I know there are some in the construction industry who consider mobile crane operators to be second class operators – real operators drive huge fixed construction cranes. Let me let you in on a couple of secrets – first, there are three times more mobile cranes than fixed cranes; second, mobile crane operators have a more diverse career; and finally, operating a mobile crane takes more skills compared to operating a fixed crane.

One of the benefits enjoyed by mobile crane operators is the flexibility they provide. An urgent job comes in that requires a crane, send in a mobile crane. A fixed crane is just that – they are often assembled on site (at least in part) and can take weeks to move. That makes them fairly useless when it comes to urgent worked required on another site. All cranes have their uses, and that does include fixed cranes, however, that doesn’t make mobile crane operators second class operators.

When it comes to diversity, you just never know what your next job is going to be when operating a mobile crane. Simple lifts on a building site, complex lifts at a factory, or hazardous jobs such as pulling vehicles out of rivers, or righting overturned trucks could on your agenda – and that’s in one day.

If you pay attention while out driving, you’ll notice mobile cranes on the road. Some of these cranes are huge, at least the length of long distance trucks, sometimes even longer. Simply stabilizing these large mobile cranes can become complex. A career as a mobile crane operator starts with good quality mobile crane operator training that includes plenty of in-the-seat training. Get that training right, and you’ll have a long and happy career – you’ll certainly not be a second class operator.

Here’s a question to test your memory. Have you ever seen a woman operating a bulldozer?

I guess the majority of people would say “no” to that question. However, let me follow up with a second question. Have you ever really looked at a bulldozer operator?

Most people are fascinated by the bulldozer. The operator is almost unnoticeable. If you have looked a little closer, you may have been surprised since there are a lot of women now operating bulldozers.

It’s not just bulldozers. Women are training to operate heavy equipment in increasing numbers since it a job that relies more on skill and hand-eye coordination than it does strength. Once you put on work clothes, hard hat and gloves, the gender of the person in the operator’s seat is almost impossible to determine. Just as importantly, if you check any of the job ads for bulldozer operators (or heavy equipment operators in general), there is never a reference to gender. The selection criteria is, ultimately, very simple – can you do the job?

Heavy equipment operations is one industry in which new recruits are welcome. Industry in general acknowledges the need for new operators, especially when you consider the average age of operators is now quite high, and many of those operators will be looking at retirement in the next five or so years. Factor in the increase in road and bridge construction and the need for new operators is becoming urgent in some regions.

It’s interesting to note that the percentage of jobs listed in our Saturday jobs guide heavily favors heavy equipment operators. Not only that, they heavily favor operators who can operate a wide range of heavy equipment. If you’re interested in becoming a bulldozer operator, start by attending a heavy equipment training school that doesn’t discriminate, and which offers training on a wide range of heavy equipment. Whether your male or female, all that matters is being capable of doing the job, and that starts with quality training.

Training to become a truck driver is fairly straightforward. A couple of weeks in the classroom and behind the wheel and you’re ready to pass your commercial driver license tests. In most cases, students come to training with a preset notion of the type of truck they want to drive. Some students choose dump trucks while others may have a desire to haul long distance freight. Our suggestion – broaden your horizons, holding a commercial drivers license really does open the door to a very diverse truck driving career.

In theory, you can drive any truck that your license and its endorsements permit. You may prefer dump trucks, and we’ll never dissuade you from seeking a career as a dump truck driver. We will suggest you jump at any opportunities to drive trucks other than dump trucks. The more experience you have on a broad range of trucks, the more opportunities you will have in the future. Why? None of us have crystal balls.

Right now, there is work available across a range of industries for truck drivers. However, we don’t know what next year, or five years from now, has in store for us. Construction may take a huge dip and this will reduce the number of truck drivers required. If you have skills in a wide range of trucks, you can easily switch your focus to alternative trucks until the construction picks up. We do know that truck driving opportunities run in cycles with some years and/or some industries having large peaks and troughs.

With a diverse career in front of you, you may find that alternative work is more interesting and more challenging than your original truck driving choice. The bottom line? When undertaking training to gain a commercial drivers license, don’t be too restrictive in your choice of driving options. The wider your choice, and experience, the more successful your career will be, and you’ll rarely have quiet times.

Have you been looking for employment opportunities in the fields of crane operations, truck driving, or heavy equipment operations? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Each week we feature some of the best jobs that have been listed by employees on our job site, and there have certainly been plenty of them. Jobs that have been listed over the last couple of weeks include:

Highway Equipment Operator – Clinton, KY
Equipment Operator II – Tampa, FL
Finish Grader Operator – Polk County – Bartow, FL
Heavy Equipment Operator II – Walker, LA
Heavy Equipment Operator – Rhinebeck, NY
Heavy Equipment Operator/Yard Associate – Benton Harbor, MI
Heavy Equipment Operator – Laney, M.T.
Heavy Equipment Operator – Milpitas, CA
Operator – South Charleston, WV
Motor Vehicle Operator – Gatlinburg, TN
Equipment Operator/Truck Driver – Leesburg, VA
Heavy Equipment Operator – Dallas, TX
Equipment Operator – Portsmouth, VA
Heavy Equipment Operator – Sulphur, KY
Backhoe operators with CDL-A – Bryan, TX
Crane Operator – Baltimore, MD
Spray Rig operators with CDL-A and hazmat – Campbell, NE

If you have been considering a career change, don’t let anyone tell you there are no jobs in heavy equipment operations. As you can see from that list, there are plenty of jobs for heavy equipment operators spread all around the nation. Your first step is to seek out heavy equipment training, and who better to ask than those that specialize in both training and helping graduates find work?

