Winter may be rapidly approaching but that does not seem to have reduced the demand for grader operators. If anything, demand has continued to climb. Grader operators are generally employed to assist with road construction projects – of course, these have exploded in number in recent months thanks to increases in Federal funding. Winter also sees the arrival of snow in many places. Grader operators can sometimes be found also helping to remove snow from our roads.

Operating a grader is perhaps one of the most technically demanding jobs on a building site. Grader operators have a lot of variables they need to constantly watch. Unlike most construction site equipment, graders are driven over very long stretches of new road. Fellow workers are just one aspect that needs to be watched. At the same time the operator needs to be watching what the blade is doing as the grader cuts, removes and level a stretch of ground.

These days a grader is often guided by laser technology. This is another instrument that must be given attention. With so much going on inside the cab, and a lot going onside the cab, the operator needs to concentration skills and an ability to multi-task. Fortunately, a grader is a relatively easy machine to learn to operate.

Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have grader training programs commencing all the time. If you are interested in a career as a motor grader then I suggest you contact us to inquire about our next training program starting soon.

I am noticing a steady increase in the number of vacancies for motor grader operators these days. In fact, there is an overall increase in advertised vacancies for heavy equipment operators. I have seen several ads that read – operators required for roller, front end loader, mini excavator, street sweeper tractor (mower), motor grader, asphalt lay down machine, oil distributor and chip seal machine. Smack in the middle, hidden away was the motor grader.

The increase in demand for all heavy equipment operators is due in no part to the federal stimulus spending packages. Motor grader operators are in demand because a lot of that money is going into new roads – heavy users of motor graders.

In the past, many businesses could get away with using one or two operators across a range of equipment. They would use a bulldozer to clear the way, the motor grader to prepare the surface and a front end loader to remove the debris. At the moment, there is so much work on their books they need operators for each of these machines. They are going from two or three operators to five or six – a doubling of operator numbers.

For those who have wanted a career in heavy equipment, particularly as motor grader operators, now is the time to act. Employment numbers are forecast to rise over the the next 5-6 years and this increase in demand will start to put pressure on operator training schools. At present, you can enroll and start your training almost immediately. The same will not be true in the months to come. By this time next year, the demand may be such you will have to wait several months for the next training vacancy.

Act now and undertake your motor grader operator training. The demand is there for new operators – will you be one of them?

Heavy equipment operators used to be tough old nuts. They had reputations for being hard talking, hard drinking and hard working people. I wonder what they would think of the latest equipment on the market? Not a lot I should think. Take the latest in motor graders. I said armchair comfort and I am not joking.

The latest offering from heavy equipment giants John Deere include seats with comfortable armrests (that makes it an armchair doesn’t it?). So what, you say – believe it or not, their G-series grader is controlled using armrest mounted finger-tip controls. It still has a steering wheel but you can steer using lever steering if that is your preference.

John Deere are not the only manufacturers. Caterpillar, a famous name in heavy equipment for decades, produce graders that do away with the steering wheel altogether and use joysticks instead. Those joysticks handle more than just the steering as well.

Fortunately for the old time grader operators, there are still traditional manufacturers around like Komatsu. They still produce motor graders with steering wheels, foot pedals and levers. With the new control systems proving to be popular it won’t be long before they follow Caterpillar and John Deere I am sure.

Are you ready to take on a career that is technically improving all the time? If you are then take on the challenge of a heavy equipment career by undertaking grader operator training. There are positions opening up all the time, particularly as older operators call it quits as new technology moves in. As they move out – you can be the one that moves in.

Motor grader operators normally work in areas such as new sub-divisions, parking lots, airport runways, highways, country roads, and the final stages of general road construction. Like all heavy equipment operators, they require specialist skills for their equipment. Like crane operators, motor grader operators work to fine measurements often using new technology such as GPS and lasers.

The day starts early for a motor grader operator and they are generally required to start at the site they are to work on. Like all heavy equipment operators there is a standard routine to the morning. A briefing with the site managers to discuss the current state of construction. An inspection of blue prints and the order of work for the day.

Once the operator knows what he/she is doing, it is time to inspect their equipment to ensure everything is ready to go. One of the problems with leaving equipment on a construction site is damage caused by third parties. This could include willful damage by vandals, or damage from animals. One area that motor grader operators need to examine closely are their tires. Other heavy equipment often use caterpillar treads, motor graders use large tires and these need to be checked for cuts, tears and for objects that may have lodged in the tires. If all is well – it is off to start the job.

