A career as a heavy equipment operator is always challenging, but it can be very rewarding as well. Demand for operators has been steadily climbing in recent years, particularly as our workforce ages. For some reason, heavy equipment has not been a popular choice amongst our youth so the average age for operators is quite high. The forecast over the next few years is for negative growth as more older operators retire. This will benefit new operators since demand is expected to continue to grow.

With negative growth in the workforce and demand steadily increasing, the fear in some sectors is that by 2012/2013 there will be a shortage of operators, particularly experienced operators. Those that undertake training now should be able to gain the experience required to fill those ‘experienced’ vacancies when they occur. Heavy equipment training creates a platform which can be quickly built upon once you’re in the workplace. However, that heavy equipment training needs to cover a broad range of subjects, most particularly safety, operations, and preventative maintenance.

So what is in store for 2011? Demand will continue to grow, especially in areas where Federal stimulus spending is continuing to build roads, bridges and public infrastructure. The economy is slowly lifting out of the doldrums and there are predictions that new home building projects will start to increase. Business is also starting to fight back with success, and if consumers continue to spend at reasonable rates, you can see further expansions in those areas, including new construction. If construction does improve as predicted, then the demand for heavy equipment operators will also improve.

In a nutshell, this is a perfect time to consider heavy equipment operations as a career. The future looks good, wages are good, and working conditions are getting better every year. Make a start now to attend a good quality heavy equipment training program. Once you have completed the course, you should be ready to commence work as an entry level operator where you can gain further skills. 2011 and beyond looks very promising for new heavy equipment operators.

One of the most versatile vehicles in a heavy equipment fleet has to be the backhoe. To begin with, it is two vehicles in one – the front is a standard front end loader and the rear is a cut down version of an excavator. Because it has two tools, it can do a wide range of jobs. Backhoes can also be quite nimble so they can work over a variety of terrains. Their large heavy treaded wheels also help, even when the weather turns sour.

To become a backhoe operator you need to learn the skills of both a loader operator and an excavator operator. For this reason, heavy equipment training programs that introduce students to a variety of machinery are more important than programs that train an individual in a single vehicle. The skills learned across that range of equipment prepares the student well for a career as a backhoe operator – it also provides the student with more options once they have completed their training.

You will find backhoes working everywhere from home construction sites to large buildings. They are also often used to prepare the way for in-ground swimming pools or to dig trenches for underground services such as gas, electricity, and telephone. Backhoes are also often found on demolition sites, particularly during the end stages when a site is being cleared. Backhoes and excavators have many similarities and this includes a wide range of tools that can be added to the rear of the vehicle. These tools can do any number of jobs including digging post holes and breaking up concrete slabs or large rocks in preparation for removal. The loader can then be used to help load the material onto a truck.

Backhoes are a popular choice for those graduating from our heavy equipment training programs. They are also one of the most popular choices when it comes to setting up your own small business. The wide range of jobs that a backhoe can do means it is in constant demand. Interested in a career as a backhoe operator? Contact ATS for more information on our heavy equipment operator training programs.

We seem to be having wild weather all around the world. Hurricanes, heavy snow with colder than average temperatures, and in the southern hemisphere, where it should be summer, they are having heavy rains with severe flooding. When you start to look at some of the news stories, heavy equipment like bulldozers and snow plows feature as do trucks, although in Europe and Australia many of them are stuck as they wait for the highways to clear. The one that stands out for me, though, are the mobile crane operators – what a great career they must have.

I notice several news stories from Australia where cars had been carried away as they tried to cross a flooded bridged. That water can certainly move quickly. But there were mobile cranes with their booms swung out across the flooded river, hauling those cars back to firmer ground. In England, there are similar scenes with vehicles skating off roads and ending up in all sorts of precarious positions. Again, it’s the mobile crane operator who has to work out how to get that car back onto safe ground. The car is often a complete write off. But you know what insurance companies are like … if they can’t have the car in front of them to do an assessment, then they often won’t pay out.

We have similar scenes here, and that’s what makes the job of a mobile crane operator so interesting. You just never know what sort of job you’ll be asked to do next. Some jobs are fairly standard, like lifting machinery into place, or lifting building materials around a work site. Other jobs can be dangerous and exciting and they can really be a test of the skills of an operator.

Learning to operate a mobile crane is not as difficult as most people think. Mobile crane operator training can be completed in three weeks and, following a successful assessment, graduates can also then be certified. Many states have made the certification of crane operators mandatory so completing the assessment is a step that should be seriously considered. If you are interested in a career that is interesting, has plenty of variety, and the occasional tough assignment, then consider the role of a mobile crane operator – they have it all.

