If you are looking for a career that is non stop then consider a career as a dump truck driver. One thing I can guarantee is that you will be kept busy. These days, heavy equipment like excavators and loaders can fill a dump truck very quickly and have it on its way again in no time. As a dump truck operator, you could be spending your day carting excess dirt away from a construction area, carting truck loads of building material to a site, or a lot of both.

Dump trucks take a little more skill than standard trucks. Sure, the driving is pretty much the same, however, when it comes to emptying a load, dump trucks don’t need to rely on other machinery. As the name implies, they simply dump their load and leave. It’s the dumping that requires the extra skills of course and in years past, has been the cause of most accidents involving dump truck drivers.

Simple safety aspects like looking up before operating the dumper is essential these days – the last thing you want is make contact with any overhead cabling. Dumping safely is important and so to is learning to dump while on the move. This can be a fairly technical task with the rear hopper only opened an inch or two. With the hopper slightly opened, the dumper is slowly raised and as the material is emptied, the truck moves forward. Good operators can spread an inch or so of gravel evenly over a stretch of new road – a job most people would find difficult doing by hand.

Becoming a dump truck driver is as 1-2-3. 1 – call us to find out when and where our next truck driver training program is. 2 – enroll in a truck driver training program that suits and 3 – give us three weeks to train you (that’s all it takes) ready for work. Driving a dump truck brings to life the dreams over many childhoods.

It may be March and spring may be in the air but try telling that to the residents of Homer in Alaska. They had to call on every grader in the area to help clear out several feet of snow that had fallen in a late blizzard. One of the joys of operating heavy equipment like road graders is that you never know what sort of job you could be called on to do next.

For the people of Homer, I am sure they are happy to have had graders and grader operators in their midst. Mind you, many of the students may not have been. Their schools were closed for the first time in over 20 years and it wasn’t until road graders had cleared the way that they could re-open. For those of us in warmer climates, moving snow at this time of the year is probably the last thing on our mind.

Becoming a grader operator is not as difficult as many people would imagine. A three week heavy equipment training program will provide sufficient skills and knowledge to gain a start in the workforce. From there, it’s really a matter of gaining as much experience as possible. With experience comes more knowledge and over time experience in more trying conditions.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools deliver nationally accredited training in a wide range of equipment including road graders, excavators, bulldozers and backhoes. Each training course runs for three weeks and we have training schools across the country. If you are interested in operating heavy equipment like road graders (perhaps not in Alaska), then give us a call. We can advise on course start dates and heavy equipment operator school close to your location.

Now there is a question that will raise the eyebrows of many old time operators – can robotics and new heavy equipment technology take over from operators? I think, first and foremost, before getting too heavily into any arguments, no technology has ever really replaced an operator. Sure, one person may now control a variety of machines, but there is still a human controlling them in some manner. What about heavy equipment then?

In some areas, robotics have replaced humans at the work place. Instead, they control the vehicle using remote control technologies. Again, there is still a human operating the remote control device. While operators as we know them may be replaced, in the short to medium term, this will only be in jobs that involve considerable danger like mining and the creation of tunnels and perhaps in certain demolition roles. The emphasis at present is not on robotic technology for heavy equipment, it is focused more on fuel efficiencies, greener vehicles and computer technology like GPS that enables more accurate work at much faster rates.

At present, heavy equipment technology is something that present or future operators need to worry over. Research is aimed at making their jobs quicker, smoother and safer whilst still looking after the environment. If you are considering a career in heavy equipment, technology should not be an issue that creates any long term career fears.

Here at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools, we embrace new technology and try to include the latest advances into our training programs (of course, it’s not possible to include every advance – but we try). If you are considering a career as a heavy equipment operator, talk to us about your training options. You can be assured that our heavy equipment training will have you well prepared for the workplace including aspects of modern heavy equipment technology.

Bulldozers – here is some trivia for you. How did a bulldozer get its name? According to About.com,

“Around 1880, the common usage of ‘bull-dose’ in the United States meant administering a large and efficient dose of any sort of medicine or punishment. If you ‘bull-dosed’ someone, you gave him a severe whipping or coerced or intimidated him in some other way, such as by holding a gun to his head… In 1886, with a slight variation in spelling, a ‘bulldozer’ had come to mean both a large-caliber pistol and the person who wielded it… By the late 1800s, ‘bulldozing’ came to mean using brawny force to push over, or through, any obstacle.”

