Motor graders are the real work horses when it come to moving dirt and leveling and planing a surface to fine tolerances. This is done through the use a blade, or moldboard, that can be set and held at a precise slope and elevation. The operator can raise, lower, turn and tilt the blade through controls in cabin.

Typical motor graders feature three axles with the engine and the drivers cab situated above the rear axles. In road construction, road graders are used to “finish grade” or refine the “rough grading” that was performed by heavy equipment such as scrapers or bulldozers.

Motor graders are large powerful machines that weigh approximately 15 tons. Motor graders have a variety of uses across many different industries, but their primary use is to produce smooth, consistent surfaces, either level or graded. Motor graders are widely used in the construction of roads, railway beds, airport runways and commercial building sites.

For road construction, motor graders are commonly used in maintenance of unpaved roads and new road construction to prepare the base course to create a wide, flat surface for the asphalt to be placed on. Highways appear level to the naked eye, but are actually graded at a slight angle (often called a camber) to promote and guide runoff.

For a career as a motor grader visit ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools.

If you’re looking to gain experience as a heavy equipment operator then the military may be your answer. The Army is always working on construction jobs both at home and abroad and so require the skills of heavy equipment operators. They crate airfields, prepare sites for buildings, build dams and undertake demolition jobs.

The military requires skilled teams of construction workers to complete these task. Of course when working abroad the location can be just as challenging as the construction job itself. As with all new recruits to the army, construction equipment operators begin with nine weeks of basic training to learn to be a soldier.

Once you have completed your basic training you will move on to more advanced training for heavy equipment which includes safety, using the heavy equipment in possible battle zones and the maintenance and repair of your equipment. You may also need to learn how to assemble some components of your heavy equipment as there are times and situations where the equipment cannot be shipped in one piece.

Many army professionals spend their days on powerful bulldozers, cranes, graders and front end loaders. After leaving the army, these trained heavy equipment operators are in high demand due to their superior skill levels and quickly snapped up for well paying jobs in the construction, timber and mining industries.

This all starts by getting good quality basic training on your chosen piece of heavy equipment. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can provide you with those basic skills and help you get started in a well paid career.

There are many different types of cranes in use around the country. They range in size and weight from small overhead gantry type cranes to large tower cranes.

Tower Cranes:
Frequently referred to as Construction Cranes. They are used in the construction of high-rise buildings. These cranes generally don’t have a movable base. These are the tallest cranes and have to be assembled piece by piece. Tower cranes are used to construct tall buildings, and in the case of skyscrapers, these cranes are often assembled inside the building during construction.

Floating cranes:
These cranes are mounted on barges or pontoons and used within shipping industry. They are used to construct ports, salvage ships, build bridges and unload ships. They can often handle very heavy loads and awkwardly shaped containers.

Loader cranes:
These cranes have hydraulic powered booms fitted onto trailers. They load goods onto the trailer and the jointed sections of the boom are folded down when not in use. You can commonly see these where housebuilding bricks are delivered.

Stacker cranes:
Frequently seen in warehouses where they work with an automatic retrieval system.

If your interested in a career as a crane operator then your first step has to be to get some training. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can provide you with a start to a great career as a crane operator.

Track Loaders are very similar to bulldozers and can undertake similar jobs. Bulldozers really just push and cut, they cannot load the material into a truck. Track loaders are a combination of a front end loader and a bulldozer.

The tracks gives it some grip and function in muddy, slippery areas. The loader function allows it to scoop up the material and empty it into a waiting truck just like a front end loader. The track loader’s bucket is generally a little smaller when it comes to capacity.

A good example of a track loader is Caterpillar’s small 939C track loader which offers a single lever joystick for easy control off both speed and direction. The smaller size also provides for a small turning radius. The Caterpillar 953D model is larger and features a redesigned operator cab that keeps the focus on comfort for long work shifts. The 936C is Caterpillar’s choice for general purpose work. It can do clearing, stripping of topsoil, contouring, grading, dozing, backfilling, carry materials and truck loading.

Track loaders can often be found in the waste handling industry. The Caterpillar 953C is geared for this type of work. In landfills it can be found feeding waste to the compactors, spreading, shredding and leveling and at transfer stations, the work is often sorting, crushing and loading.