Looking at all the toy stores this Christmas, it seems that bulldozers are still one of the favorites toys for youngsters. Mind you, I notice a newish toy on the market that has taken a lot of attention, and that’s a sit-on excavator that works very much like the real thing. What is good to see is that there is still an avid interest from our youngsters when it comes to heavy equipment.

Unfortunately, once they reach their teens, medicine, law, and many other professions seem to take precedence. But whenever there is heavy equipment at work, there are plenty of people who stop and watch – perhaps that’s the child in them coming out and remembering their toys. It’s amazing how many people reach that first career change challenge then turn to industries such as heavy equipment operations, truck driving, and crane operations. And what is the most popular unit of heavy equipment? The bulldozer.

Working as a bulldozer operator can be challenging. It is certainly rewarding in both job satisfaction and remuneration. Bulldozer operators get to do many of the jobs that, as children, they practiced in their back yards. And if you think it’s restricted to boys, think again. Girls love to play with bulldozers just as much as boys, and in the workplace they are proving to be just as skilled as their male counterparts.

We may not be attracting the youth into the profession, but we are attracting those a little later in life. Are you one of those going through a career reassessment phase? If you are, you should check out what a career in heavy equipment offers. Bulldozer operators are well-trained professional operators that are well rewarded for their efforts. There is always some demand for new operators, and this will certainly grow as winter starts to leave us. Will you be trained and ready for action when the demand for new operators climbs?

There have been interesting images from around the world this week. In the UK and Europe, heavy snow has closed roads, airports, and even main highways. In Australia, heavy rain has flooded thousands of acres closing highways and railways. In recent months there have been images from China of highways blocked with traffic traveling at speeds measured in feet per hour. The one image that stands out from those three regions has been the rows of trucks all brought to a standstill. We are fortunate here. In most states, the highways remain open and the traffic flows smoothly, especially the trucks.

What the world has in common is that their economies are very much based on their ability to transport goods from one area to another. We are no different in that regard so that makes the role of a truck driver fairly important. In our modern society, if the trucks didn’t get the food through, we would all starve since most of us have no idea how to grow our own food. In the major cities, there’s hardly a square foot of ground suitable for growing food as it is.

Truck drivers can be undervalued by society, however, truck drivers do know how important their roles are so they endeavor to do everything possible to get their loads delivered. It takes a lot of skill to handle a large truck when roads are icy or wet, skill that starts with good quality truck driver training followed up by hours of in-the-drivers seat experience. ATS are one of the nation’s leaders when it comes to truck driver training. We highly respected within the trucking community. Our graduates, once they obtain their commercial drivers licenses, are well considered when applying for truck driving vacancies.

If truck driving is a career that appeals to you, then contact us here at ATS. We can discuss your truck driver training options, including where you can undertake your training, and when the next training courses commence. It doesn’t matter the weather, ATS truck drivers keep on moving.

Have you ever considered a career as a truck driver or heavy equipment operator? If you have, ATS have some great news for you as we head into 2011. Our successful free heavy equipment and CDL workshops are continuing on into the New Year and they present the perfect opportunity to find out all there is to starting a career in these industries. These workshops are conducted on Saturdays only and are only conducted one every three weeks – so if you’re interested, book early to secure your place.

While we call them a workshop, they actually represent a free day’s training. Schedules differ from location to location, but the general thrust is a morning of classroom training introducing you to either heavy equipment operations or truck driving. The afternoon is then spent with equipment demonstrations and hands on practical experience. For those who successfully complete the morning’s activities, the day could be rounded off with the presentation of a $500 scholarship towards the cost of a full training enrollment.

Don’t look at this opportunity at being just a demonstration either. You will complete an actual training module from the full training course, which, if nothing else, should give you an indication of whether or not you could successfully complete the full course. It should also give you an idea as to whether or not truck driving or heavy equipment is a good career choice for you.

Heavy equipment and truck driving careers are well paid and there is always demand for operators or drivers, particularly as the economy starts to pick up. By taking one Saturday and experiencing one of our workshops, you’ll experience a career changing move for the better. There’s only one way to find out: Call us on 800-383-7364 to find out where and when our next workshop is planned. You can also check out our free heavy equipment/CDL workshop web page for more information.

NOTE: The information in this post will no longer be valid after December 31, 2010.

If you talk to some of the old timers, they will tell you that our modern equipment is too easy. A child could operate it. In a way, it’s true. The equipment that was around 50 years ago was heavy, awkward, and often took brute strength to operate. Today, some of the controls could be operated using one finger. But has it made the job easier?

While the equipment has become easier to operate, the range of jobs required from that heavy equipment has broadened considerably. Heavy equipment like a bulldozer can now venture into terrain where older equipment never dared to go. Look at how easy some of these machines work on sandy beaches, restoring the sand after a storm. They maneuver over the top of that sand like it was a concrete highway.