It may look boring, just driving up and down a new stretch of highway. It’s not. Each pass is made to a specific degree of angle and depth. Even the speed of the vehicle can determine what sort of finish you get. There are times when the grader will work on stretch of new road, move to another stretch that afternoon and be back to the start the following morning after new material such as gravel or road base has been added. Whilst they are concentrating on the task at hand, they must also be vigilant of everything that is happening around them so they can avoid any accidents. Safety is primary in all heavy equipment jobs.

Motor grader operators often work long hours. Their day is not done until the pass they are working on has been completed. Even then, they need to secure their vehicle and perform an end of day inspection of the equipment.

Want to work as a motor grader operator? Training is done in as little as three weeks. Just be sure the motor grader training you receive is from an accredited training organization and that the training itself has been accredited.

You may not be aware of it but if you have a local football stadium, hockey fields or even soccer grounds then you can be sure a motor grader has had an integral role in the creation of those playing areas. In fact, when you look around at most recreation centers, if they are flat, or built on a flat piece of ground, then a motor grader had a role.

These days, the motor grader can do almost all the work involved in creating sporting grounds. From carving out the top of native soil to smoothing and leveling the base materials used. Sports such as hockey use an artificial surface, a form of synthetic grass, to play on. These artificial surfaces require perfectly flat terrain before they can be laid. Motor graders, particularly those equipped with laser guidance and/or GPS systems are capable of preparing a flat and even surface of the size required.

Of course, as a grader operator you won’t be working on sports grounds too often unless you’re employed by a professional sports ground construction business. However, this is one example of the variety of work that grader operators do on a regular basis.

What professional grader operators do have in common is a background that includes a heavy equipment operator training through an accredited training organization. This ensures their training credentials are recognized throughout the nation and that the training has been designed to meet a minimum set of standards. Fancy working on the next major football stadium, perhaps an Olympic stadium? If so, start your training now – you won’t regret it.

If you were to place a bulldozer and road grader side-by-side you would have to admit they were completely different machines. About the only similarity between the two is they both have blades. The bulldozer’s blade is front and center whilst the road grader’s blade is somewhat smaller in height, often wider, and slung under the machine. Looking at them, you would imagine they would do completely different types of work.

That was true several years ago. The bulldozer was the ‘bull’ of a construction site. Its job was to virtually tear everything up and leave the area relatively flat. The grader’s job was then to come in and do all the fine work to exact measurements.

As Bob Dylan once sang, ‘times they are a changing’. With the inception of modern technology such as GPS and laser leveling, bulldozers can now do many of the tasks often left to the road graders. Modern technology can now do wonders – in this case, taking a big powerful brute of a machine and turning it into a gentle machine that do a lot of the fine tuning once the domain of a road grader.

This doesn’t mean that road graders are now defunct. One of the reasons that laser leveling was introduced was to ease the load on road graders. They can now be left to perform the final finishing touches to a new road – the real ‘grading’ needed before the hard surface is laid.

What does this mean when it comes to employment opportunities and training? First, it reinforces the need to undertake training that includes experience on a variety of equipment. Secondly, it lifts the skill levels of operators. Bulldozer operators need to learn to use laser leveling and the art of grading using a dozer blade, whilst road grader operators need to hone their skills in the area of fine or finishing grading. It all comes back to training. Your heavy equipment training should include experience on both bulldozers and road graders – that will set you up to perform either role with ease.

The use of GPS is growing markedly in our society and you can really see the impact it is having when you look at construction and machinery like graders or excavators. A technology known as 3D GPS assists the grader operator to accurately position the blade, allowing for a faster grade without utilizing survey grade stakes.

There are several spin-offs in the use of GPS when it comes to heavy equipment. A grader is a good example of the use and some of the benefits obtained. Safety, of course, is always an important issue on a work site. The use of GPS to set the position and orientation of the blade, even when working to slopes, means the grader will perform the work exactly as planned. This removes the need for a grade checker. Their job was to constantly check the grade from the ground, often putting them in close proximity to all the heavy equipment – the closer you get, the higher th risk of an accident. No grade checker – no accidents.

A second major benefit for construction companies that use GPS in their work is speed. Machinery like graders will get the job done first time every time. If the GPS co-ordinates have all been calibrated correctly then you will never come across a situation where the work done doesn’t meet the plans – and it’s done first time around. This saves time which equates of course to saving money. In some cases, construction contracts award bonuses for early or ontime completion of projects.

