In a world that is being automated at a rapid rate, heavy equipment careers look to be safe from automation and one of the biggest reasons is simply dirt. The ezine on Grader and Excavation Contractor has a good article titled the Human Element – it’s well worth a read if you have any doubts on heavy equipment careers and robotics. The author, John Trotti, puts it very clearly:

Despite all the machinery involved, dirtworking is not merely a mechanical exercise. If it were, we could go immediately to robotics and spend our time shuttling back and forth between our favorite fishing hole and bank while legions of little black boxes did all the work. Instead, machine productivity starts with the operator’s underlying knowledge of dirt, without which all the skill in the world at video games doesn’t mean squat.

The writer goes on to lament the lack of farm grown workers that are moving into heavy equipment careers. Why? Farmers, including their children, have a sound working knowledge of dirt. They have to if they are going to be successful farmers. City breed workers that are moving into heavy equipment careers are starting without that knowledge of dirt. Of course, that doesn’t mean they cannot learn – they can and do. Even the young farmers who are coming off the land still need dirt education to some degree. After all, they know a lot about ‘their’ dirt, but not necessarily the dirt on the other side of the road.

What does this have to do with robots? Plenty. Robots can learn about dirt. However, think about it for a moment. For a robot to make decisions based on the dirt, it would need to drill a small sample, run a few tests, make a decision and act – but it would need to do it constantly because dirt changes. Experienced operators do all of that, in a split second, almost without thinking. It becomes intuitive. As they are digging through a loamy soil, if they suddenly hit rock or clay, they automatically change the way they attack the soil. There’s no drilling, no testing, just action.

Maybe one day a robot will be built that can act intuitively. I don’t expect to see it my life time, or yours for that matter. Heavy equipment careers will be safe for a long time to come so long as we learn all about the dirt as we work. That learning starts with a good heavy equipment training program – get the right foundation and your career is assured.

Heavy equipment is generally associated with construction and whilst most heavy equipment careers involve the construction industry, you could also work in mining, forestry, oil drilling, farming or, in some cases, production. The construction sector is by far the single biggest employer of heavy equipment operators.

The classification of heavy equipment can be difficult with gray areas covering some of the smaller machines used. However, if you accept that heavy equipment is used to move heavy material then you would be close to the mark. A career in heavy equipment then is the operation of machinery that falls into this category. This machinery includes equipment that:

• clears and grades land
• digs trenches
• hoists heavy construction materials
• assists in constructing oil rigs
• applies asphalt and concrete

This is just a small example of the type of work performed. Machinery that could be used in these tasks include:

• Bulldozers
• Road Graders
• Wheel Loaders
• Excavators
• Pile Drivers
• Mobile or Fixed Cranes
• Paving Machines

This list doesn’t include specialist machinery such as forestry equipment, mining equipment or equipment such as the specialist gantry cranes used in ports and harbors. Most heavy equipment operators start their careers operating equipment you see everyday. Bulldozers, excavators, loaders and mobile cranes are the most common entry level positions. Operators can also enter the workforce through road graders although for major construction work like road building, the preference is for experienced operators.

The one key ingredient to a successful career as a heavy equipment operator is the initial training received. Quality training across a broad range of heavy equipment is the best start you get. This provides you with hands on experience and a thorough understanding of workplace safety. With the basic skills under you belt you can move into the workforce and experience a long and lucrative heavy equipment career.

We often talk about heavy equipment and heavy equipment careers, but what machinery is actually included in that title? My first reaction is to ask ‘how long is a piece of string’ since it can be difficult to quantify what is or isn’t ‘heavy equipment’.

Generally speaking, most wheeled, or tracked, equipment that is involved with the movement of dirt could be classified as heavy equipment. This includes:

• Backhoes
• Wheel loaders
• Front end loaders
• Scrapers
• Excavators
• Bulldozers
• Road graders
• Rock trucks
• Skid Steers
• All-Terrain Forklifts

These are your standard line up of machinery in that category. There are also specialized machines that are used in some industries that are advanced forms of those listed. Mining and forestry are big users of specialized equipment – a good example would be one of the giant long line excavators – when I say giant, I really do mean giant.

When we talk about a career as a heavy equipment operator, it generally refers to a career operating one or more machines on that list. In fact, heavy equipment training gives you a feel for almost every one of those machines giving you the flexibility to choose your equipment after training.

Many operators remain proficient on a range of machinery thus providing flexibility for their employer. Good examples are the excavator, wheel loader and backhoe. The skills required for both the excavator and wheel loader are also related to the backhoe – three machines, three times as many employment opportunities – hence a heavy equipment career. Do you have a choice, or would you like the option of learning to operate a range of heavy equipment?

Heavy equipment careers are there for the taking right now with the demand on operators steadily rising. What is interesting is the world wide shortage of qualified and experienced operators. Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the Middle East are all experiencing operator shortages and those vacancies are often being filled at our expense.

