Heavy equipment like bulldozers, excavators and even graders are incredible machines when it comes to power. Take the bulldozer as an example. For their size, they can move an incredible amount of earth. To sit in the operators seat and feel that power in your hands and through your legs – there is nothing like it.

I am sure some would argue – truck drivers, pilots, ships captains and others and they are probably right. However, with heavy equipment, the results, the power, and the earth being pushed around is now – you can see and feel it as it happens.

Learning to operate heavy equipment is a life long task. Just when you feel you know your machine inside out, you come across a job that is different, on different terrain, or requires such precise movements. Once again you are learning what your equipment can do and what you can do.

Of course, this ongoing learning process needs a good foundation to start with. The foundations of a good heavy equipment operator can only be built through training from accredited and professional heavy equipment training schools.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are not only accredited, they are also recognized for delivering quality training and preparing students for the workplace. If you want to feel the power of heavy equipment then contact us ATS either through our website or on 1.800.678.8120.

There are times when a heavy equipment operator cannot work during daylight hours, they are forced to work at night due to a variety of reasons. One of the prime reasons is simply access.

Virginia is a prime example. The state is only 430 miles long by 200 miles wide, the 35th in size, and yet it has the third largest highway system in the country. You would think with all that highway that traffic would not be a problem – but it is. It is a big problem for road construction crews. The highways are so busy that any highway work cannot be done during the day – it can only be done overnight when the traffic has thinned out a little and is more controllable.

Is working overnight a big problem? Many construction workers prefer it, particularly in summer when the nights are cooler and working conditions a lot easier – of course, winter is then a different story. Heavy equipment operators at least have the comfort of their cabs.

Overnight road building is not restricted to one or two pieces of equipment. The whole range is in use from bulldozer through to excavators, loaders, graders and dump trucks. This is particularly true on roads where the old seal is being pulled up, the ground reworked ready for resealing. Other jobs include highway straightening where large bends are bypassed, on/off ramp construction and bridge repairs or rebuilding.

Working as a heavy equipment operator is a challenging and yet rewarding career. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools deliver accredited training on a wide variety of heavy equipment and provide the heavy equipment industry with well trained and work ready graduates. If you are ready to be one of those work ready graduates then contact us through our website for information on your heavy equipment training options.

The way the work situation is at present, no one really wants to quit their job to take up heavy equipment training with out the guarantee of a job at the end of the training. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees in life. You may decide after a week that perhaps heavy equipment operations is not for you – but then it is too late. You have quit your job and paid your fees.

It doesn’t have to be that way. You can keep working and earning while starting your heavy equipment training sitting at home. You do the training at your pace when it suits your lifestyle. Correspondence courses can be difficult to complete so we have made it even easier and put it altogether as an online training program.

To access the training, you simply log in and pick up where you left off. If you need to go back and refresh, it’s not a problem. More importantly, you can get a feel for what’s required as a heavy equipment operator and determine if you really are ready for a career change; and that heavy equipment is the right career change.

You can do all this whilst continuing to work and, more importantly, without outlaying a dime. That’s right, online heavy equipment training that is free, no strings, no obligations, all done in your time and at your pace.

Interested? Visit ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools for more information on their Heavy Equipment Trainingprogram.

Mention the word training, even heavy equipment training, and most middle aged people switch off. According to them, they are too old to learn new tricks and training is for the next generation. There may be a few rare situations where this may be true, however, in 95% of occupations this is far from the truth.

You can take on a whole new career at any age. In fact, maturity can be a real asset for some careers. If you were an employer, would you prefer someone young who hasn’t developed a real work ethic yet, or someone with a little maturity who has already learned some of life’s lessons? There are arguments for both, however heavy equipment operations do require a level head, a willingness to follow safety requirements and a willingness to adapt – not traits always present in today’s younger generation.

