Choosing the best career option can be a difficult decision. When it comes to heavy equipment careers, there is a lot to consider. You’ll be working outside – although generally in a cab (often with climate controlled air conditioning). The work can be hot and dusty in summer, and you’ll also find there are frustrating periods where everything comes to a standstill because of bad weather – rain, ice and snow play havoc with construction schedules.

So who is best suited to a career as a heavy equipment operator? Obviously someone who enjoys working outside. It also helps if you have a mechanical aptitude since your work includes maintenance and safety inspections of your equipment. You’ll also need to be able to work both on your own and as part of team. Whilst not definitive, the following list is a good guide to those well suited to careers in heavy equipment.

• Enjoy working outdoors,
• Mechanical aptitude,
• Team worker,
• Reasonably fit,
• Good eyesight and a good awareness of depth
• Good eye, hand and foot co-ordination
• Fast reflexes

It also helps to have a reasonably good understanding of English (both written and verbal) and personal attributes such as honesty, integrity and reliability. However, there is one attribute that probably outshines all others, and that is desire. For many, if the desire is strong enough, they can soon develop any other deficiencies. There are heavy equipment operators who don’t have a great mechanical aptitude, however, they do have the ability to learn what is required to look after their equipment (and still remain useless under the hood of their own car).

Heavy equipment careers are lucrative and offer a lifetime of interesting and flexible work. If you’re interested in becoming a heavy equipment operator, you meet most of the attributes listed, and you have the desire to succeed, then contact us. A heavy equipment career could be waiting for you, and your first step is to complete a recognized heavy equipment training program.

The demand for heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and crane operators has been spread nationwide this summer. We have seen job vacancies listed that include international work, mine work and general construction work. We have seen specific job vacancies listed in the following areas over the last two weeks.

Heavy Equipment Operators
Louisville, KY
Fargo, ND.
Shorewood, NC.
Cheyenne, WY.
Boca Raton, FL
Curtis, NE
Lubbock, TX

Truck Drivers
Marshfield, WI.
Louisville, KY
Beaver Dam, WI.
Fargo, ND.
Madison, WI
Green Bay, WI.
Cheyenne, WY.
Odessa, TX

Crane Operators
Madison, WI
Cheyenne, WY.
Toledo, IA.
Apex, NC

If you are looking for work as either a heavy equipment operator, truck driver, or crane operator, then visit our job site where you will find more details on any job listings. Check back on a regular basis since jobs are constantly coming in. If you’re considering a career as a heavy equipment operator, truck driver, or crane operator, then check out our training site. There you will find all the latest information on training programs available, start dates, and how to apply.

When it comes to heavy equipment careers, the number one preference still seems to be bulldozers. The problem with taking a stance on bulldozers is that it limits your career options. Heavy equipment operators are in high demand, however, employers are not just looking for bulldozer operators. In many cases, they are looking for multi-skilled operators – that is, heavy equipment operators who can operate a range of machinery.

A recent look at job vacancies in the heavy equipment field will demonstrate this. Two recent job vacancies advertised for:

operators that have experience with the following equipment:- Tracked Excavator- Finish Dozer Operator- Motor Grader- Rubber Tire Loader,

and

Operate motor graders, scrapers, front-end loaders, dump trucks and other construction equipment of comparable size and complexity

The second job vacancy was particularly interesting since it also included operators who can drive dump trucks. Employers also often prefer heavy equipment operators who have a CDL and experience moving heavy equipment from site to site. The message here is simple – don’t rely on one piece of heavy equipment, diversify and gain experience on as many different machines as possible.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools, we provide training programs that cover a range of heavy equipment (and CDL/dump truck driver training). By undergoing training across a range of heavy equipment, you will be setting yourself up for a much broader heavy equipment operator career.

Yes, bulldozers are still one of the most commonly used pieces of heavy equipment. And yes, there is always a strong demand for competent operators. However, our recommendation is more practical. Give yourself a range of skills and you’ll always be employable.

Safety is an important issue in any workplace. Construction brings many dangers, however, for some heavy equipment operators, safety becomes a bigger problem when they are working away from a construction site. There are dangers everywhere in life, yet as you go about your daily business, are you aware of the dangers both above and below you?

Excavator operators need to be more observant than most since those above and below dangers are ever-present. Looking up and staying alive is a common theme in heavy equipment training programs. Why look up? Overhead power lines are everywhere and they represent a major danger to heavy equipment operators. Bring down live power lines and you could create all sorts of problems. To begin with, your equipment could be become ‘live’. If you try to escape, you run the risk of being electrocuted. Stay, and there’s a risk of fire, more so if those live power cables are sparking.