I should qualify the above statement by adding that overseas interest is only in qualified operators that have had several years experience in their respective industries. Not that I am trying to dampen your enthusiasm for travel. However, if you don’t undertake quality training you will never gain the experience required and the appropriate references to verify your experience.

More importantly, this drain of talent is opening doors for the next generation who are looking at heavy equipment careers. There has been an added demand on skilled workers with the economic recovery packages that have increased funding for roads and other infrastructure projects. Whilst each state or region has been able to work cooperatively to stagger starts dates for many projects – they haven’t been in a position to cooperate on a national level. This means every state is drawing on that pool of skilled heavy equipment operators.

Heavy equipment careers are taking off both here and abroad. If your interested in a career operating heavy equipment then now is the time to undertake your heavy equipment training. You can be in the operating cab and on your way to a lucrative career in as little as three weeks.

There is a big difference between training for a one off job and training for heavy equipment careers. A one off job is just that – one off. This means you are often trained on only piece of equipment and you are trained to do the job in one specific way. Training for a career should be undertaken on a range of equipment doing a range of tasks.

Is there one off training? There is actually and this is often done by industry itself. If you are employed by a specific industry, or by a business that uses heavy equipment, you will be trained to do the job their way. What is missing is the broader training in safety along with broader training in what each piece of machinery can do.

By undertaking training through a heavy equipment training organization, you get that broad level of training. This won’t prevent you from working in industries that require specific training – in fact, you could be more employable since you have the basic skills required. You would only need to undertake the job specific component, meaning you would be productive far quicker than someone who has to do all the training.

Crane operator training is one area that has a significant number of operators who have only been trained to do one particular job. Those crane operators often struggle when trying to ply their skills in others areas.

If you’re considering a career as a heavy equipment operator and you don’t want to be restricted to one type of machinery, ensure you undertake training for a heavy equipment career – not for a one off task on one type of equipment.

When looking at heavy equipment careers you may wonder which industries offer the best opportunities. Heavy equipment by definition is any heavy machinery, not just earth moving machinery. A crane could be considered heavy equipment as could a rock crusher and tree lopper so the breadth of industries is quite large. Below is a list of the more popular industries that provide career opportunities for heavy equipment operators.

Heavy equipment career in construction

The most popular career path for heavy equipment operators is through the field of construction. This in itself has a wide range of opportunities. You have the traditional road construction crews that spend their working lives building roads, tunnels and bridges. This sector is one of the largest employers of heavy equipment operators.

The second biggest sector is that of commercial construction. This is the building of office blocks, factories, shopping centers and housing projects to name just a few. Heavy equipment is used on some construction sites from start to finish and provides one of the most varied careers when it comes to heavy equipment operations.

Heavy equipment careers in mining

Mining is the second largest industry to offer heavy equipment careers and includes both above and under ground mining projects. Mining heavy equipment ranges from small excavators and front end loaders to massive, and I do mean massive, excavators. Since mining projects are generally in isolated areas and involve degrees of danger, these careers can be amongst the most lucrative.

Heavy equipment careers in agriculture

Heavy equipment in the form of bulldozers had their origins in agriculture with the first bulldozers being nothing more than a farm tractor with a blade attached to the front. The use of heavy equipment in agriculture waned for a while but it is being used far more frequently now. There are teams of operators that now work exclusively in the agricultural sector building dams and clearing scrub land.

Forestry is another sector that is starting to rely on heavy equipment. This is one sector where new technology is constantly being introduced to help control the growth of trees, perform pruning on a large scale, and of course to fell the trees in a controlled way.

Those are the three largest industries to use heavy equipment. Other industries that could offer heavy equipment careers include the military and waterfront. Smaller niches include snow plowing, landscape gardening, pipe laying and small constructions like in-ground swimming pools.

There are heavy equipment careers in almost all industry sectors in the country. It is really a case of thinking about what sort of work you would really like doing. Is it building roads, or building houses; perhaps working in the mines, or working on large landscape gardening projects. Find a sector that appeals to you, undertake the heavy equipment training required, and your career in heavy equipment awaits.

If there is one general trend in our society at present it is to go ‘green’ and heavy equipment careers look set to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. When I say going green, I am of course referring to environmental issues. One of President Obama’s aims is to create 5 million new green construction jobs over the next ten years. That equates to half a million jobs each year.

Green machines have been developed in the past. Fork trucks often run on LPG rather than liquid fuels like diesel. Diesel itself is slightly better for the environment than petrol, even the unleaded version. But that is the heavy equipment itself.

What President Obama is looking at is the building of zero emission power stations, roads that shorten journeys and prevent gridlock – a huge cause of pollution and green house gases. Other projects are likely to include dam building and hydroelectricity, wind farms and the demolition of old buildings – replacing them with green earth projects.

