Employment-related training is rarely free these days. However, for certain sections of the community, most if not all of the cost could be covered by one or more government programs. These days there seems to be state or federal programs related to every sector of our community, and if you meet the requirements for just one of those programs you could be attending a heavy equipment training program at no cost and on your way to a lucrative career as a heavy equipment operator.

Some of the government programs include:

• Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
• Department of Workforce Development
• Trade Adjustment Act (TAA)
• Displaced Workers
• Displaced Farmers
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Tribal Education (BIA)
• Veteran’s Benefits (VA)
• Active Service Personnel
• Guard and Reserve Members

These programs are changing all the time so you will need to check with the relevant bodies to determine your eligibility and the size of the grant. If you are eligible, you may be surprised at how much is available for employment-related training.

In some cases, you may not be eligible for a grant in the normal sense. For example, you may not be a veteran, but there are some benefits that are available to the spouses and children of veterans or currently serving personnel. This is why it is important to look closely at what benefits are available right now.

If you are eligible for a tuition grant, talk to one of our admissions staff members about how you can enroll into one of training programs using that grant. Heavy equipment is a career where demand is on the increase and new operators always welcome.

Have you ever seen a skid steer loader hard at work? From a distance it looks like a bee darting about everywhere. Some people question whether or not a skid steer loader, or any of the other smaller earth moving machinery, really are classified as heavy equipment. In reality, the term is “heavy earth moving equipment,” so the term refers to their ability to move a lot of earth, not their physical size.

With that definition, skid steer loaders are definitely in the heavy equipment classification. They can and do move a lot of earth each day, but what makes them special is their size – they can get into areas where other equipment wouldn’t fit. Just as importantly, they can work in areas where larger equipment could do a lot of damage to the ground. Landscape gardening is an area where skid steers and similar small equipment are able to work while doing minimal damage.

While skid steer loaders may be small beasts, they still require a skilled operator to get the most out of them. Skid steer loaders work on a similar principle to larger loaders, just on a smaller scale. That doesn’t mean you can jump from a loader to a skid steer if you haven’t had any prior experience, and that’s where a training body like ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools comes in handy.

The heavy equipment training program at ATS includes a range of heavy equipment amongst which are loaders and skid steers. Attend their training program and you will receive experience across the full range of heavy equipment – this means you can then swap between large loaders and skid steers whenever you need to.

One of the most popular vehicles in any municipal fleet is the grader – or should I say graders. This is especially so in northern regions where winter snow is an annual occurrence. Graders aren’t as versatile as many other vehicles in the heavy equipment department, but they are certainly the best machinery when it comes to snow and snow damage.

If you ever drive through mountainous country, especially some of the county backroads, one feature will stand out – there are a lot of sections that are made using gravel. There’s a good reason for this – gravel allows free drainage of water, doesn’t get muddy, and vehicles rarely get bogged down in it.

Winter snow and ice can do a lot of damage to roads, however, once the thaw sets in, gravel roads can be returned to full use fairly quickly by just having a grader level them out again. In winter, those same graders will be seen working as snow plows to clear the roads of snow and ice.

Learning to become a grader operator requires two steps. The first step is to develop a basic set of skills through heavy equipment training. That enables you to take the second step, and that is to refine your skills on the job. Some careers require years of study before you are competent to begin work. Grader operators only require a couple of weeks of heavy equipment training. However, it then takes years to hone those skills with every job teaching you something new.

If your local region suffers from regular snow and ice in winter, then graders are most likely the most popular vehicle in your county’s fleet. In fact, they are probably out right now repairing roads damaged from winter snows.

You can go and learn to be a backhoe operator, or you can go and learn how to be a bulldozer operator, but what if I told you could learn to be both in one training program? In today’s world, being multi-skilled is a must. When it comes to heavy equipment, if you can operate a front end loader and an excavator, then you can most likely operate a backhoe as well.

What’s more important is that today’s world is changing quite quickly. Today, there may be a high demand for grader operators; next month, it could be excavator operators; in winter, the demand could be for bulldozer operators that can also handle a snow plow. What we do know is that demand for heavy equipment operators is growing – the demand for each type of machinery will depend largely on what direction new operators take. If you are a multi-skilled heavy equipment operator – you can follow the winds of change to what best suits you.