That’s above. What about below? Hidden below your feet are all the service pipes carrying water, sewage, sometimes telephone or power, and gas. The latter is a major cause for concern since a minor break in a pipe could lead to a major explosion – and we have seen a few of these in recent years.

Running into problems with overhead power lines or underground services can cause problems for operators, particularly crane and excavator operators who frequently raise their equipment well above eye level. Those problems also create huge problems for residents and businesses. Loss of power is one thing, being evacuated because of a dangerous gas leak is ever more of a problem.

Most reputable heavy equipment training programs include study of these issues and how to prevent incidents from happening. Workplace safety is a big issue today, so you do need to ensure you receive the best training possible before entering the workplace. If you can remember to look up when using your heavy equipment, and to check on the location of underground services, you should be able to avoid problems. Plow in without any thought, and you’ll most likely cause problems for yourself and those around you.

Often looked down upon when it comes to heavy equipment, skid steer loaders have their place in society, and there is always demand for more operators. Rather than concentrating on just skid steer loaders, new operators should be looking at a broad range of heavy equipment. Skid steer loaders, whilst quite small, can be quite challenging to operate. They rely very much on an operator’s coordination between hands and feet, and their ability to move all four limbs very quickly.

Skid steer loaders have found a home in areas such as landscape gardening, and in cleaning up construction sites once work has been complete. They are also frequently used to clean up demolition sites once the major work has been completed. If there were no skid steer loaders, this work would have to be done by hand, and this can be labor intensive. A skid steer loader can do the work of a dozen manual workers, especially in skilled hands.

Ideally, a skid steer loader operator will also have experience in larger loaders, and perhaps backhoes and bulldozers as well. The ideal training program is one which covers these and other heavy equipment whilst also covering the required safety aspects of heavy equipment operations.

Over the years, skid steer loaders have proven to be the ideal equipment for those who wish to become owner operators. The equipment is easily transported on a trailer pulled by a car. Skid steers can get into small areas that larger equipment would find impossible to manage.

If you’re looking for a career in some of the smaller units of heavy equipment, then a career as a skid steer operator is well worth considering. We include skid steer loaders as part of our heavy equipment training program as good operators are always in demand since they perform the finishing touches to many construction projects.

There is certainly no shortage of jobs on offer this week with truck drivers, heavy equipment operators and crane operators all in demand. If you need more information on any of these jobs including who to apply to, visit our dedicated job site. This weeks job’s include:

Truck Drivers
Marshfield, WI.
Farmway is hiring drivers, 48 state carrier.

Truck Drivers
Louisville, KY
Employer also requires heavy equipment operators

Local Truck Drivers
Beaver Dam, WI.
Ptaschinski Construction is taking applications for local drivers

Truck Drivers
Fargo, ND.
Employer requires truck drivers

Short Haul Truck Drivers
Madison, WI
hiring short haul drivers

Flatbed Truck Drivers
Green Bay, WI.
needs driver with some experience for flatbed work

Truck Drivers
Cheyenne, WY.
also requires Heavy Equipment Operators and Crane operators

Heavy Equipment Operators
Louisville, KY
is hiring Heavy Equipment Operators

Heavy Equipment Operators
Fargo, ND.
employer also requires Truck drivers.

Skidsteer Operator
Shorewood, NC.
A.C.T. needs skidsteer operator for asphalt Baseing

Heavy Equipment Operators
Cheyenne, WY.
also requires Truck Drivers and Crane operators

Heavy Equipment Operators
Nationwide.
Heavy Equipment Operator openings

Boom Truck Operators
Madison, WI
home builders hiring boom truck operators.

Crane Operators
Cheyenne, WY.
is also hiring Heavy Equipment Operators and Truck Drivers

Boom Truck Drivers
Toledo, IA.
Homes builders hiring boom truck drivers.

If you are considering a career as either a truck driver, heavy equipment operator or crane operator, then, as you can see, there are job vacancies. Your first step is to undertake the relevant training, and that’s where we can certainly help. Call us or visit our heavy equipment training site for more details on current training programs.

What do you think a dump truck driver’s job entails? Most people consider dump truck driving to be a simple fill up at A and dump at B type job. In other words, fairly boring! There are times when this view is fairly accurate, however, dump truck drivers are often called on to do fairly complex tasks.

Dumping in itself can be fairly easy, if you are only going to dump a load in the one spot. When it comes to road building, for example, dump truck drivers are often required to dump their load, not in the one spot, but spread evenly along the new road’s surface. This takes some skill in both the operation of the dumping mechanism, the operation of the hopper door, and the speed of the dump truck itself. When all three come together well, an experienced dump truck driver can quickly empty his load evenly over 100-200 yards.