So, while heavy equipment technology has made the operation of some equipment easy, it has not necessarily made the job easier. Heavy equipment operators now require more skills than they did 50, or even 20, years ago. Knowledge of soils and how they react when moved, being able to read site plans, and, today, being able to operate equipment such as GPS units come together to make the job more taxing on the brain rather than the brawn.

The one thing that new heavy equipment technology has done is influence the way new operators are trained. When those old timers learned to operate their equipment, it was virtually a trial-by-error learning experience. Five minutes instruction from another operator to learn what the levers did, then on to the job. In today’s workplace, that type of training just doesn’t cut it. Employers are looking for operators that have been trained by reputable heavy equipment training companies – companies that have built their reputations on the delivery of skilled and employable graduates.

You know, things haven’t changed that much. Sure, the equipment is more modern and easier to operate. But the training is still delivered by experienced operators – the big difference being that today’s trainers are also qualified to train, and they train to a specific set of skills. Has heavy equipment technology made the job too easy? Definitely not – industry today expects our graduates to be well trained and ready to go to work – and that’s our aim too.

There are many people who look at motor graders driving up and down a stretch of what will soon be a road or highway and think, “that looks so easy.” In a way, for an experienced operator, it is. However, it takes good basic training and a lot of experience before you can say “it’s easy.” The reality is, a motor grader’s job is quite involved and it certainly involves more than just “driving up and down.”

Part of the training that is essential to motor graders is the theoretical, or classroom-based, training. This covers subjects such as:

• grade reading
• grade stakes
• laser levels
• site plans
• site layout
• soils and
• safety

Being able to read site plans is important since a grader operator’s role is to work to precise measurements. This brings in skills such as grade reading and laser levels. If you think about a stretch of road, particularly highways, they are not completely flat. They built with a small amount of slope to them – this is to enable water to flow from the center to either side rather than just pooling in the middle of the road. Corners have a camber to them that makes them safer to drive on at highway speeds.

It takes a lot of skill to get these slopes and cambers just right and that comes back to a grader operator’s ability to read plans, and to work to those precise measurements. Training followed by on-the-job experience is the only reliable way to build these skills. Being a grader operator is not as easy as some people may think. However, with the right heavy equipment training behind you, it’s not that difficult either.

We constantly focus on what ATS has to offer anyone looking at heavy equipment operations as a career. On the other side of the equation are the employers, so today I want to focus on the services that we offer you. ATS has a long and successful history of training heavy equipment operators, crane operators, and truck drivers. We have also built a strong network of employers who have successfully employed our graduates and helped them to achieve their goal of being successful operators or drivers.

For employers, we offer a number of services. As a training organization, our aim is to see our graduates successfully employed. To help us achieve that goal, we have a dedicated web site designed to connect employers with graduates from our schools. The-Job-Site.com is a website that lists all of our graduates since 1995. Graduates seeking employment have put together pre-application resumes that list their work history, experience and contact details. Employers can search through this database to find potential employees for their business. Businesses can also list job vacancies that graduates can apply for.

Our services to employers doesn’t end there. We also offer training programs that are customized to meet your needs. This training can be delivered in one of our schools or in the workplace using either our equipment or your own. There are many benefits to being trained on the equipment you are going to use, especially in situations where specialized skills are required.

ATS has a long and proud history when it comes to training truck drivers, crane operators, and heavy equipment operators. We have a steady stream of new graduates available for hire, all trained and eager to find the right employer. If you are looking for skilled operators, then feel free to check out what we have to offer for employers.

Career Education or career training loans are offered by many different lending institutions. While many have specific criteria for lending, the purpose of these loans remains the same – to help students get through their training. One criteria that is fairly common is that your training has to be undertaken through an accredited training organization. Heavy equipment training through Associated Training Services fits that criteria, so prospective students do at least qualify to apply for a loan.

Why should you choose a career loan? There are number of reasons, and while each lending institution will differ, some of the benefits include:

• Generally lower interest rates
• You can often apply online or by phone and sometimes receive instant pre-approval
• If your credit score is good you won’t need a cosigner
• Some loans offer repayment terms of up to 15 years
• Some loans allow you to borrow to pay your tuition plus any other school-related expenses
• Some career loans offer a six or twelve month deferral before you have to start making payments

Financial aid for heavy equipment training can be difficult, however, career loans are often a little more relaxed in their lending criteria compared to buying a home or a car. If you are going into full time study, then having a full time income is not generally practical – this is taken into account. One of the pluses when studying through ATS is that our training courses are only three weeks in duration. This means you could potentially be employed a month after starting your training. This can be an important factor when your financial institution is considering your application.

If you feel that a career loan is not for you, contact us at ATS and we may be able to help you find alternative financial aid. You never know, you may be entitled to assistance through the many programs being run by state and federal governments.