You can consider a track loader as a cross between a bulldozer and a front end loader. You can start your career in this industry by getting quality training as a bulldozer operator.

If I could have had an alternative career it would have been as a long distance truck driver. I love driving. I could happily drive from one end of the country to the other, then turn around and come back. I am not interested in the scenery or anything like that – I just like the open highway – perhaps there is something hypnotic about that white line.

I am not the only one. There are thousands of men and women who feel the same and they spend their days (and nights) behind the wheel transporting our freight all around the country. Every single one of them started somewhere and it would have started with some of the basic skills required to get a license.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools we pride ourselves on the quality of the training provided to those undertaking truck driving programs. We train you all facets of truck driving and help you to acquire you truck license. We even help you find employment.

If you look at the highways around the nation, you will notice there are truck everywhere, and the industry cannot find enough reliable, honest and trained workers.

Perhaps you will be the next to graduate from our training school for truck drivers. You need to take that first step – contact us to start your career as a truck driver.

The best recommendation that any business can get is one that comes from their own customers. In our case, it comes from former students who have successfully completed their training and gone on to great careers in the heavy equipment industry.

Training is only half the story. We can provide the world’s best training but if there is no work available then you are not going to be able to refine your skills and gain the experience required to move on to high paying careers. At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools we not only pride ourselves on the quality of the training, we also do our best to help students into careers – and that is one of the most important aspects of our business – seeing you succeed.

The demand for skilled operators is growing each year and the range of industries requiring these skills is also growing. Whether you work in the mining sector, agriculture, construction – and this is such a wide field – there are jobs ranging from road construction, farm, housing development and commercial construction, finally area such as shipping and ports and perhaps even military service.

If you are interested in a position in the heavy equipment industry then check out what our former students have to say at ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools.

Career loans are designed to help you attend a study program of your choice with a nominated training provider. These loans can be used to pay for your tuition, accommodation, and other living expenses. Once approved you make a down payment when enrolling. The loan is then used to cover the balance of the training cost. You may also be able to obtain additional cash to help pay for other living expenses while in training.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools there are several financing options. Each school in our network has relationships with national lending institutions which offer loans to our students. You can fill out an application through our financing page.

Alternatively, USA Finance may make a loan to an individual for tuition and in-school housing. You makes a down payment upon starting class and the balance of tuition and housing can be financed. The down payment amount is determined after the USA Finance Credit Application is received and reviewed.

As with all finance, your credit record will play an important role in qualifying for financing. Students with a negative credit records should get co-signers with good credit.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools operate in eight centers around the US;

• Wisconsin

We provide training either online (free) or at one of our training establishments. The training you can undertake includes:

• Bulldozers
• Graders
• Excavators
• Trucks

Do undertake training you need to be at least 18 years old and be able to pass a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools also offer a job placement service designed to help individuals who have successfully completed training into a career in the heavy equipment work place.

If you are interested in a career in this industry, contact us for more information.

Think again. If a 3 year old and 4 year old can learn to operate one of these then so can you. The fundamentals of operating a lot earth moving equipment is fairly straightforward. If you have a little co-ordination then the rest comes almost naturally.

What is difficult is learning the dirt. How the dirt will react when pushed, pulled or dug up. Of course there are other technical lessons to be learnt such as reading plans, judging distances and assessing danger. In the meantime – watch this four year old operate this excavator.

If that amazed you then check out this three year old:

If they can do it – so can you – ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools will be there with you all the way.

Here is the scenario. A young couple have purchased their first 100 acre farm and they are ready to build and plant. They call you in with your bulldozer and here is what they need.

• Dig out a dam or 2
• Cut a road
• Clear a house pad
• Put in spoon drains
• Push over trees up to 18″ diameter
• Clear scrub,mainly head high bushes
• Push trees,scrub into windrows

That’s easy. How about adding the following:

• sloping,worst being 40 degrees incline/decline
• clay…rock hard-slushy when wet
• grassy paddocks-sparse trees-thick head high shrubbery

Often that is all the information you get when going to a job, oh and the time allowed to get it all completed. Are you up to the task? Are you ready to start that career in heavy equipment?

If you answer yes to that last question then climb on board the training rollercoaster and start your heavy equipment operator career today.