Undertaking heavy equipment training is not an age issue. If you are reasonably fit then age will not be the barrier, your desire to learn and implement what you have learned will be. There are a lot of middle aged (30-50 and older) who have successfully undertaken heavy equipment training and commenced a career as heavy equipment operators so there is no reason why you shouldn’t. This applies to women as much as men as well.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have a long tradition of training people of all ages from all walks of life. Their heavy equipment training is comprehensive yet easy to follow so don’t let age hold you back – use your age to your advantage.

When building roads there are always going to be obstacles for motor graders to negotiate. Bridges, tunnels and man holes – yes man holes. I believe the correct terminology now is ‘personnel access point’. Image yourself as a motor grader operator and slap bang in the middle of the road is a big round hole (and why are they round?).

For the grader operator, it takes some tricky manoeuvring to ensure the road has been graded correctly whilst negotiating around obstacles. This can often take a lot of skill, skill that has been developed over many years as an operator. It is however the kind of challenge that makes the work of motor grader operator interesting and varied.

Grader operators can receive a high level of basic training in a matter of weeks. It can take two or three years experience on the job to hone those skills and learn the intricacies of the job. And just when you thought you knew them all, along will come another problem you haven’t encounter – as I said, the role of a motor grader operator is varied and challenging. Are you up to the challenge?

If so, check out ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools. They have an intensive heavy equipment operator training program that could have you behind the wheel of a motor grader before you know it.

Oh – and why are man holes round – of course, so the lid never falls in – it’s true, that is why they are round. It still doesn’t help a motor grader though; they still have to negotiate around it.

The jobs outlook for heavy equipment operators is looking reasonably good for 2009 with billions of dollars being allocated to both major and minor construction projects.

The Federal governments economic stimulus package is to pump around $48 billion into transportation which includes a minimum $27 billion on public highways. That is more than half a billion for each state to invest in highway projects. Heavy equipment operators make up a high proportion of any road building workforce.

When it comes to the states, California alone has another $28 billion in construction projects all ready to start – these are not road projects but much needed infrastructure work such as drains, sewerage, schools and public health projects – all requiring heavy equipment operators.

There is little doubt that construction will be the back bone of any recession recovery. As construction grows unemployment starts to fall. This leads to consumer confidence and a freer spending regime. More spending leads to more jobs and with that the breaking of the recessions back. Heavy equipment operators a the individuals who lead construction – without them construction would slow to a crawl.

Let’s not get too carried away. This next twelve months will not be easy. However, for heavy equipment operators it may not be as bad as many other sectors of the workforce. Construction will continue and with it the need for operators.

To join the heavy equipment operator workforce requires at least some form of training in both theoretical and practical components of operating heavy equipment. If this sounds like your career calling, contact us at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools.

Winter can be hard on heavy equipment and although we protect our blades and buckets with a technique known as hard surfacing, freezing conditions can be our equipment’s worst enemy. Frozen lines can often be replaced in an hour or two. If your blades hard surfacing is starting to come away then it probably needs grinding back and a new surface applied.

Hard surfacing is a process where special hard metal compounds are welded onto a blade or bucket. This surface bears the brunt of any wear when digging, scraping or moving materials. The process is particularly important if your heavy equipment is working in areas with a lot of hard rock.

The constant freezing and thawing process that takes place in winter can damage this hard surface. If it is not replaced then you may find that your blades or buckets take the wear and tear themselves. This leads to a need to replace these heavy equipment tools – a rather costly exercise when you compare it to the cost of hard surfacing.

For heavy equipment operators that are trained effectively, knowing what to look for when inspecting your machinery can prevent these long term problems from eventuating. Training schools like ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools include maintenance and daily inspections as part of their training program. This ensures that operators that complete the course and enter the workplace have the required knowledge to carry out these inspections. Do you know the difference between a hard surfaced blade and standard off the shelf blade?

Many people look at heavy equipment operations as a job and not as a career. This is a mistake when, in reality, every job can be a career – it is just a matter of perception and whether you plan and working in a position ‘just for now’, or to make it a life long job. It’s funny how for many who make it a ‘just for now’ job are still doing it 20-30 years later!