The use of GPS can be a specialized field when it comes to graders and excavators. Before undertaking GPS training, you would need to have a solid foundation of excavator or grader operator training along with a little experience using that equipment. Once you have that solid base of skills, you can then undertake GPS training for heavy equipment

The one thing you can guarantee with all heavy equipment is that technology is constantly on the move and operating graders is no different. Every year manufacturers release their latest offerings and they always include technological changes of some sort.

Some of the latest technology includes computerization of some systems and GPS technology. Of course these are not ‘new’, however, the way they are being used is often new. GPS was fairly basic several years ago, it has now developed to the point that vehicles can have special devices fitted that help with loss prevention of heavy equipment.

The latest graders are now operated using joysticks rather than levers, pedals or a steering wheel. I am sure that many of our younger generation who have grown up with Xbox’s and the like would handle these with ease. For some of us older folk, a joystick is for flying, not grading – still, we have to move with the times or we will get left behind.

That philosophy is a must in heavy equipment operations now. Operating graders along with many of the other machines used has become one non-stop learning curve. You no sooner think you have your machine mastered when along comes a new piece of technology. At least you don’t have to learn it until it is either fitted, or a new machine us purchased.

Training to operate road graders has come along way in recent years. As technology has improved so too has the training methods used. It is no longer a case of jumping in and teaching yourself, the job is too complex for that now. To be competitive in the employment market you need quality training from a organization that has a long reputation for providing well trained operators of road graders. Just remember, your learning doesn’t end with the completion of your course – it ongoing for the rest of your working career.

As August rolls in there is one thing we know, winter is not that far away. Before you know it many of us will be knee deep in snow and grateful for the grader operators that are at least keeping our roads open. I also know one other thing, come winter, many areas will be calling for grader operators. It will be too late to start your training then, you have to prepare now for when that demand starts.

The counties in the north west are particularly vulnerable to road closures due to snow with most counties employing teams of grader operators to clear the roads. John Deere is one business that recognizes the importance of graders producing machines that specialize in snow clearing.

To be employed as a grader operator often required two things: recognized grader training and some experience in the field – not necessarily in snow, although it helps. By undertaking your grader training now, you will leave yourself with plenty of time to gain on-the-job experience operating a motor grader. There are ample opportunities in construction and road maintenance for new operators to gain experience – all that is missing is the training.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can fill in that missing piece providing quality training in heavy equipment including motor graders. Many of our schools have motor graders – it’s simply a matter of contacting us to find out which school is closest to you.

You may think that work pushing snow is only limited to the coldest months of the year. That’s not true. Come the end of winter, demand for grader operators often increases as roads that were packed with snow during winter are cleared. This generally happens in spring as it all starts to melt and opens up roads previously only accessed by snowmobiles. In many cases, roads then need grading to repair the damage caused by ice and cold water. Graders can be in demand in some areas for up to five months each year with ongoing work then in highway construction and maintenance. The winter is calling – are you going to be one of our snow clearing grader operators?

GPS is no longer ‘new’ technology – it’s been around for a long time with construction making use of the technology in heavy equipment like motor graders to increase productivity. The benefit to construction is through efficiencies, the motor grader can accurately perform its role first time – there is no longer the hit or miss that often occurs with non-GPS systems.

One of the problems the construction industry has faced in recent years is the changeover from old non-GPS equipped machinery to GPS equipped machinery. Motor grader operators that were trained more than five years ago have little knowledge of GPS and it is used on their new machinery. This has lead construction companies to either not use the technology, or to face the cost of training their operators in the technology.

Today’s heavy equipment students often have the option of adding GPS training to their course thus adding to their skills base. As these students enter the workforce the use of GPS has increased. We are approaching a point where motor grader operators without GPS skills will be passed over when it comes to recruitment.

It all comes back to economics. If a motor grader operator can have a job finished in 75% of the time using GPS then it makes sense to incorporate that technology. Employing individuals who don’t have those skills is only adding costs to a project that most businesses can no longer afford.

For any student contemplating a career as a motor grader operator, consider your options for including GPS training either in your training program, or as soon as possible after completing your training. Opportunities for motor grader operators with GPS skills will increase considerably over the next few years – be prepared and reap the rewards.