Everyone wants a bigger pay check each month, however, convincing your employer you deserve more money is often a difficult task. There are several ways you can help your cause, and most of them revolve around how flexible and important you are to your employer. We have spoken in previous posts about being proficient in the operations of a range of heavy equipment, and employers are now preferring to employ operators with these skills.

Employers are also looking for heavy equipment operators who have a commercial drivers license. It’s almost becoming a must-have with a high proportion of heavy equipment operator job vacancies we receive, including a current CDL as a requirement. Employers will pay a premium for those heavy equipment operators who have a commercial drivers license since that reduces the need to employ separate truck drivers.

Operators can transport their own equipment to the job site and back again, or on to the next job. There’s no down time whilst the operator waits for a truck to arrive and pick-up/drop-off their equipment.

Our truck driver training program can help heavy equipment operators gain their commercial drivers license in just over three weeks (if you’re prepared to do some of the work at home), or five weeks for a complete CDL-A training program. That’s a short period of training for what will be a lifetime skill, and a qualification your employer can make use of almost immediately.

For employers looking to up-skill their heavy equipment operators, truck driver training could prove to be ideal. That extra skill can help you better plan your operators activities, reduce costs overtime, and add diversity to your employer’s working life, a factor that leads to a more satisfied group of employees. For heavy equipment operators who want to earn more money, simply add a CDL-A to your skills list. It could make a big difference over time.

There’s a lot of satisfaction gained in a career as a heavy equipment operator. In most cases, you can really see what you have achieved at the end of the day. Consider a bulldozer operator, at the end of the day, they can look back at all the earth they have moved. For a grader operator, there’s a perfectly graded stretch of ground, perhaps the base for a new road. Loader operators can look back at all the dirt they have moved. When a project has been completed, there’s a new road to drive on they can say they helped to build, or a new school, hospital or housing project. The role of a heavy equipment operator is tangible – you can see the results of your work, and in most cases, those results are there to see for decades.

Job satisfaction goes beyond results. There’s the satisfaction a heavy equipment operator gains whilst working. It’s not until you get in the operator’s seat and commence moving dirt that you realize how powerful heavy equipment is – and that includes the little babies like skid steer loaders. A bulldozer is a beast that can push tons of earth around each day, and as an operator, you can feel that power at your fingertips. Heavy equipment operators don’t need power trips. Every trip is already full of power, and plenty of it too.

What may surprise many is that modern heavy equipment is so easy to operate. You can learn to operate a range of heavy equipment in as little as three weeks, and we are talking about being work ready after three weeks. With a little more experience on the job, heavy equipment operators can bring home good monthly pay checks, easily covering the costs of their training.

If you want a career that’s full of job satisfaction, then consider a career as a heavy equipment operator. It’s one job where you can proudly state your being well paid to move the earth.

Employers are changing their focus as modern heavy equipment becomes easier to operate. In years gone by, you could specialize in one piece of heavy equipment, let’s say a bulldozer, and spend your whole working life just operating that equipment. There are still opportunities to specialize, however, they are becoming less of an option for new operators entering the industry. The preference for many employers is for heavy equipment operators who can operate a range of machinery.

In fact, employers are going beyond heavy equipment, often requesting applications from skilled heavy equipment operators who also have a commercial drivers license (CDL). From employers’ point of view, it makes a lot of sense. Why employ ten separate operators and truck drivers when five will cover all of the equipment used, and the flat-bed trailers required to transport them. This reduces costs for the employer and gives them the flexibility to place operators wherever they are needed each day.

For new heavy equipment operators, the aim should be to gain experience on as wide a range of heavy equipment as possible. If you have the opportunity, you should also consider adding a commercial drivers license to your repertoire of skills. This will make you more employable and will open far more doors than those available to specialist heavy equipment operators.

The heavy equipment operator training program at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools includes access to heavy equipment such as:

• Backhoes
• Wheel Loaders
• Scrapers
• Excavators
• Bulldozers
• Road Graders
• Rock Trucks
• Skid Steers
• All-Terrain Forklifts

We also have a truck driver training program available that helps operators obtain a commercial drivers license. Once you have graduated from these programs, you will have all the skills required to obtain entry level employment in the heavy equipment industry. You will also have the added benefit of a CDL should demand for heavy equipment operators ever drop off.

When considering any career change, it’s important to look at the bigger picture, and this includes employers. If you’re looking to enter the field of heavy equipment operations, one key element is job vacancy – what, exactly, is an employer looking for? It may sound very simplistic, and it is in terms of social skills – for example, reliability. However, you need to look a little closer.