This will create a demand for operators of heavy equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes, graders and cranes. There will also be an increase in the demand for truck drivers, not only for transporting heavy equipment around the country, but also for the transportation of building materials.

As we move forward with controls on green house gas emissions, demand for skilled operators will increase. Operators who have received heavy equipment training through professional training bodies will be the ones most sought after. Their heavy equipment careers will blossom whilst those from a generation ago that trained “on-the-job” may find that refresher and safety training courses are required.

Heavy equipment careers look set to travel in one direction only – upwards. The demand is already growing with some states now trying to influence school leavers into exploring a heavy equipment career. There has never been a better time than now to investigate a career as a heavy equipment operator.

One of the biggest problems in the construction industry at present is getting our youth interested. This lack of interest is flowing through to heavy equipment careers with the numbers of young people who are undertaking training dropping each year.

The future of any industry is in our youth. As they gain knowledge and experience, they transfer that knowledge onto future generations. There are a lot of programs around, such as the Block Kids Program, a program that tries to get our youth interested in construction. When it comes to heavy equipment, we tend to rely on the fascination that children develop when playing in their sand pits at an early age.

Whilst many complain about the lack of youth coming through, heavy equipment is perhaps one industry where we can be more relaxed. It doesn’t matter how old you are. If you are reasonably fit, reasonably intelligent and willing to look, listen and learn then you can be trained to operate heavy equipment.

There is a lot of emphasis placed on youth. However, many employers shy away from taking on the very young. Not only do they lack experience on the equipment, they lack experience in driving in general and they lack experience in life. This is where the not-so-young have a distinct advantage.

Where a lack of youth will hurt the industry is in isolated areas. In the past, this was seen as an attractive way to work and save money to help fund specific life goals. Mining, forestry, and isolated projects like pipeline construction could start to feel the pinch.

What is important for everyone to realize is that heavy equipment careers are for everyone. You don’t have to be fresh out of school to undertake training. In fact, a little maturity could be a real plus when seeking employment. Heavy equipment training is designed to encompass all ages and genders so whether you’re fresh out of school or nudging 40 (or older), if you’re interested in a heavy equipment career don’t let your age get in the way – no one else will.

If you were looking at heavy equipment careers then you are probably considering construction, mining or perhaps forestry. It is those three industries that do employ the highest number of heavy equipment operators. However, there are many other areas where you will find a piece of heavy equipment.

The area that is perhaps the least thought of is in the food industries. Believe it or not, heavy equipment such as loaders and mini bulldozers are used in a broad section of food supply. Stockpiled raw sugar is often moved around using a small front loader. I must say it made think about using sugar after seeing the front loader driving over piles of sugar.

Sugar isn’t the only area. Grains that we use to make bread, or to mix with various foods are also often moved around a work area using a front loader. I have seen small bulldozers being used to push dried corn from the drying room floor in manageable piles.

I have read of farmers who stand in the scoop of a large loader to pick fruit – the picked fruit going straight into the loader. Once full, the bucket load is tipped into large bins. Whilst we may turn our noses up at the thought, it has been going on for decades. You needn’t worry. By the time the food reaches our tables it has gone through so many processes that any possible contaminates are long gone.

If you were to undertake heavy equipment training, you just never know where you may wind up being employed. Whether it is on a construction site, or in a sugar mill, the skills required are just the same. Heavy equipment training prepares you for a heavy equipment career – where that career takes you is solely up to you.

There are many individuals who investigate heavy equipment careers but their approach is often focused on a single piece of equipment. Bulldozers are always a popular choice, possibly because they are one of the most visible pieces of heavy equipment in use. However, specializing in one area can have its down sides.

We now live in a world in which diversity is becoming the key to success. If you place yourself in the position of an employer, who are you going to put off during tough economic times? I will give you a choice – a bulldozer operator or an operator that can work with three or four different types of equipment. Common sense says to dismiss the bulldozer operator.

The employee that can operate a diverse range of equipment is far more valuable to the employer. In fact, as much as I hate to say it, the chances are that two or three specialist operators will get their marching orders since the employee with diverse talents can replace all of them – although not at once.

At present, there is a strong demand for heavy equipment operators across the full range of equipment. The trap is that many new operators will decide to specialize as an operator on one machine. They will certainly find plenty of work over the next 12 to 18 months – but what happens then? If there is another downturn in the construction industry, they may well find their heavy equipment careers grinding to a stop.

In the meantime, those with diversity are able to either find or maintain their employment because of the value they offer to an employer. There is a simple long term lesson to gain from this – if you are looking at heavy equipment careers, maintain as much diversity as possible and this starts by undertaking your heavy equipment training on a range of machines.

Sure, you can specialize in one area if you wish, but whenever you get a chance to operate other pieces of equipment, grab it and keep your diverse skills up-to-date. If your employer knows you have this diverse range of heavy equipment skills, your value to them will increase and with it an assured career as a heavy equipment operator.