There used to be a saying when I was younger – “a jack of all trades yet a master of none.” It was a phrase that pointed to a person who could do a lot of work across a variety of skills, yet they didn’t have a piece of paper to say they were qualified in any trade. When it comes to heavy equipment, backhoes are the jack (or Jill) of all trades – except you can say they were a master of all as well.

Backhoes bring together the power of an excavator, and that includes many of the attachments that excavators use, and the strength of a front end loader. Backhoes actually remind me a little of a scorpion – a mouth at the front and stinging tail at the back. In fact, that’s where they get their names from. Back hoe meaning the excavator bucket is at the back of the vehicle.

As an operator, there are a number of differences between a backhoe and other heavy equipment. To begin with, large backhoes are articulated – that is, they are joined in the middle with a pivoting point. Reversing a backhoe is a little like reversing a trailer. Good backhoe operators are in high demand because of the versatility that backhoes bring to a work site. They can be used to dig trenches, and then, using the loader scoop, fill the trench in again once a job has been completed. They can also be used to quickly remove any excess dirt or building material.

Learning to operate a backhoe is not difficult; in fact, I’d suggest you also learn how to operate an excavator and loader at the same time. This will ensure you have several skills you can rely on when working for an employer. You really will be a Jack (or Jill) of all trades then – and master of them as well.

The construction industry tends to run in cycles when it comes to employment requirements. This is often caused by a domino effect – a major project commences hiring and this attracts a lot of interest from heavy equipment operators, truck drivers, and crane operators. As operators and drivers move into those positions, they leave behind a vacuum that needs to be filled.

As a career option, operating either heavy equipment or cranes provides an individual with options. They can stay with one employer for decades, or they can move from employer to employer looking for jobs that are rewarding and challenging. This week we are not as hectic when it comes to job options, however, in recent weeks we have been inundated with opportunities – that’s the nature of the construction business. Some of the latest jobs include:

Truck Drivers
Friesland, WI.
An employer is looking for drivers

Heavy Equipment Operators
Huntsville, AL.
Company looking to hire heavy equipment operators, grade checkers, traffic controllers, and ready-mix drivers.

Crane Operator
Deforest, WI.
Employer requires an experienced Lattice Crawler Crane Operator

Heavy Equipment Operators
Carlsbad, NM.
Contractors hiring Heavy Equip Operators

Truck Drivers
Huntsville, AL.
Ready-mix drivers required. An employer also requires heavy equipment operators, grade checkers, and traffic controllers.

Truck Drivers
Louisville, KY
Employer also requires heavy equipment operators

Local Truck Drivers
Beaver Dam, WI.
Employer taking applications for local drivers

Short Haul Truck Drivers
Madison, WI
hiring short-haul drivers

Heavy Equipment Operators
Louisville, KY
Employer requires Heavy Equipment Operators

Heavy Equipment Operators
Nationwide.
Heavy Equipment Operator openings

If you are interested in any of those job opportunities, you can visit our dedicated job site for more information. If you’re interested in a career as a heavy equipment operator, truck driver, or crane operator, then visit ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training Schools for more information on our training programs. You can be work ready in as little as five weeks.

The term “mobile crane” probably invokes a picture of a smallish vehicle that has a crane on its back. These vehicles are common, however, mobile cranes are not necessarily small. There are mobile cranes around that dwarf large tractor-trailers, and which are capable of lifting huge weights.

Large mobile cranes often end up on a worksite where they are placed in semi-permanent positions for weeks or even months. The total extended boom length can be measured in hundreds of feet whilst the whole rig can weigh a hundred ton or more. Despite being a large vehicle, the principles behind its operation are no different to that of a small lightweight mobile crane.

It’s fairly easy to become a mobile crane operator. A few short weeks of crane operator training, an assessment to prove your knowledge and abilities, and a piece of paper that states you’re now certified to operate mobile cranes. That’s it. The training involves a lot of hands-on practice, including how to set up your mobile crane ready for work. There is also classroom-based training that looks at safety and other knowledge-based areas of crane operations.

Crane operators are in constant demand around the nation. Unfortunately for industry, crane operations has been an unwanted career in the under 25 age groups. This means the industry is struggling to replace baby boomers who are now reaching retirement age. Crane operations can be challenging, interesting and varied. Add to this a great pay packet with excellent benefits and you have the potential for a great career. As a mobile crane operator, you could be operating small lightweight cranes, or you could be in control of a monster.

Heavy equipment has long had a reputation for destroying much of the land that it travels over. It can be true as well. Heavy equipment is “heavy” and it can be cumbersome as it moves over the land. In the right hands, however, heavy equipment can be a great tool when it comes to reclaiming land and helping to rebuild nature.

A story out of the City of Charlottesville makes for interesting reading if you’re interested in the restoration of public lands. Many people read these articles and gloss over the work done by heavy equipment. It’s a role that’s important, especially in a situation like this, where time can be a real issue. When reclaiming this land, workers had to divert water from its normal course so that rocks, earth and fallen trees could be removed, and the environment rebuilt.

This can be challenging yet very rewarding work for those involved. There’s immense satisfaction in walking away from an area that has been over-run by weeds and debris having restored it to its native state. For heavy equipment operators, the key is to complete the tasks required whilst not causing any new damage. This means working to very precise instructions, often very closely with experts directing each movement.

To be successful in this type of work, heavy equipment operators need to be well trained, and to have a good feel for their machinery. Being able to follow directions is vital, as is the ability to respond very quickly when required. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training Schools take a lot of pride in the quality of the training provided, and the level of skills that graduate operators take into the workplace. With experience in the workplace, graduate operators are frequently found working in situations such as that described in the City of Charlottesville.

If you have an interest in restoring areas to their natural environment, then it all starts with your heavy equipment training. Seek out the best and you’ll be headed in the right direction.