Technically, the term “bulldozer” only refers to the blade, not the powerhouse that pushes it around. These days we refer to the whole vehicle as a bulldozer and when they say it uses “brawny force to push over, or through, any obstacle”, they are not wrong. Pound for pound, bulldozers are one of the most powerful units of heavy equipment used and they have to be given the work they are required to do.

Because of the power and brute force required, bulldozers have long been a favorite of men (and women) of all ages. Little children start with a bulldozer in their sand pits and grow into adults playing in adult sand pits (well construction sites anyway). If you enjoyed playing with your bulldozer as a child, perhaps you should consider a career as a bulldozer operator.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can have you trained and ready for employment as a bulldozer operator in as little as three weeks. Bulldozers, they are big brutes that move mountains of earth and, just like the toys from our childhood, can be fun to work with. Contact us for more information on our heavy equipment training programs – you too could be a bulldozer operator.

With spring in the air, and on everyone’s footsteps, gardens everywhere are coming into bloom. At the same time, landscapers with their skid steer loaders are out preparing new gardens or rebuilding those that suffered through winter. Often considered toys, these small machines enable landscaping crews to complete jobs in a fraction of the time taken to do the job by hand.

Skid steer loaders are well suited to these smaller jobs, or jobs that need to be done in small areas. Driveways, new patios, areas that need re-turfing and of course large scale garden beds are areas where these little loaders work well. What most people don’t realize is that the skills required to operate a skid steer loader are similar to those required to operate larger heavy equipment. Similar but not the same.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools, many of our heavy equipment operator training programs include skid steer loader training. These mini loaders have a steering system that can see them turn 180 on the spot – similar to bulldozers and other tracked equipment. However, their bucket operations are very similar to that of a conventional loader.

Training on this equipment then is the perfect companion for those wanting to enter the heavy equipment industry. When work for larger machinery like loaders, bulldozers or backhoes is a little quiet, you can always find work with smaller equipment like the skid steer loader.

You can become proficient in a wide range of heavy equipment including skid steers in as little as three weeks through ATS – if this is a career option for you – contact us for more information.

Around the nation there are thousands of cranes in operation each and everyday. A lattice boom crane is just one of the many different types of cranes that are used. Unlike cars, not every crane is the same. Every type of crane comes with its own set of requirements, particularly when it comes to setting the crane up ready to do a job.

Some cranes, like your basic mobile crane, can be set up in a matter of minutes. Other cranes like tower cranes can take days to setup – in fact, there are some cranes that have to be assembled on a work site. Lattice boom cranes have their own peculiarities, peculiarities that require specialist training.

To become a lattice boom crane operator, you start by undertaking a mobile crane operators training program. If the training is undertaken through ATS Crane Operators Schools, you will spend three weeks in training before being assessed for your NCCCO crane operator certification.

Once you have completed your mobile crane operator training, you can undertake another two weeks of training to learn how to operate a lattice boom crane. On completion, you can be certified as a lattice boom crane operator. This certification is a national qualification issued by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO). This is one of the most widely respected certifications available – a big plus when seeking employment.

Student numbers are very limited for this training as are the training locations. If you’re interested in training to become a lattice boom crane operator, contact us to discuss your training options, dates of the next course and the closest training facility to you.

If you’re a heavy equipment operator, or perhaps someone looking to move into the field of heavy equipment operations, you can undertake a GPS training program that adds these skills to your personal toolbox. GPS – or Global Positioning System, has been around for a long time in cars and other modes of transport. Airlines are now switching to GPS rather than radar when working with control towers. One of the reasons for this is the precise data that GPS can provide.

Building roads, bridges and tunnels all takes precision. These days, a construction crew can start at both ends of a tunnel, bridge or road and meet precisely in the middle – all thanks to the use of GPS. Of course, the technology used is the same as that used in vehicles, the big difference being the lack of a voice telling you when to turn and which roads to take to avoid traffic snarls. Instead, the GPS unit helps to direct the operator in the use of their equipment.

GPS use is a skill that is not common at present so any operator that does undertake training gains an advantage over everyone else. This can be a real bonus when times are a little hard and work is difficult to find. It also means that people who are employed often find themselves working on projects that are more challenging than normal.

ATS offers GPS training through our Ohio training school. If you’re interested in adding specialist skills to heavy equipment skills set, contact us to discuss how GPS training can help you in your heavy equipment career.

