For many individuals, a career change appears to be out of the question. They are often in a situation where mainstream finance is not available, general savings insufficient, and an income that is required to look after a family. Whilst a career as a crane operator may be perfect, you options are often limited financially.

It need not be so. There are many finance options available to students who are struggling to b=pay for a course. There are many State and Federal grants available and you may fit into one of these categories.

If grants are not an option, ATSN Schools offer several tuition financing options, each designed to make it easy and affordable to enroll in any of our training programs. Career loans can be used to pay for tuition, hotel, and other living expenses.

Feel free to contact us to find out whether any of these options are suitable for your situation. Of course, your first steps could be to take up our free online training course. That will at least get you started in the right direction whilst we help you determine the right finance options. A career as a crane operator is just around the corner.

Mobile cranes are responsible for a large number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities in the workplace each year. One of the most common accidents is the situation where a crane comes into contact with overhead power lines. Other accidents include loads that are dropped and cranes overturning.

As a mobile crane operator you have the right, in fact the responsibility, to refuse to lift any load if there is any question about safety and the safe load limits given the environmental conditions at the time. It is an employer’s responsibility to ensure that all operators have received proper safety training.

Ultimately, it comes down to the crane operator. If you are working close to overhead power lines, you should be constantly watching to ensure you don’t make contact. If your vision is obstructed, you should request a signaler to can advise you about your location and the location of the overhead power lines.

Safety training is important to all heavy equipment operators. Crane operators require safety training that is directed to their field, that is, the operation of a crane.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools we take safety training seriously and include safety components in all heavy equipment training. Crane operations may be dangerous, but then all heavy equipment has a degree of danger attached. Make sure your training includes all the safety aspect required.

Many heavy equipment training schools have terms or semesters. To obtain a training place, you need to wait until the next training period begins.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools you have two options, you can start training online immediately, or you can check our training calendar. We start training every Monday rotating the various courses. Essentially, you can start on any Monday (except public holidays).

However, providing dates to start is not the most important issue. My response to this questions is very simple. You can start when you are ready to start learning how to operate heavy equipment.

Training in a new field of endeavor takes real commitment. You need to want to learn in that area – in this case, you need to want to learn how operate heavy equipment.

Learning a new field is not difficult if your heart is in it. Training becomes difficult when you really have no interest in the subject matter an your just going through the motions. If your ready to start a career as a heavy equipment operator, then let us arrange your training.

As the construction industry continues to expand the need for suitably qualified crane operators grows. Although the construction is sensitive to changes in economic conditions, the number of job openings is expected to rise due to the aging work force.

The pay rates for crane operators varied depending on the type of work required. Those working on high rise buildings earning considerably more than those operating the smaller cranes. Pay rates in 2006 were between $15 and $25 per hour with a median of around $19.

Growth in employment is expected to be around 3% per year, however when you take into account the flow of workers in and out of the industry, it is expected that around 5% of will need to be trained on an annual basis.

Crane operators are in high demand across the country with pay rates well above national averages. Employers are preferring to hire new employees that are already trained in crane operations and are ready to be productive from day one.

If a rewarding and lucrative career as a crane operator sounds good to you, then perhaps you should investigate training to gain the skills required to find employment. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools have an impressive record in the training and employment of all heavy equipment operators include crane operators.

Most people view bulldozers as dirt pushers, and they are right. Essentially, that is all they are. They have a lot muscle and heavy blade and their role in life is to ‘push dirt’ and lots of it. What most people don’t realize is that a bulldozer has a variety of blades to do a variety of jobs. It is not a one blade fits all all situation.

Standard blades are high and wide with a slight curve forward at the top of the blade. The blades often have a slight inward camber on either side as well. Together, as the bulldozer works across the ground, the material being moved is takes on a rolling action. The inward curve at the top forces the material forward all the time. The side cambers keep the material inside the blades and not washing out to the sides.

Another popular blade is the slightly U shaped blade. This too rolls the material being moved in a forward action. These blades are often used in forestry since the U shape matches the shape of logs. The logs are basically rolled along by the bulldozer.

A third blade is much flatter and has a tough cutting blade. This is used to slice through the surface and is used for removing a lot of earth very quickly. It is also useful for clearing land as it cuts through everything it encounters.

Bulldozers are simple but very effective machines for moving large amounts of material. It does so pushing rather than carrying. The life of a bulldozer operator is interesting given the variety of job they can be asked to do.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools has courses that cover the operation of bulldozers. If a career as a bulldozer operator appeals to you, drop in and have a look, request a dvd or perhaps a free brochure on heavy equipment operations.