If you look back over the job vacancies that have been posted on these pages each Saturday, and on our jobs website, there is one characteristic that should stand out – employers are looking for heavy equipment operators. They are not looking for bulldozer operators or road grader operators – they are asking for multi-skilled operators. Sometimes they will list the range of equipment that an operator could be required to operate, however, it stills boils down to a requirement for a multi-skilled operator.

That doesn’t mean you cannot specialize in one piece of heavy equipment. It does mean that opportunities may be limited if you do specialize. Sometimes, the key to specialization relies in the old-fashioned ‘foot in door’ theory. Get a job with an employer who is looking for multi-skilled heavy equipment operators, then work your way into becoming their main bulldozer operator, or grader operator (or whichever equipment you want to specialize in).

Like all careers, undertaking training that meets the needs of employers is the first step to success. Being willing to meet those needs in the short term will help to further your career. Once you have the experience and reputation, you can then start to dictate the direction of your career. Your first step is to find a heavy equipment operator training program that exposes you to a wide range of heavy equipment. The wider the range, the better your chances of a successful career.

If you have a desire to be a heavy equipment operator, you will need to understand that your role on a construction site goes beyond just operating your equipment. You will often see heavy equipment operator job vacancies that include descriptions such as “and general laboring when required.” Everyone pitches in on a construction site. You cannot just sit in your cab waiting for your next job – you will be expected to get out and help in other areas.

It doesn’t happen all the time, however, you can expect this situation to occur on a regular basis. There are some jobs where you will be working alone, however, in most instances, you will be a part of a team. Sometimes it’s a good idea to wander down to a construction site to watch everyone at work. You will often see heavy equipment operators getting out of their cabs, sometimes only for a few minutes, at other times for an hour or more.

One area that does irk many heavy equipment operators is the constant in-and-out nature of some jobs. This happens frequently on demolition sites where an operator is constantly helping to manually demolish some sections. As a heavy equipment operator, your main focus and time will be on operating your equipment. You will spend 80%-90% of your working time operating that equipment, however, that does mean you’ll spending 10%-20% of your time away from your heavy equipment doing other manual laboring jobs.

For those who have a variety of skills, for example, skills on a range of heavy equipment, truck driving skills, or crane operator skills, then you may find you’re moving between them and your heavy equipment. In most cases, doing a different job can come as a welcome change to what you have repeatedly been doing. You’re part of a team, and that means you pitch in and help out whenever required.

Every sector of the market goes through a process of peaks and troughs. Sometimes the economy is booming and there is a high demand for workers. At other times, as we have seen in the recent past, there is a slump in the economy and work can be hard to find. Of course, there are often times when one sector of the market appears to buck the trend with demand for workers remaining high despite a market slump. Unfortunately, there are many workers who are not in a position to protect themselves from market slumps – they end up on merry-go-round swinging from plenty of work to no work at all. Heavy equipment operators are not immune from these market swings, although it is interesting to note that demand has remained high over the last couple of years.

Heavy equipment operators can protect themselves from these market (and sometimes seasonal) swings. The easiest way is to simply diversify your talents. Rather than being a master of one type of equipment with a little bit of knowledge of others, become a master of as many different types of equipment as possible. It is also advisable to add truck driving skills (and a commercial drivers license) to your skills list. Other equipment operating skills that could be worth considering include crane operations (particularly mobile cranes) and fork lift trucks.

No sector of the economy is ever totally immune to peaks and troughs. Heavy equipment operator careers can be frustrating at times for those who do specialize in just one type of equipment. The market is fickle and you could find that this month, bulldozers are in high demand, yet next month, no one wants to know a bulldozer operator – the need is on grader operators, or loader operators.

For those just starting out in this industry, start to protect your future from day one of your heavy equipment operator training. If it’s at all possible, gain some knowledge and experience on a range of heavy equipment. When you enter the workplace, aim for a position with an employer that uses a wide range of heavy equipment, and let it be known you want to gain experience on as many different types of equipment as possible. Employers will show a preference for you in the future since you can be moved from equipment to equipment as needed. Protect your heavy equipment from market slumps by diversifying your skills – you’ll hardly ever be out of work then.

Heavy equipment operators are generally involved with the construction industry. Not all jobs, and there are occasional openings for jobs that can be a lot of fun. These jobs are often seasonal, lasting two or three months. Other seasonal jobs can last six months and if not ‘fun’, they are at least interesting. Some of these jobs include:

Snow field grooming – small bulldozer-like machinery is used to groom snow fields. This is generally done very early in the morning, and whilst it’s cold work, it’s certainly interesting and does require a lot of skills. Bulldozer operators are perfect for these positions, however, being specialized work, there are few vacancies and high demand. Related work that can give you some of the skills required includes snow plowing streets.

Beach grooming – like snow field grooming, beach grooming uses bulldozers of varying sizes to groom beaches. There is also often work available restoring beaches following heavy storms. Some heavy equipment operators move from the snow fields to the beaches each year.