Across the nation right now you will find hundreds of backhoe operators hard at work digging out foundations for new buildings and new homes. Backhoes are one of the key tools used by builders to prepare the way for their construction gangs. When you think about it, backhoes are perfect for the job. They can clear the area using their front scoop then turn around and use their buckets to dig the required trenches.

Backhoe operators have one of the most varied jobs out of all the heavy equipment operators. They need to be able to work as a loader operator using the scoop and then turn around in their seat and to start working as an excavator operator. Like excavators, backhoes come with a range of attachments that can be used for all sorts of jobs.

Heavy equipment training through ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools prepares students for work as backhoe operators. Not only do you gain experience and training using a backhoe, you also gain experience and training using front end loaders, excavators and bulldozers and that is just to name a few. This provides graduates with a broad range of skills and for backhoe operators, prepares the well for the workplace.

If you are looking for a change of pace, a change in careers, and to get out into the great outdoors then a career as a heavy equipment operator could be just the ticket. Training only requires three weeks of your time – three weeks that will set you on the path to a brand new career.

Heavy equipment safety is important these days and as the title suggests, it does keep you employed. However, that can seen from a couple of different angles – the employers, the governments and from the employee’s perspective.

Employers and Heavy Equipment Safety

Employers are now recognizing many of the benefits of workplace safety, particularly when it comes to heavy equipment safety. Accidents cause stoppages and stoppages cost money. That’s the bottom line for big business – money. Of course, accidents cause damage, which is another cost and could result in fines from government agencies – more money. However, stoppages also affect a businesses reputation. If they cannot complete projects on time, they will soon find that contracts are hard to come by. Are employers interested in heavy equipment safety? If they care about their bottom line they most definitely do, so these days they only employ those that have had the training.

Governments and Heavy Equipment Safety

Governments have a particular interest in heavy equipment safety for a number of reasons. Pressure, particularly from lobby groups, always raises its head whenever there is a workplace incident that costs lives. Governments also see it as their duty to interfere wherever possible (in this case with positive results) so having employers work to certain regulations, and then fining them when they fail, is the result. I may sound a little cynical, but governments never seem to act until there is an incident. However, all that aside, there are strict regulations in place that do include safety training. Fail to meet those regulations and the fines can be huge. In some states, allowing a worker on site who hasn’t completed an accredited workplace safety training program is illegal.

Heavy Equipment Safety and the Operator

I could put this very simply – heavy equipment safety training helps to keep you safe and alive. If you’re injured or dead, you won’t be employed. It does go beyond this, however. If you enter a worksite with no workplace safety training and your negligence results in serious injury or death of another, there is no guarantee you won’t face criminal charges. Workplace health and safety is serious business these days so don’t ignore it if you want to keep your job.

The bottom line is very simple. When undertaking a heavy equipment training program, be sure it is accredited and includes workplace safety components. ATS has long been an advocate of safe workplaces. Our heavy equipment training programs all include workplace safety components designed to ensure you can not only secure a job, but also ensure you can keep your job.

Excavators used be rather boring machines. Their role predominantly was to dig trenches for pipelines and there is nothing worse than doing the same thing day after day. Today’s excavators are very different to those old machines and a career as an excavator operator can be rather interesting.

Don’t get me wrong, an excavator’s main job is still to dig trenches. However, with new tools that can be attached to an excavator, there can many different tasks. I recently saw video footage of an excavator with a grabber attached – these are like a three fingered hand that opens and shut. The excavator tore apart a recently retired war plane. Within an hour, that plane had been reduced to a pile of scrap. By the way, I am not talking about a small fighter, I am talking about a large reinforced army transporter.

That is the power that an excavator operator has at their disposal. Imagine what sort of damage it could do as part of a demolition team, or breaking up concrete or rock! The range off attachments is broad and includes augers and jack hammers, just to name a few.

To be a successful excavator operator you need two components. You need good solid training in the basics that then provides a platform to build on. You then need a job where you can develop those skills and learn the intricacies of some the attachments.

We at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can help you to lay that solid platform to build on. Our heavy equipment training is comprehensive and undertaken over three weeks. This includes both in the cab and in the classroom training. As for a job, there is plenty of work available for heavy equipment operators at present. When you start your training, consult our career services department for advice on how and where to apply for that first job – we are all there to help you start your career.