Heavy equipment on building sites is not confined to those that move earth. One of the most important, and most challenging jobs, is that of a crane operator. The crane itself is often fairly straightforward to use, however there are so many variables to consider it can make life quite interesting – especially if you 20 floors up and trying to lift materials from the ground.

There are obvious factors to consider when operating a crane. Weight is the most important. If it is too heavy, the crane is most likely going to tip. However, what is too heavy? A weight lifted today may be too much tomorrow. When your on top of a building, the variable that can affect the operation of your heavy equipment is weather – particularly wind.

Wind creates many difficulties for a crane operator. The first effect felt is that of swing. As the wind connects with the materials being lifted, you can get a swinging effect. This can put immense pressure on the crane itself and has been known to cause a crane to topple. In windy conditions, the load may need to be reduced by half to handle the situation.

The second effect is one of spin. This can put strain on the crane’s wire rope. Fortunately, modern fittings now take of most of the problems caused by spin. However, if the load has insufficient clearance, or there is swing accompanied with the spin, the load can make contact with the building sides causing a lot damage.

Sound scarey? It should if your not trained properly. However, with the correct training you will learn how to deal with sorts of situations. You will learn what is safe, and what isn’t. When you should stop altogether until weather conditions improve. Crane operators is a career that can be very challenging, yet very rewarding.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools have a training course dedicated to cranes. If your looking for a career as a crane operator, why not request our free brochure on crane operator training.

Bobcats, you see them everywhere these days. The bobcat is generally considered to be a landscape gardeners tool of choice when it comes to digging, moving soil and moving heavy plants. Although they are small in size, could they still be considered heavy equipment?

It would depend on your definition of heavy equipment. In my mind, heavy equipment is any mechanized device that takes the manual labor out of an earth moving job. You can also add to that some of the basic skills required to operate a bobcat are also those required to operate some of the larger construction machines.

The reverse is certainly true. If you can operate a bulldozer, you should be able to make the transition to a bobcat very quickly. Safety requirements are very similar as are operating techniques in the cab. They both require hand, feet and eye coordination.

Heavy equipment comes in all shapes and sizes. Apart from cranes, they all have one thing in common – they are used to move dirt, gravel and sand around. They all require similar training as well although a bobcat can be picked up on the job fairly quickly. However, if you have the basic skills acquired whilst learning to operate the large brothers of the bobcat, handling a bobcat will be easy.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can provide all the training required to operate the large earth moving equipment. The bobcat, learn to operate a dozer or a frontend loader and you will be right at home in a bobcat.

When considering heavy equipment certificates and certifications, there are many aspects to consider. Firstly, any registered training organization can issue certificates. It is whether or not they are accredited and exactly what type of certificate you receive.

Some certificates are not certificates at all, they are simply statements of completion. They may say you have completed a training course in heavy equipment. Notice it doesn’t say you have passed or that you are competent to handle any equipment.

If you receive training from certified training organizations, they should generally state what course you undertook and what assessment criteria was used when assessing you. It should also state whether or not you were passed as competent against that assessment criteria.

Employers are not looking for pieces paper, no matter what they say. They are looking for skilled individuals who can immediately climb into the operators seat and start operating their heavy equipment. If your training organization has a reputation for providing people with these skills, then the certificate issued by them will open doors – your skills will get you the job, not the certificate.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools are are accredited by The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). Your certificate is not issued lightly – you still have to earn it.

Heavy Equipment needs to be inspected and serviced on a regular basis. Without these routine inspections and services the equipment fails – and often fails badly.

Inspections are often carried out daily with services carried out on monthly, bi-monthly or a quarterly basis. Many heavy equipment manuals determine service routines based on hours used. As a heavy equipment operator, your task is often to carry out the daily and weekly inspections.

Servicing on the other hand requires skilled mechanics. Changing the oil can be an easy task. Inspecting the oil for signs of wear and tear can help to prevent long term damage own the track.

Having a regular service goes beyond just changing the oil. Brake and hydraulic fittings need to be checked as do safety issues. Where signs of wear and tear are evident, the component can be repaired or replaced quickly and easily. This often prevent more expensive repairs further down the track.

Basic maintenance is included in most of our training programs. You will learn enough to understand the requirements to successfully complete a safety inspection prior to starting a job each day. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can provide you with the skills to not only inspect heavy equipment, but also to operate successfully.