This is where the not-so-young have a distinct advantage.

Where a lack of youth will hurt the industry is in isolated areas. In the past, this was seen as an attractive way to work and save money to help fund specific life goals. Mining, forestry, and isolated projects like pipeline construction could start to feel the pinch.

What is important for everyone to realize is that heavy equipment careers are for everyone. You don’t have to be fresh out of school to undertake training. In fact, a little maturity could be a real plus when seeking employment. Heavy equipment training is designed to encompass all ages and genders so whether you’re fresh out of school or nudging 40 (or older), if you’re interested in a heavy equipment career don’t let your age get in the way – no one else will.

There is a misconception surrounding heavy equipment that focuses employment wholly and solely in the construction or mining sectors of business. This is so very far from the truth. I mean, even farmers use a range of heavy equipment each day on their farms.

It is true that construction and mining probably do require more heavy equipment operators than most other sectors, however, areas such as forestry also have a strong demand for qualified operators. They are not the only areas. You can add landscaping, shipping and even warehousing to that list.

Warehousing and heavy equipment? I see your raised eyebrows. It does of course come down to the size and type of warehouse. Most warehouses use cranes of some description to help move products. I have seen some warehouses that use bulldozers or loaders to push certain products around.

It is a similar story in the shipping industry with crane operators being in high demand along with experienced bulldozer operators.

It is the forestry industry that is perhaps the most surprising. They don’t require heavy equipment operators in a normal sense. This industry uses equipment that has been created for a specific task. A good example is the stump cutter – designed to totally remove old tree stumps. There are special machines used to prune back trees so they grow tall and straight with no side growth.

What forestry does have in common with other sectors of business is the need for suitably trained heavy equipment operators. If you have experience and knowledge on a range of heavy equipment then those skills can be sold to a forestry company. The skills are very easily transferred to new specialist machines.

Heavy equipment training takes you through the basic skills required to be successful in a wide range of career opportunities. Don’t just narrow your focus on the obvious. If you want to be a stump cutter then start by undertaking some basic heavy equipment training – it may just open some doors for you.

Training on loaders used to be so boring. It often relied on you simply spending hours on end moving a pile of earth from A to B and when you were finished, moving it back again. These days, training on loaders has become far more interesting and doesn’t just rely on building hours in a loader operator’s seat.

When you undertake loader training now you find the course far more comprehensive and interesting than in years gone by. There is a requirement for you to undertake safety training – a requirement that could prevent you from entering a construction site unless you have completed it.

Safety of course is one issue. Now, when you get out into the field and work as a loader operator you are expected to know a lot more than just how to move that pile of dirt. There are basic, and sometimes not so basic, general equipment maintenance tasks and inspections that need to be undertaken – often on a daily basis.

Loader training now goes beyond simply operating a loader. Most heavy equipment training programs also include instruction on other machines such as a bulldozer, grader and backhoe. For the student, this has several benefits. First, and most importantly, you are not restricted to just one machine. You can obtain employment operating a much wider range of equipment.

Even if you wanted to specialize on a loader, knowing how other equipment works, what their limitations are and how they handle gives you a much better understanding of that equipment when they are working around you on a construction or mining site.

Today’s construction sites are often very different to those of the past. Operators move between various types of heavy equipment, particularly when construction is going on around the clock. If you’re looking for wheel loader training then contact the very best in the business – ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools. We will get you started in the career of your choice.

One of the most highly skilled heavy equipment operators is that of a backhoe operator. Where motor graders are often found finishing a job, backhoe operators work from start to finish and often require high levels of precision.

If you consider some of the types of work undertaken by backhoe operators you may gain an idea of how precise they need to be. Take a standard backyard inground swimming pool. Because of the tight spaces, the only equipment suited to the job is that of a backhoe. They are required to dig the hole precisely to plans. This often includes a slope to accommodate the various pool depths and either dead straight or curved walls. This takes a lot precision and attention to detail.

Swimming pools are one thing. What about an archeological dig? We may not have archeological digs in every backyard but when they do occur, a backhoe operator is often called in to get things started. Again, it takes a lot of attention, a lot of precision, and the ability to treat the dig with a lot of care. This takes the effort of a highly trained and skilled operator.

Back to the normal everyday type of work undertaken by backhoe operators. Whether digging foundations, a trench for pipes and cables, or clearing debris, the same degree of precision and attention to detail is required. Get the foundations wrong and it can cause all sorts of problems and a trench dug from point A to C is useless if B is where the trench needs to be.

The job outlook for backhoe operators is not as prosperous as bulldozer or grader operators. National growth is expected to be around 4% – around 2500 new operators nationally each year. This also takes into account the number of operators who leave the industry. In yesterday’s post I highlighted grader operators and Illinois was looking at around 300 new operators each year. For backhoe operators, they expect growth at around 180 new operators this year falling to around 100 new operators each year after that. The trend seems to be similar in most other states with a high demand forecast for this year and a general taper over the next five years.

Wages for backhoe operators are also varied, ranging from as little as $31,000 to just over $65,000 per year. The median is $41,000 (www.bls.gov). The number of operators employed in the mining sector is expected to decline over the next five years although as the economy starts to pickup, this could change dramatically. Overall, the employment and wage outlook is positive, with a high rise in vacancies expected over the next six to twelve months.

If you have ever considered a career as a specialist backhoe operator then there is no better time to train than right now. If you act now, you can take advantage of predicted short term growth in the industry. Fortunately, backhoe training is often part of a general heavy equipment training program so you will also gain experience and knowledge on other heavy equipment – being multi-skilled is always a bonus in today’s workplace.