We traditionally think of heavy equipment as being a bulldozer or grader. Perhaps and excavator as well. They are not the only heavy equipment in use these days.

Look at any road construction gang and you have these traditional heavy equipment operators. Other operators include roller operators, truck drivers and the operators of equipment that spreads the gravel or spreads the tarmac that seals the new road.

On construction sites you have the traditional heavy equipment such as bulldozers and cranes. You also have specialized equipment such as trenchers, whose only role is to dig trenches for the laying of pipes or deep foundations.

Trenchers are strange looking beasts. The motor and cabin at one end with a long tail armed with cutting teeth. Some of these trenchers can cut through solid rock like it was butter, cutting a five or six feet deep hole in solid rock in very quick time.

Operators of some of this heavy equipment started off with training as a bulldozer or grader operator and moved on to the other equipment as they gained experience. Your career in heavy equipment has no limitations once you get a start in the industry.

To get a start in the industry you need the right training and perhaps some help getting that first job. That’s where ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can help. We can provide you with that training and perhaps even help you into your first job. You wont know until you take that first step.

What sort of equipment would you like to operate?

• Backhoes
• Wheel Loaders
• Dump Trucks
• Bulldozers
• Scrapers
• Excavators
• Motor Graders

You can learn the basics of these heavy equipment machines online through ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools, and it’s free.

The training is divided into three levels with an online 10 question quiz at the end of each module. Get 50% correct in all modules and you will receive a frameable confirmation of completion certificate.

This could be your first steps towards a very lucrative and rewarding career in the heavy equipment industry.

Being a crane operator can be a very interesting and diverse career. Most people consider crane operators as construction workers, working on building sites helping to move heavy steel and concrete parts of the construction into the place. Careers in crane operation are far more diverse than that.

Most of our ports would come to a standstill if it wasn’t for the work of crane operators. They lift goods in and out of ships holds all day everyday. Special cranes are used to lift containers out of ships and placing them onto rail or road freight cars.

The mining industry relies heavily on crane operators for much of their work. Mine operations can be a dangerous field so reliable well trained operators are always in demand.

Some of the unusual career options include those involved with emergency work. Helping to get rail cars back onto their tracks after a derailment; helping to get semi-trailers back onto their wheels after a roll-over; and helping to lift vehicles of all shapes and sizes out of lakes and rivers can all be a part of a crane operators job description.

Qualified reliable crane operators are always in heavy demand. Because of the pivotal roll that this position has in many industries, good operators can be well paid with good fringe benefits paid to ensure they stay with the one business.

If the roll of a crane operator appeals to you then the your first step is to acquire the skills required to get your foot in the door as a crane operator. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can help you get that start as a successful well paid crane operator.

Do you enjoy driving? Does the freedom of the open road appeal to you? Perhaps a career as a truck driver could be ideal for you.

One of the great things about truck driving is that once your loaded up and on the road, you are effectively your own boss. You have the wheel and you know where your going and when you have to be there by. The rest is up to you.

Both men and women can flourish as truck drivers and trucking is not only fun and adventurous, but also provides a secured future. While you may start as a flatbed driver or perhaps as dumptruck driver, once you gain a little experience you can seek out training that could put you into one of the big rigs that criss-cross the country.

Anyone who is interested in truck driving can get into the field by attending a training school like ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools where can help you to learn to handle a truck. They can also teach you rules of the road and provide safety tips while handling a truck. Some of the training schools like ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools offer a job placement facility after completing your training. Truck driving can be a great career for someone who enjoys the freedom of the road.

Once you get your qualified as a heavy equipment operator, and once you have several years experience under your belt, you may want to buy your own piece of heavy equipment and work as a sub contractor. That is quite possible but there are many pitfall to such an undertaking.

The first problem you will face is simply getting the work. There are times when you can submit a tender, however generally speaking you will need to apply directly to building contractors for work. The only way to secure any regular contracts is by building contacts. You will need to get your name out there as a reliable heavy equipment contractor – reliable in getting the job done, reliable heavy equipment and reliable in reporting and getting the paper work done.