It used to be said that when it came to heavy equipment operators bulldozer operators where a dime a dozen. These days, the opposite is almost true with most new operators looking at the more technical equipment such as excavators and road graders. There are still a lot of good bulldozer operators out there, and their ranks are slowly growing as new operators join them. Great operators are harder to come by these days, especially as our older operators start to retire. So if there are good operators around, what makes a great operator?

There is really only one way to become a great operator – and that’s through experience. However, experience alone will not suffice unless that experience has been one long learning curve. And that really is what makes a great operator – someone who treats every job as a learning experience. Every piece of dirt reacts differently. There are buried rocks, tree stumps, and all sorts of odds and ends. A recent story was more than interesting – a bulldozer unearthed a buried car, and yes, it had been stolen ten years earlier and buried – that was certainly a learning experience for that operator.

It’s true of most heavy equipment now. Every job has the potential for a new experience and that alone offers the opportunity to learn something new. A good bulldozer operator starts by laying a good skills foundation. This can only be achieved by completing a good quality heavy equipment training program. Follow that up with relevant work that allows you to build on that training and you’re well on the way to becoming a good bulldozer operator.

If you can continue to learn, rather than just turning up each day to do a day’s work, then you’ll quickly become a great operator – someone who can work on a variety of different surfaces, under a variety of different conditions, using different bulldozers each time. That’s experience that’s been put to good use – and a great operator in the making.

It is interesting to note one of the jobs that we listed on Saturday and its reference to winter work. While heavy equipment operators traditionally work in the field of construction, they are not limited to construction. Mining and agriculture rely on heavy equipment while in winter, state and country authorities rely on heavy equipment operators to keep roads open. What caught my eye from Saturday’s job listings was the following:

Operate dump truck with snow plow and salt spreader working snow and ice. Learn to operate with supervision frontend loader while loading trucks with materials & load salt during winter months.

Most snow plow operators come from heavy equipment backgrounds, commonly (but not limited to), bulldozer and grader operators. Salt is no different than dirt and sand in the way it is handled. It requires a front end loader to load it into trucks or salt spreaders, however, where it does differ is in its corrosive effect, so cleaning equipment regularly becomes important.

Heavy equipment careers are now year round careers. Operators can often find alternative work in the northern states helping to keep roads clear. Others find that their career is a perfect excuse to escape the winter chill as they work on projects in the warmer southern regions. Some operators even gain the ultimate escape by finding employment overseas – and yes, U.S. trained operators are well regarded and sought after internationally.

If you are interested in a career as a heavy equipment operator, don’t let the thought of winter unemployment deter you – there will be work, and the best time to gain experience is now. We can have you trained and work ready in as little as three weeks – well before the winter chill arrives.

New OSHA Crane Mandates now make it compulsory for all rigging and signal person personnel to meet certifying or qualification standards. For many workers, this involves training and assessment to ensure they meet these standards – and that may include workers who have been in the job for many years. This is a direct effort to increase safety awareness in workplaces, and to ensure there is a minimum standard across all workplaces in the United States where cranes are in use.

Associated Training Services (ATS) has two training programs that are designed to meet these standards. These training programs are:

Rigging / Signalperson – Qualification Program

• Meets OSHA qualification standard for rigging and signal person.
• Includes written and practical training and testing.
• 8 to 12 hours depending on number of candidates

Rigging / Signalperson – Certification Program

• Exceeds OSHA qualification standard for rigging and signal person.
• Includes written and practical training and testing.
• 32 to 36 hours (4 days) depending on number of candidates.

The ATS training programs are flexible and designed to be delivered in the workplace. We come to your site where we deliver a combination of classroom/written subject matter and testing, along with practical instruction and testing relevant to the training programs requested. Upon completion of the rigging/signalperson training program, participants who have successfully completed the required components will receive either a Qualification Compliance Card issued by Associated Training Services (Qualification Program) or NCCCO Rigging Level One and NCCCO Signalperson Certifications issued by the National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators (Certification Program).

If you have any doubts as to whether or not your employees currently meet the new OSHA Crane Mandate, contact us. We can assess your situation and determine what training your employees require to comply with these mandates.

This week’s job listings also include a couple of hiring presentations at our Wisconsin driving school. There is also a job listing that offers ongoing training in heavy equipment, perfect for those looking to develop new skills and add new equipment to their operating range.

WI, Diesel Driving School – Hiring Presentation on 10/4/11 at 4 P.M.

WI, Diesel Driving School – Hiring Presentation on 10/5/2011 at 4 P.M.

Clinton, KY – HIGHWAY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR II
Drive truck hauling materials to and from job site. Operate dump truck with snow plow and salt spreader working snow and ice. Learn to operate with supervision frontend loader while loading trucks with materials & load salt during winter months. Learn to operate backhoe to load materials onto trucks.

Tampa, FL – EQUIPMENT OPERATOR II
Performs duties operating a wide variety of motorized equipment used in public works projects.

New jobs are coming in all the time so be sure to check out our job site if you are looking for new opportunities. Hiring presentations listed are provided by different companies, so if you’re interesting truck driving jobs, put both into your schedule. If a career operating heavy equipment, cranes or driving trucks appeals, then check out our range of training options. There is work available, you just need to develop your skills.