So why choose a career as a heavy equipment operator? What will it offer you and is the work going to last your lifetime? Let’s start with the last question first – will it last. As long as we build houses, factories, shopping centers and other buildings, or construct roads or have mines for resources, there will be work for heavy equipment operators.

What does a career in heavy equipment offer you? Let’s look a couple of key points:

Lifestyle: yes, working as a heavy equipment operator can also be a lifestyle decision. You can choose to follow the work, for example construction and road building trends; work in isolation in the mining industry; or perhaps become self employed.

Variety: you can decide to specialize on one piece of equipment or you can be a general operator with experience on a wide range of machines. The broader your experience, the more varied your work will become. That is not to say that most specialist operator don’t have variety as well.

Environment: if you’re an outdoors type person then the roll of heavy equipment operator will suit you to a tee. You get to work outdoors, however, in most modern machines you can close off the cab to keep excessive heat or cold out – the best of both worlds.

Income: heavy equipment operators are well paid workers when you compare them to many others in the construction industry.

Portability: an experienced and well trained heavy equipment operator can work in many parts of the world. They can certainly work every where within the country. The only proviso is that some states (and countries) may require special operator licenses.

The key to being a successful heavy equipment operator is in the training and the initial experience on the job. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can help you get both. We provide top quality accredited training on a wide variety of heavy equipment. Once your training is finished, we can also help you to find the right job for your circumstances. A job where you can put your training to good use and start to develop the experience that is necessary to be successful as a heavy equipment operator.

Over the years ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have trained thousands of operators almost all of whom have gone on to successful careers as operators. Many of these former students have themselves recommended our training to their friends and relatives, in fact there are second generation operators who have followed in their parents footsteps and undertaken their training through one of our schools.

What has been heartening over the years is the feedback we receive from these former students. Many have been willing to have their story told on video for others to see. Some of these videos provide a great insight into how successful they have been as heavy equipment operators. The following is just one video from our collection of former heavy equipment students.

If a career as a heavy equipment operator sounds attractive but your not sure what to do or who to see then check out the feedback from several of our past and present students. If you’re still in doubt, talk to one of our representatives and they can discuss with you the various options available including training courses, dates and financing options.

Once you commence your training we can also help you to find employment within the heavy equipment field. There are hundreds of employers who employ our graduates using our job placement services. Your first step is to contact us to discuss how we can help you.

Regular care of your heavy equipment and its attachments can prevent the need for costly repairs or replacements down the track. Just as importantly, good maintenance can prevent down time, a factor that not only involves the costs of replacements, but also the loss of income – a double penalty. Who should do the maintenance of heavy equipment attachments?

There are two sides to maintenance. There is the daily inspections and minor tasks such as lubrication that should be undertaken by the operator. The operator is the person who uses the attachments, knows how well they are performing, and is best placed to identify any problems developing. The second side to maintenance may well involve a mechanic who can work on problems identified by the operator – before they become major issues.

The operators daily inspection should cover more than just a walk around wear and tear check. Attachments rely on being connected to the heavy equipment and these connections are often areas of high stress. A daily check should include:

• Checks the attachment’s hoses and fittings for cracks or leaks and ensure all shielding is in place.
• Checking fittings to ensure that they are not loose.
• Checking that hoses and fittings are clean and free of contaminants.
• Ensuring all attachment’s critical points are lubricated and functioning properly.
• Inspecting any locking mechanisms to ensure they are operating properly.

These are not time consuming or onerous tasks. An experienced operator can undertake these checks while they are coupling or uncoupling an attachment. The long term benefits for the organization are immeasurable when a preventative maintenance program is undertaken regularly.

Of course the only way to know whether or not an attachment is in good working condition is through experience and training. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools includes preventative maintenance in their heavy equipment training programs. You can see the full list of training modules through our website.