The second problem you will need to consider is the lack of income during quite times or when your heavy equipment is ‘off the road’ for maintenance or repair. You need to learn to put aside in the ‘good times’ for the ‘bad times’. You also need to have a contingency plan in place in case your heavy equipment breaks down part way through a job. In these circumstances, you may well lose money (if you have to hire a vehicle), however your reputation is just as important and often worth the loss – you just need to be prepared for these events.

The final problem relates to the admin side of things. Most outdoor workers have little knowledge of bookkeeping and related issues. Can you produce invoices and statements when they are due. Can you manage your finances to cover heavy equipment loan payments, insurance, fuel and maintenance? Can you chase up outstanding payments without upsetting contractors (you may need them for future work)?

These are all issues that need to be considered when establishing your own heavy equipment business. And I have only touched on some of the issues. Other issues such as taxation and licensing also need to be considered. Compare all this to simply working your job and collecting a regular pay check. It is up to you and the rewards can be great when you are your own boss – just be sure to check it all through thoroughly.

Why not look into a heavy equipment school today and start on the road to self employment?

It is easy to call yourself a grader operator, or a bulldozer operator. There are three areas of knowledge that are required to really call yourself a heavy equipment operator.

You have to know how to run the machine.
In other words, you need to know what all the levers do; how to make it move and function; go forward and backwards; how to turn. In simple terms: You need to know how to drive the heavy equipment.

You have to know how to work the machine.
Driving and working are two different things. Knowing how to move a blade up and down is one thing, knowing how far down and much earth will be cut is another. It takes skill and practice to understand exactly what your heavy equipment is capable of.

You need to know the dirt.
Once you know how to drive, and know how the heavy equipment works, you now need to know the dirt. How hard is it? How much effort will it take to move it? How much can I cut? If you try to do to much, you could damage the machine. If you do too little, you will take too long to complete the job.

These are three related heavy equipment skills that are essential to complete any job. Are you skilled in all three areas. If not then see call ATS Heavy Equipment Training School – we can help you gain those skills.

If you decide to take on a career as a heavy equipment operator then you need to be ready to accept the responsibility of the position.

Every depends on the heavy equipment operator doing their job and doing their job effectively. In fact it all starts with the operator actually turning up for work – trust me – I have seen days lost simply because a grader operator didn’t show up for work.

Having the right training and being able to complete a job according to plan is the second major area of responsibility. Most construction teams have a set plan that includes the what and when of a job. As a heavy equipment operator you are expected to get your part of the job done on time so that the rest of the team can continue the job smoothly.

Being a heavy equipment operator has a high level of responsibility. Anyone can use a shovel, not everyone can use a bulldozer to shift a boulder. Receiving the right training will give you the skills to not only operate a piece of heavy equipment, it will also give you the skills to know how to tackle a given job to complete the task on schedule.

Heavy equipment operator training through ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools will give you that range skills required to complete the job.

Safety is one of the most important requirements in any work place and is even more important when operating any form of heavy equipment. The operators safety is important, however there are often many other people in close proximity and their safety is of equal importance.

One area of safety that needs to be addressed during training is your heavy equipment and the pre-shift safety checks that must be carried out prior to starting any job. Along with the pre-shift safety checks, the operator needs to constantly aware of the heavy equipments operations ensuring that any possible safety issues are immediately addressed.

If you do not receive training in these areas then you are not going to know which safety check are required or what to look for when making an inspection. There are legal requirements to safety checks and in states where operator licenses are required, testing of your safety knowledge will undertaken prior to you receiving an operators license.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools pride themselves on the thoroughness of their training including all safety aspects. Students who pass through the school have the required knowledge to pass safety examinations where required for licensing. If you are keen to undertake a career in heavy equipment operations then you can be assured of the training through ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools.

Formal training generally leads to a qualification of some description, however not all training is equal. An analogy I like to use is that of a pilot. Do you want to fly in a plane piloted someone who can tell you how it is done, or by a pilot who has demonstrated they can do it?

