Heavy equipment careers are booming with government statistics suggesting that demand for operators will continue through to 2016. Back in 2006 (latest reliable statistics), there were 494,000 heavy equipment operators spread across the nation. The predicted trend was that this number would grow by about 8% by 2016 – that is around 40,000 new positions or around 4,000 new jobs each year. That doesn’t tell the whole story, however.

It is predicted that around 14% of operators (2006 statistics) will leave the job in that same period, many through retirement as the baby boomers era starts to decline. That represents around 70,000 operators leaving the industry – or 7,000 per year. The net total is a requirement of 12,000 new trained workers each year until 2016.

You know what they say about statistics and I agree to an extent. You will not see 12,000 new jobs each year. In fact the projection had been for a steady annual increase in the number of new recruits required. 2010 is when the baby boomers are expected to drop off the employment charts in bigger numbers. This has been offset somewhat this year by the strong demand for new recruits to service the construction programs associated with the economic recovery initiatives.

If you take all that and put it together – the bottom line is that demand for heavy equipment operators is NOT expected to drop at all. This means that anyone entering a heavy equipment career can expect stability of employment until at least 2016. That’s good news for everyone involved in the industry. However, what about today – right now – what is the demand?

A quick search on Google produced many lists of job vacancies. Indeed.com represented the average with almost 3,000 opportunities listed for heavy equipment operators. I suggest, if you are looking at a heavy equipment career, you get started. There has never been a better time like the present – take advantage of it while you can. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can quickly get you started in a rewarding career as a heavy equipment operator.

There are a lot of highly skilled workers who spend their days driving trucks for a living. A commercial drivers license opens up many opportunities and if heavy equipment skills are added the opportunities get even wider.

One of the jobs that many truck drivers undertake is the pick up and delivery of heavy equipment. Truck drivers normally arrive at the pick up point, wait for someone to load the heavy equipment onto the truck then transport it to its destination. Once again they may be forced to wait until someone arrives to unload the equipment.

It’s a straight forward enough job for the truck driver – apart from the waiting. It would be far more more convenient if the truck driver could arrive at the pickup point and load the heavy equipment onto his truck himself. Likewise, once he gets to the end of his journey, then unloading the heavy equipment and moving on to the next job.

It makes sense and many truck drivers do undertake heavy equipment training to augment their work. They also find themselves in big demand with employers recognizing the value of employing multi-skilled workers. Being multi-skilled, you do of course open the door to a great many employment opportunities, the chief of which is the transportation of heavy equipment.

If you have a commercial drivers license and you are looking to add skills to your repertoire – consider training to become a heavy equipment operator. There is work available across the nation as both heavy equipment operators and as truck drivers. There is also a lot of work available for those who can do both.

When it comes to heavy equipment and the construction industry, sometimes size is a problem, not a benefit – that’s where backhoes step up and complete the job. Backhoes can perform the same duties as most excavators. Of course, being somewhat smaller, they do take a little longer to complete a task, but when space is limited at least they can complete the task.

Backhoes and excavators are similar machinery when it comes to the tasks they can perform. Many of the attachments are similar as well. Although they can perform the same duties, these machines look nothing like each other.

Excavators generally run on tracks whilst backhoes run on wheels. Excavators have a large cab and engine room where backhoes are more like a tractor when it comes to the cab and engine room. Excavators and backhoes both use booms and buckets, the big difference being the size of bucket. Backhoes differ from excavators in that they also have a front-end loader style scoop at the front of the machine.

With those differences noted, the final straw is in their look and maneuverability. Backhoes tend to be long and narrow. Excavators tend to be in the short and squat category. It is the squat issue that makes their life harder when working in tight spaces. Backhoes can drive into smaller areas and still operate effectively.

Backhoes can be fun to operate. They are certainly one of the easier machines to learn to operate. Backhoe training as part of a general heavy equipment training program is the norm these days since it provides new operators with a wide variety of skills. If you think backhoes are toys when it comes to heavy equipment, think again. They are an essential part of any construction team.

There are times when, as a bulldozer operator, you hope you don’t get work. The earthquakes that have hit the South East Asian region in recent weeks have been devastating. They are a reminder that anyone – almost anywhere – suffer earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and wild fires on a regular basis – often destroying homes, neighborhoods and even whole towns. Who gets called in to wipe it all away? The bulldozers.

Bulldozers do a good job of wiping away the signs of devastation. They do a good job of clearing the way for rebuilding as well. Whilst these are jobs that most bulldozer operators don’t wish for – someone has to do them when they do occur.