This skill takes quite a bit of practice, however, once mastered, becomes a valuable tool in any dump truck driver’s skill base. Dumping in the one place can also take a good deal of skill as well. Dump truck drivers don’t just dump a load on a flat or level surface. Dump truck drivers may be required to dump their loads into pits, large holes, or even over the edges of cliff-like areas. This takes skilled driving, especially in reverse, to place their vehicle in the right place to enable a safe discharge of their load. There are many stories of dump truck drivers who misjudged the edge, and either ended up in the pit, or dumping the load on the edge of the pit rather than in it.

Dump truck driving takes a lot of skill and patience. Learning to drive a dump truck is not the challenge, learning the fine skills is the real challenge, and that comes on the job with a lot of practice. We can deliver your dump truck driver training, and we can help you find your first job. From there, it’s a matter of getting as much experience as possible.

If you think that heavy equipment careers are one dimensional, think again. Operators are not equal, and with some equipment, only the best operators need apply. A finishing standard grader operator is one example. These are operators who have developed the fine skills required to grade to very exacting measurements.

Airport runways are a good example (with roads a close second). When runways are being built, they are done to very precise measurements. They need to be when you consider their use. Large very heavy jets thundering in at high speeds, wheels thumping into the tarmac, then hard breaking towards the end of the runway. A runway that isn’t too smooth has the potential to kick a jet back into the air causing a very bumpy (and perhaps damaging) landing – one that pilots, passengers and airline companies don’t want to see.

A finishing grader operator does just that, they put the finishing touch on a surface prior to concreting or asphalting. Their work needs to be precise; after all, once the top layer goes on, there’s no going back to make any corrections. Finishing grader operators are those that have worked hard to develop their skills. In particular, how to set their blades and control their equipment. They also know how to accurately read site plans, and how to work closely with other people on a project.

To become a finishing grader operator, you need to start at the bottom. This means undertaking quality heavy equipment training, then gaining employment where you can develop your skills. When you first start, you won’t be in the same league as a finishing grader operator, however, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can develop those skills. A career as a heavy equipment operator is definitely not one dimensional, there are always new skill levels that an operator can aspire to reach.

Are you interested in a career as a crane operator? You will need to decide on the type of crane you want to operate since they come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and configurations. The two most common basic crane types are the mobile cranes and the fixed cranes. Some fixed cranes require assembly and dis-assembly before and after use. Mobile cranes can be driven to a work site and be readied for action quite quickly.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training Schools, we offer training in several different types of crane including:

• Fixed and Swing Cab Mobile Hydraulic Cranes,
• Lattice Boom (Crawler or Truck) Cranes, and
• Articulated Boom (Knuckleboom) Cranes

For an individual interested in becoming a crane operator, the training is only half of the story. You will also need to become certified before an employer can place you into a cab. This makes the training an important half (of the story) since you will need to pass tests to become certified. It also helps if your training provider is also accredited to undertake the assessments required to gain certification.

ATS is one of the oldest and biggest crane operator training organizations in the country. We have developed training programs that are accepted nationally and we are accredited to deliver practical and theory assessments for certification by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).

Employers recognize the quality of our training and the validity of our certification process, often coming to us when looking for new operators. If you are interested in a well paid career as a crane operator, then seek out the best training possible – it will set you up for a long and very successful career.

Wanted, out of work heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and crane operators for work in a range of positions around the nation. We have a steady flow of job vacancies being listed on our job site, just waiting for the right operators/drivers. If you’re looking for work in any of these areas, check the following to see if there’s something best suited to your needs.

Crane Operator
Apex, NC
A driver/crane operator required by company in Apex, NC.

Drivers
Odessa, TX
Schneider is always looking for experienced drivers, particulalry those able to operate sand tanks. Excellent pay of $65,000+.

Heavy Equipment Operator
Boca Raton, FL
Qualified Heavy Equipment Operators that have experience with site development and underground utility installation work. We are currently seeking operators that have experience with the following equipment:- Tracked Excavator- Finish Dozer Operator- Motor Grader- Rubber Tire Loader- Installation of water, sewer and drainage line.

Equipment Operator – Heavy Equipment Operation
Curtis, NE
This position will include driving, maneuvering, and controlling heavy machinery such as a loaders, bulldozers, graders, or excavators.

Heavy Equipment Operator
Lubbock, TX
Operate motor graders, scrapers, front-end loaders, dump trucks and other construction equipment of comparable size and complexity; maintain and service equipment and trucks; operate mechanical attachments and equipment on vehicles and operate pickups and other light equipment when assigned.

Are you looking at changing careers? Heavy equipment operators enjoy great work conditions and pay rates. You will need to undertake the necessary heavy equipment training, first, and we can help. You can learn to operate a range of heavy equipment through our training programs and we ensure you are work ready before leaving our training programs.