Today’s heavy equipment technology actually has more processing power than the first Apollo missions that went into space. The improvements to electronics, pneumatics, hydraulics, transmissions, engines, along with the introduction of on board computer systems, lasers, and GPS have turned what was once a very heavy and hard-to-handle machine into an extremely powerful yet easy-to-operate piece of machinery.

Manufacturers such as Caterpillar, Kamatsu, John Deer, Volvo, and Case are all competing for markets where productivity is a primary issue. With today’s heavy equipment now capable of doing many tasks in half the time compared to 30-40 years ago, the push is on for even more improvements. When people talk about cutting edge technology, heavy equipment should be held up as a prime example. How easy have these machines become? You can operate many of the controls with a simple joy stick – it’s almost kids play.

Learning to operate heavy equipment has become the easy part. The difficult part has become learning how to read site maps, use the computer-aided technologies, and to understand soils – the latter really only coming with on-the-job experience. Safety issues are another area where good training has become paramount to a successful career in this industry.

We are reaching a stage where it is hard to know where improvements can now be made. There is new technology at work throughout heavy equipment, even to the point of making the latest machinery very ‘green’ friendly. Heavy equipment training using the latest machinery could put some operators at a disadvantage these days. There are still plenty of businesses using older equipment – those trained solely on modern computerized heavy equipment may struggle to operate some of those older machines. Still, we are moving on as a society and new technology is everywhere – even in heavy equipment.

We have come a long way as a nation. We arrived on this land with very little and over the years we have developed large cities, highways, and a lot of infrastructure. Much of this was done with unskilled or lightly skilled labor – it also came at heavy cost in terms of lives lost. Over the years our workforce has become more sophisticated with workers better skilled and work conditions far better than years ago.

Although our workforce was better skilled, loss of life and serious injuries still plagued the workplace. In an effort to reduce this, governments at state and federal level have introduced laws making it mandatory for certain workers to undertake training in specific areas. Safety is one area and in most states employees must complete safety training before commencing work on a construction site. Part of this push to improve safety included heavy equipment operators and crane operators.

Crane operators must now be certified to operate a crane before they can be employed. Certification in theory verifies that the holder of the certificate has met a minimum set of skills and knowledge of safety as it applies to crane operations. You can undertake crane operator training through any training body, however, certification can only be achieved through accredited organizations. With this in mind, it makes sense to undertake training through an organization that is also accredited to assess graduates for certification.

ATS Crane Operator Schools have a long and proud history of taking unskilled individuals and training them to not only perform well as crane operators, but to also have long and successful careers in the industry. Naturally, to be employed as a crane operator, ATS graduates can also undertake assessment for accreditation. This provides employers with proof that you meet the minimum requirements to be a successful crane operator.

Obtaining finance for heavy equipment training has never really been difficult for those who have reasonable credit histories. For people who are out of work or disadvantaged in other ways, there have been government-funded programs to pay for training. There are even training benefits available for the service personnel and their families. As with every society, there are probably individuals who have fallen between the cracks, not eligible for government-funded programs, and not having a sound credit history.

Credit is becoming a little easier and financial institutions are again realizing the worth of career loans, especially those that lead to viable employment relatively quickly. That is one of the benefits of training in areas like truck driving, heavy equipment, and crane operations – the training can be completed in as little as three weeks and graduates ready for entry level employment almost immediately. For lenders, the sooner the lender is in the workplace earning, the sooner the loan is repaid.

If you may be worried that your credit history could make a loan difficult, you have a number of options. The first is to request a copy of your credit history – with that in hand you can verify its accuracy and perhaps determine whether or not there are negative reports. Your second option is to fill in our application for credit – we will have an answer back to you within 48 hours (perhaps a little longer over the holiday period).

Financing heavy equipment training is not that difficult. We at ATS endeavor to do as much as possible to make your funding options easier so talk to us if you have any concerns.