This type of work can be tricky at times as bulldozer operators may find themselves working alongside family members who are trying to recover as much of their personal lives as possible. Bulldozing a site is done carefully, pushing aside debris in a way that allows those family members access to what has been left behind.

It is hard to train someone for this type of work. Basic bulldozer training lays the platform – the rest comes with time and experience. Being sensitive to the needs of the family members is a skill that cannot be taught – either you have it or you don’t. Fortunately, most people do.

The life of a bulldozer operator can be difficult at times. However, at the end of the day you have helped people, communities or towns start the rebuilding process that gets their lives back on track again. Whilst the event that caused this devastation is sad, the act of clearing away and rebuilding isn’t -in fact it can often be met with celebration, a time of rebirth. It is a tough job, but it is a very satisfying job – are you up to it?

Old hands will tell you that excavators in use today are far easier to operate compared to twenty years ago. Is it true? It is a question that is not as black and white as it first sounds. Yes, almost all heavy equipment is ‘easier’ to use compared to twenty years ago, but that is not the complete story.

Looking at the basic operations of heavy equipment, the technical improvements in areas such as hydraulics and electronics have certainly made the life of a heavy equipment operator easier. Machinery like motor graders, which used a steering wheel, required strength to operate. Power steering has changed all that – if the machinery has a steering wheel. Excavators were good workers but lack fine controls – most modern excavators now have that fine control. This means they can work to precise degrees of accuracy.

Of course, that is the standard day-to-day operation and yes, on that basis, modern excavators are easier to operate. However, modern excavators come with a range of attachments – the excavator is no longer just an excavator.

Attachments like a hammer turn the excavator into a large jack-hammer capable of breaking up hard material like rock or concrete slabs. Large claws can be attached and are used to pick up objects. Learning to operate these attachments takes a whole new set of skills – skills that operators of twenty years ago don’t possess.

A simple answer to the opening question would be to ask if today’s operators could operate the excavators of yesteryear and whether the operators from that era could operate today’s excavators. The answer – today’s operators probably could operate an excavator from twenty years ago. Unfortunately, the operators from twenty years could struggle with today’s equipment. Based on that response, you would have to conclude that today’s heavy equipment is technically more difficult to operate than those machines of twenty years ago.

Not only is the equipment more difficult, the training required to operate an excavator is more intense. This is one reason why it is important to undertake your training through a reputable heavy equipment training provider. If they are not accredited, be careful when handing over you money – you may not get what you are paying for.

Heavy equipment operators used to be tough old nuts. They had reputations for being hard talking, hard drinking and hard working people. I wonder what they would think of the latest equipment on the market? Not a lot I should think. Take the latest in motor graders. I said armchair comfort and I am not joking.

The latest offering from heavy equipment giants John Deere include seats with comfortable armrests (that makes it an armchair doesn’t it?). So what, you say – believe it or not, their G-series grader is controlled using armrest mounted finger-tip controls. It still has a steering wheel but you can steer using lever steering if that is your preference.

John Deere are not the only manufacturers. Caterpillar, a famous name in heavy equipment for decades, produce graders that do away with the steering wheel altogether and use joysticks instead. Those joysticks handle more than just the steering as well.

Fortunately for the old time grader operators, there are still traditional manufacturers around like Komatsu. They still produce motor graders with steering wheels, foot pedals and levers. With the new control systems proving to be popular it won’t be long before they follow Caterpillar and John Deere I am sure.

Are you ready to take on a career that is technically improving all the time? If you are then take on the challenge of a heavy equipment career by undertaking grader operator training. There are positions opening up all the time, particularly as older operators call it quits as new technology moves in. As they move out – you can be the one that moves in.

Crane operator training is essential if you wish to work in the industry as a crane operator, even the smaller mobile cranes. You may feel that learning to operate a crane is fairly simple. It goes up, it goes down, it swings left, it swings right. Nothing complicated there, surely? Operating a crane can be a complex task and knowing the controls is only the start.

When working on most construction sites a crane operator rarely works alone. They are generally accompanied by an off-sider whose role it is to hook and unhook loads. They also have the role of being the operator’s eyes on the ground. They communicate using a basic set of hand signals – signals that all operators need to learn if they wish to work in the industry.

Safety is a big issue on any work site and it is the crane operator’s off-sider who guides the operator into how and where the load is moved – safely. Yes, it is important to learn the controls for without that knowledge the crane would be useless. Knowing the hand signals is an integral part of getting the job done. Add to this other components of crane operations such as ensuring the crane itself is balanced on firm ground before attempting any lift and you will come to some understanding at how much training is required.