Land restoration – there is a lot of work going on around the nation to restore land to its natural state. Bulldozers and backhoes are often found working in these areas along with smaller equipment like skid steer loaders.

Landscape gardening – skid steer loaders and backhoes are often found working as a part of a landscape gardening team. Team work is important as is following carefully designed plans.

Demolition work – there’s a little bit of the devil in all of us and that can often find an outlet in demolition work. The downside, you can’t just go in and destroy everything. These days, buildings are demolished carefully, sometimes because the materials removed are being recylced (or have the potential for recycling), or because there is a possibility of asbestos and other troublesome materials. Bulldozers, backhoes, loaders and excavators are often found working as a part of a demolition team.

Whilst there is not an abundance of work available in these areas, opportunities do arise. If you have gained good skills in heavy equipment operations, then you never know, you could find yourself working in a ‘fun’ or interesting job. It all starts with heavy equipment operator training and your first job.

Finding work in any field is a little difficult, particularly at this time of the year and given the current economic conditions. There are heavy equipment operator jobs around, however, they can be difficult to track down. There are a number of reasons for this, one being the way employers go about looking for new operators.

Heavy equipment operations is one of those industries where ‘who you know’ can be very important. Before using traditional advertising channels, employers are more likely to promote vacancies to those within their businesses, allowing word-of-mouth to promote any vacancies. Employers are also keen to use services like our job website. This site allows an employer to advertise directly to operators who are looking for work.

When looking for work as a heavy equipment operator, sometimes it’s quicker and easier to look on our jobs website rather than in a newspaper. After all, would you rather pay to advertise to the public at large (newspaper) or use a free service that advertises a vacancy to a target audience? Employers also know which jobs websites deliver the best results, and we do very well in that respect.

With Christmas Day only a few days away, job listings are going to be quiet. However, in the New Year we suggest you regularly visit our jobs website to see the latest job listings. You can also subscribe to this site – each Saturday we publish a round-up of the latest job listings. By subscribing, you can receive that post each Saturday directly into your inbox. We also list job vacancies for crane operators and truck drivers.

If you want a successful career as a heavy equipment operator, then I suggest you steer clear of being a one act pony. Employers are increasingly looking for heavy equipment operators who are multi-skilled. It’s not just across the heavy equipment range either. Employers are looking for operators who can drive trucks and on occasion operate cranes. The question becomes now – are you a multi-skilled heavy equipment operator, multi-skilled truck driver, or multi-skilled crane operator?

You may think I am being pedantic in those titles, however, your description will depend on what your primary job is. The job listings from last weekend included vacancies for multi-skilled crane operators, and multi-skilled heavy equipment operators. The demand is there, and if you have a range of skills, then you are going to be more employable.

For most people who are just entering the heavy equipment industry, learning to operate a variety of machinery is a must. Whilst you may have a preference for one type, don’t just focus on that one type. By all means seek a career operating your choice of equipment, however, if given the opportunity, keep your skills up on as many different machines as possible. Demand for heavy equipment operators runs in cycles – one month there will be a demand for bulldozer operators, next month it could be excavators, or grader operators, you need to be prepared for all opportunities that come your way.

The training program at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training Schools is to provide access to a wide range of machinery. As a student, you will have the opportunity to learn how to operate these machines and to gain valuable practical time in the operator’s seat. At a later date it may be advisable to look at either truck driving (obtaining a CDL) or crane operator certification (or both) – this will expand your employment opportunities and perhaps even your paycheck.

When we discuss heavy equipment operator careers, the primary focus is on construction. Mining is another industry that relies heavily on equipment operators. Rural communities are also reliant on heavy equipment operators, however, their needs are more for operators who are multi-skilled. This includes being able to operate bulldozers, loaders, excavators and backhoes. It also helps to have a commercial drivers license.

Rural communities are farming communities, and whilst farms frequently have a need for heavy equipment, it is the townships themselves that are most reliant. Heavy equipment operators are generally required to deal with snow and ice in winter, road repairs all year round, general construction, and in many areas, reclaiming land and restoring it to its former natural state.

Working in a rural community has a lot of benefits. You’re certainly not going to be bored since every day tends to bring a different job with a different type of equipment. Rural communities are generally smaller and closer knit compared to large town and cities where most people don’t know each other at all. The down side to a close knit community is that you may find people asking for ‘favors’ – the odd job after hours or on weekends.

If you’re looking for a heavy equipment career that is a little different, is as much a lifestyle as it is a career, then consider becoming a heavy equipment operator in a rural community. You’ll need heavy equipment training on a range of vehicles, and a commercial drivers license. You’ll also need commitment, and a friendly and sociable outlook on life. Bring those traits together and those rural communities will welcome you with open arms.