Rather than undertaking equipment-specific training, finding a training organization that delivers training across a range of heavy equipment makes logical long term sense. Your training provides the platform for you to become a general heavy equipment operator rather than the narrow single equipment operator.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools provide training on a range of equipment such as backhoes, graders, loaders, bulldozers, and excavators (just to name a few). Training includes both in-class theory and safety aspects along with in-the-cab actual operator experience of a range of equipment. This prepares you to either specialize in one area, if that’s your decision, or to become a general operator across a range of heavy equipment.

Dump trucks are an essential part of a construction team as they work to either bring in construction materials or to cart away unwanted material. The one thing that most dump trucks rely on is another piece of heavy equipment to fill their dumpers. In some cases, there are silos that can be used to fill dumper with sand, soil, or gravel that is required on a construction project.

When it comes to removing unwanted material from a site, dump trucks have to rely on the speed, skill, and accuracy of loader operators and backhoe operators to fill their dumpers. Most teams develop a communication system that even tells a dump truck driver when their dumper is full and ready to be driven away. It’s an interesting process to watch from a distance – a little like ants running around slowly filling that dumper.

Dump truck drivers that drive their vehicles on public roads will generally require a commercial drivers license (CDL) before they can be employed. Leaning to drive a dump truck can be completed in a few short weeks. With the current state of our construction industry, employment opportunities are opening up every day – and the demand is set to rise as spring turns to summer.

Is the job of a dump truck driver boring? Never. Driving on the open road is challenging these days, especially with a fully-laden dump truck. The work is varied with operators often required to spread their load rather than just dumping and running. Spreading takes considerable skill as the dumper’s gate is only opened enough to let a steady stream of material escape. The dump truck driver needs to drive at the right speed while raising the dumper to allow a smooth and even flow of material over the surface. If you are ever near a road building project, watch the dump trucks as they spread gravel along a stretch of newly forming road. With those skills, it’s never boring!

Crane operators are now required to obtain certification in most states before being allowed onto a jobsite to operate a crane. Certification is a process that verifies an operator’s ability to operate a crane, and their knowledge of safety issues surrounding the setup and operation of a crane. Crane operator certification has been introduced to try and reduce the number of accidents that occur each year, some resulting in the loss of life.

ATS Crane Operator Training Schools has a variety of training and certification programs available for new operators, existing operators, and most importantly, operators looking to return to the profession after a sojourn in other fields. Those operators looking to return should be looking for training programs that can refresh their existing knowledge while bringing them up to date with the latest in technology and safety aspects. These operators will most likely not have undertaken any certification process in the past, and for those who have, they will need to consider re-certification prior to seeking employment.

In most states, employers will not even consider employment for operators who are not currently certified. ATS offers certification through the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), one of the most highly respected certifications in the industry. NCCCO certification meets all federal and state safety requirements and is achieved through a specific assessment process.

If you are considering returning to work as a crane operator, or have been working as a crane operator, then ATS can help you achieve your certification as a crane operator. If you require more information on crane operator certification, then check out our web pages on the subject.

Heavy equipment – the term conjures up images of big bulldozers, excavators, and perhaps even backhoes or loaders. You need to be big, strong, and tough to operate this equipment, so women are going to struggle – right? Wrong, wrong, and wrong. You don’t need to be big; you don’t need to be tough; and women are certainly not going to struggle when it comes to operating this machinery.

The fact is, there are hundreds of women operating heavy equipment – perhaps more. If you include truck drivers, then you can certainly start to number them in the thousands. It’s still not enough. Women have proven to be very good operators, especially when it comes to tasks that require attention to detail. Heavy equipment used to be a man’s world, but today’s technology means that almost anyone can operate them.

Can a woman make a successful career as a heavy equipment operator? Many have and they thoroughly enjoy the work. Perhaps there’s a little something about stepping into that ‘men’s world’ that appeals. It could be that many of these women have been fascinated by heavy equipment since childhood. It doesn’t really matter. If you are a woman and you are looking for a challenging career, working outdoors, and controlling heavy equipment like bulldozers or excavators, then a heavy equipment career is right for you.