Have I scared you off yet? I hope not because that is not my intention. Most people can complete the required training fairly quickly. Once completed, you can develop and build on your new skills in the workplace. Experienced crane operators are highly skilled and amongst the highest paid workers on a construction site. Is this the right career for you? If so, check out your crane operator training options today.

Our country was built using the skills and labor or migrants. In fact, most of us come from migrants, even you can trace your ancestry back to the first arrivals – they were still migrants. We are still accepting migrants into the country and sometimes those migrants need to adapt their skills to our work environments. Heavy equipment is no different.

Heavy equipment skills recognition is not always as easy as looking at your foreign qualifications. Crane operators, for example, require certification in many states. Truck drivers will need to pass local commercial drivers license tests. The biggest hurdle facing many migrants is that need to be able to read, write and speak English reasonably well.

If they are able to communicate, the rest becomes a lot easier. Taking part in an accredited heavy equipment training program, an accredited crane operator training program, or an accredited truck driver training program will provide the migrant with the necessary skills and workplace safety knowledge that is required to work successfully in this country.

Yes, their skills are transferable to a certain extent. However, there are many countries that are not quite as advanced as ours. Their heavy equipment is not as advanced as ours – in fact, some are absolute dinosaurs. New technology such as GPS and laser will be quite strange to many migrants – hey, they are quite strange to some of our own older operators as well.

The good news for migrants who are entering this country is, they don’t have to look for new careers. If they have worked successfully as heavy equipment operators in their own country, they can update their skills here and continue in their chosen profession.

According to many former students, the singe factor affecting their employment options was their choice of training. Why? In most cases, that was the feedback from the employer. Heavy equipment training organizations develop a reputation. It is this reputation that employers look at when deciding who to hire – pick the wrong training organization, and you may find yourself unemployable.

This is not unique to heavy equipment training. Take a look at most professions and you will find some training providers who are highly regarded, and others who are looked upon poorly. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools has worked hard over the years developing a trust between those who hire operators and their training schools. Based on this trust, our graduates are looked upon quite favorably when it comes to applying for positions.

There are several factors that go into building a solid reputation. Time is important – we have only been in operation for forty years – do you think we may have learned a thing or two ourselves in that time? We have – we have learned what employers want.

The second factor is to deliver training that is industry accredited. This means that employers know that graduates will leave our training schools with a certain level of skills – the employer doesn’t have to guess what your skill level is.

The third factor – our actual training. When we say that someone has completed and passed their training – they have. Individuals cannot pay their money, turn up for the first and last days then expect to pass – you have to do the work to complete the course – there are no bought qualifications at ATS.

Employers know who they want to employ. Your choice of training will determine whether or not you meet their criteria. Add ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools to your list of possible training providers. Check us out and I think you will agree that undertaking heavy equipment training through us – is by far the right choice.

A major component of heavy equipment safety for excavator and crane operators is the look up and live philosophy. It can be all too easy to fall into the tunnel vision trap when you are digging trenches or using a crane to move objects at or below eye level. This tunnel vision sees an operator focus on what is in front and down from their position in the cab. Of course, danger often lurks from above.

A story by Tessa Muggeridge (Sept. 24, 2009 08:17 AM – The Arizona Republic) involves a crane operator who was working on a road side. With traffic light, he was using part of the road to move his load. When a truck appeared, he instinctively moved the crane’s boom out of the way – and straight into overhead power lines.

He was probably focused on what he was doing and the traffic – which is fine, that is his job. What he forgot to add into that focus before even climbing into the cab was what was overhead. This has to be a part of an operator’s checklist before starting work. What is around them and what is above them. If they are close to power lines, they need to make a mental note to be ultra-cautious.

The crane operator was lucky – he lived to tell the tale, suffering serious burns on his ears, face, chest and legs. He wasn’t the only victim – a work colleague would have to consider himself very unlucky. He suffered second-degree burns and blisters on his ears. How? He was wearing a communications head set and power flowed through the crane and into him.

It’s an unfortunate accident yet one that could have been avoided. Occupations Safety and Health Administration will now review the accident and you can guarantee that some of the questions they will ask will include whether or not the crane operator was certified and what, if any, heavy equipment safety training the operator had received. Heavy equipment safety is important – when working with equipment, look up and check for power lines – it may just save your life.