Hands on training is not only one of the best forms of training, for the trainee, it is one of the most satisfying. Heavy equipment is one for of training that needs to produce graduates who have demonstrated their ability to use the equipment that were trained on, but can also demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the safety aspects.

Receiving the right training by accredited trainers provides a qualification that provides entry into a very profitable field of employment. It is also a skill that will e there for life. Every time you operate that piece of equipment, you will be adding to that banks of skills.

Organization like ATS provide a thorough grounding in both the use,, maintenance and safety requirements for heavy machinery.Their website is easy to navigate and informative with a broad range of training options available. Skills gained to day are skills gained for life.

From the “How NOT to do it!” Department:

So after a freezing cold, thirteen hundred mile flight in an ancient DC3, I arrived in Echo Bay in the Northwest Territories, 12 miles south of the Arctic Circle. It was my twenty-fifth birthday, but I wasn’t celebrating. We landed on an ice strip – apparently right in front of the mine, but I couldn’t see anything but white. I have no idea how the pilot landed that thing. Two guys looked out the window and refused to leave the plane.

The rest of us newbies shuffled off the plane and onto a bus that took us up a winding goat trail to the office, where we were given a room, a list of rules, and were told to report to work within the hour. By the time I had put my stuff in one of the worst bunkhouses I’d ever seen, the weather closed in and the plane was grounded. For two days as it turned out.

Through near white-out conditions, I made my way down the 117 steps to the garage. After introductions the consisted of a nod, a grunt and a really bad cup of coffee, the foreman said, “Get on that six and put the blade on it. Push the road to the dump”, then he turned and left. I looked at the ancient mechanic, wondering what a six was. He tilted his head toward a bulldozer at the other end of the shop. A Komatsu D6. AHA…, I get it! Then to myself, “They want me to run that? I thought I was here for a forklift job?”

Then it sunk in…, I had never even sat on a bulldozer before, let alone had any training. I smiled a sickly grin. The old mechanic stared at me and spit on the floor. I smiled wider. He didn’t – he just stood there waiting for me to do something. So I gave him that time-honored line, “Huh! What d’ya know? She’s not quite like the last one I drove!” He rolled his eyes, sighed far too loudly, and pointed to the floorboards – he knew exactly what was going on. He’d probably seen hundreds of guys like me.

Humbled, I asked him where the blade was, and he pointed out into the now raging storm. “bout a hundre’…, up…,” I couldn’t hear him after that because he opened the big doors and walked out in the howling wind. Folks, here’s where I could really have used some training!

But at least I was alone! I climbed on my new “six”, and eventually found the starter – near the floorboards. I got lucky – it was an electric start, so that part went better than I deserved. Like I did on the sawmill forklift, I played with things until the machine lurched. After nearly stalling it a dozen times, I finally figured out what made it lurch in which direction, and backed out it out the door into the storm. Once I was clear of the building, I pulled the levers until it started to swing. It was the slowest turn ever made on a dozer – I had no idea if I was going to be able to stop swinging! I could just picture them finding me in the spring, frozen solid and still turning around in circles. I was so glad that no one could see me.

“Up” turned out to be fairly obvious – the place was built on a cliff. So I pointed the machine “up”, and trundled off into the blizzard. I had no idea where I was going, and within minutes, I couldn’t even see the buildings in the growing dark. “But…,”, I thought…, “But no one can see me, either!”

Several hours later, I was getting a bit better at making that monster go where I wanted it to, although I’m sure that I took years off the life cycle of those clutches. I still hadn’t found the blade, which is just as well – I had no idea how to mount it. They eventually sent a search party out for me. The foreman waved me back to the shop, and when I climbed down off ‘my’ six, he asked me, “Did you get it figured out?” “Oh yeah”, I said. He rolled his eyes and sighed way too loud. He knew.

So…, the long and the short of my story? Even if you have an “opportunity” like I that, don’t do what I did. Get some training. The machines will thank you.