When it comes to gaining employment, your search starts by undertaking heavy equipment training. If you undertake your training through ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools, then you will not only receive well-recognized training, we’ll help you find that first job – a job that will start you on the path to a career as a heavy equipment operator. Don’t let anyone tell you a woman can’t do the job – they can, and are, successfully – and so can you.

Computers have been good for a number of things. Communication, storing information, and playing games. In fact, gamers probably make up about half of all computer use in homes around the world. Serious gamers develop a lot of skills, and some of those skills actually make them a perfect fit for heavy equipment operations. If you look at today’s heavy equipment technology, there are similarities to playing games – just on a bigger scale.

There is a lot of machinery today that operates using joysticks. However, one of the biggest advantages that gamers have when it comes to operating heavy equipment is the almost perfect hand-eye coordination that they have. Admittedly, the close-up screens are not the same as the window of an excavator or grader, for example, but hand-eye coordination is still very much the same. There are many gamers that can adapt from playing games on their PC or laptop to playing on a console using a television screen very easily.

Are you a computer gamer who’s looking for a change of career? If you’re one of these people whose parents said that gaming was a waste of time, perhaps you can prove them wrong by putting those well-ingrained skills to good use as a heavy equipment operator. You can receive training and be ready for employment in just a few weeks. Heavy equipment operators have an interesting, varied, and reasonably well-paid career.

Heavy equipment operators can choose from a variety of equipment to work on including excavators, bulldozers, graders, loaders, and backhoes just to name a few. Gamers have great hand-eye coordination, working to precise measurements, and using light fingertip controls are what is necessary today – not the brute strength that was required many years ago.

Heavy equipment is often thought of as being strong tough machinery that is used to power through dirt and rock. In most cases it is. The bulldozer’s main claim to fame is its brute strength when it comes to pushing dirt around. Excavators are renown for their ability to dig trenches in the toughest conditions. Graders, on the other hand, while tough and powerful, are also known for their ability to sculpt the ground under them – and it’s that ability that we rely on for most of our roads and highways.

I marvel at today’s graders. With the use of computer-aided technology, a grader can be finely set to grade the ground under them to precise measurements. This includes both height and angles – or grades. If you regularly drive the highways, especially when it’s raining, you’ll notice the water running off the road easily and quickly. This is because of the very slight slope or grade given to the highway – and it’s all the work of a grader.

There are other areas where you will notice the effect without understanding why. Sweeping bends on highways, especially those that have to wind their way around hills or mountains, all have a slope, known as a camber, that is designed to help the car ‘stick’ to the road rather than trying to veer off. Engineers can determine the precise angle needed, and graders can prepare the road to those precise measurements.

You can learn to become a grader operator in just a few short weeks. Heavy equipment training programs will have you trained and ready for entry level work in next to no time at all. At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools, we’ll even work with you to try and find you that first job. Grader operators, they don’t power through the ground – they gently sculpt that ground.

Riggers and Signal Persons are required to be qualified under OSHA regulations. Becoming qualified is certainly not difficult and at the very least it should be affordable. Associated Training Services take it one step further offering affordable training and testing as either a qualified or certified rigger/signalperson. The question then is which is your best option – being qualified or certified?

The minimum requirement for a rigger/signalperson is holding a qualification compliance card. However, from an employment perspective, being certified by the National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) certainly holds more weight. Employers are always looking to hire the best credentialed workers possible, especially when it comes to safety issues. We also don’t know what the future holds for rigger/signalpersons. The law is constantly changing when it comes to workplace safety and the time may come when all rigger/signalpersons will require certification. We have already seen this with crane operators.

Associated Training Services has a comprehensive certification program for rigger/signalpersons. This program:

1. Exceeds OSHA qualification standard for rigging and signal persons.
2. Includes written and practical training and testing.
3. 32 to 36 hours (4 days) depending on number of candidates.
4. Certification issued by National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).
5. NCCCO Rigging Level One and NCCCO Signal Person Certifications.

Being certified is an important step when looking at your qualifications. Why stop at meeting the minimum requirements when, with just a little more effort, you can gain certification that reflects your knowledge and skills. If you are looking for affordable NCCCO certification, or a qualification compliance card, contact Associated Training Services – we’re leaders in the field of rigger/signalperson training and testing.