The rigger is a very important part of any heavy equipment team. More than just a driver, a rigger performs six different but essential heavy equipment tasks every day. Here are those six tasks.

1. Lifting – A rigger uses hoists and pulleys to lift heavy items such as equipment, loads, and cargo. To accomplish this task, they may provide the mechanical, electrical, and other tools to accomplish the lifting on the job site.
2. Moving – A rigger is responsible for moving heavy loads from one end of a work site to another. This may entail using a crane to lift and move large boxes, vehicles, or other heavy cargo on a dock, in a warehouse, or across a construction site.
3. Transporting – Riggers are also responsible for transporting heavy equipment, machinery, and cargo. This could involve the use of flatbed trucks, cargo ships, and other heavy industrial equipment.
4. Positioning – Sometimes, loads shift. A rigger is responsible for ensuring heavy loads do not shift during transport or, in the event that a shift has occurred, re-positioning loads for further transport.
5. Pulling – Riggers are responsible for pulling loads and heavy equipment or cargo. That may entail the use of wenches, pullies, dollies, jacks, and other useful mechanical equipment.
6. Security – Equipment security is very important. A rigger must ensure a load is safe and secure before, during, and after transport. This may involve securing a load with straps, bands, weights, and other equipment designed to keep cargo from shifting during transport or to ensure cargo isn’t burglarized or vandalized.

Heavy equipment riggers are a very important part of the heavy equipment team.

If you want a long-lasting career that pays well, try heavy equipment operations. You can learn to operate virtually any type of heavy equipment in use today on construction sites all around the world. The most popular and rewarding type of heavy equipment can be learned in one course. Here are 7 types of heavy equipment you can learn in one training class at Associated Training Services:

1. Backhoes – A backhoe is used for excavation. It consists of a bucket on the back end of an articulating boom. You’ll often see them on construction sites and are used for digging ditches and trenches. If you want bigger holes, use an excavator.
2. Wheel loaders – Wheel loaders are large pieces of equipment with bigger buckets than backhoes and are used to carry material from one end of the construction site to another. They are close cousins to front-end loaders.
3. Bulldozers – The bulldozer is the workhorse of the construction site. It consists of a large blade and is used for pushing dirt, soil, sand, rock, rubble, and other debris around the worksite. When you just want it out of the way, use a bulldozer.
4. Excavators – When you really need a big hole dug, use an excavator. See how an excavator compares with a backhoe in the video below.

1. Road graders – A road grader has a long blade on it and is used to flatten surfaces, such as gravel roads and construction sites.
2. Dump trucks – When you have a lot of dirt, soil, rock, and other substances to move, use a dump truck.
3. Skid steers – A skid steer, also called a skid steer loader, is a small piece of equipment that allows you to add different attachments to the front for hauling, moving, and lifting things. Watch this fun video of a skid steer in action.

There are good reasons and bad reasons for changing careers or starting an equipment career. If you’re young and with no or little job experience, it’s a good time to start a career. But what about heavy equipment? Is that the right career choice?

If you’re older, you might think twice about changing careers, but there are good reasons to do so even in the middle of your life. Here are three solid reasons why heavy equipment is a good career choice no matter how old you are.

1. Baby Boomers are retiring – Because the Baby Boomer generation is beginning to retire, the next 20 years will prove to be a good period for career change and growth. Companies will be looking for younger people to step up and fill the gaps left by their employees retiring.
2. There is high demand – The heavy equipment industry is seeking new candidates to hire and train right now. With America’s infrastructure crumbling, there is lots of work today. Both the private sector and public sector need qualified people to operate heavy equipment to build roads and bridges as well as skyscrapers and public projects.
3. The pay is good – There are few blue-collar jobs that pay as well as heavy equipment operator jobs. When you consider the pay, the pension, and all the benefits together, it’s a fairly lucrative field. And if you have multiple qualifications (i.e. rigger, mobile crane operations certification, Class-A CDL), then you can command even higher pay.

Heavy equipment operations is a good career, and there are plenty of opportunities to go around.

As long as there are roads and bridges that need to be built, as long as construction crews follow the plans of an architect and build skyscrapers, shopping malls, apartment buildings, and single-family dwellings, and as long as people continue to accumulate waste that needs to be dumped, there will be a need for heavy equipment operators.

The heavy equipment operation profession is one of the most ubiquitous and necessary professions in the world. From hauling dirt to loading barges with huge crates and for overseas transport, heavy equipment operators are the backbone of the world economy. And the range of equipment you can be trained on to make the world go around is astoundingly huge. Here are just a few of the types of equipment that employers need qualified personnel for right now;

• Mobile cranes
• Forklifts
• Wheel Loaders
• Backhoes
• Bulldozers
• Excavators
• Road graders
• Skid steers
• Dump trucks
• And more.

Each of these types of heavy equipment has larger and smaller versions of it and needs an expert driver to maneuver depending on the job at hand. The best way to get trained on this equipment is to take a heavy equipment operator training course.

Some heavy equipment, such as mobile cranes, require a special certification. You can get that certification through rigorous training, as well.

Truck drivers can be short-haul or long-haul. If you’re going to be a truck driver, either way, then you need a commercial driver’s license. Once you have your CDL, you’ll be qualified to work for any employer who hires truck drivers, long haul or short haul, anywhere in the U.S. Why not start your training today?

The term “heavy equipment operator” encompasses a broad range of professionals from the lowly forklift driver to the glamorized long-haul truck driver. More often than not, however, it specifically refers to a person who operates one of several types of heavy equipment that are often found on construction sites and industrial zones within a variety of industries. Without getting into specific niche-oriented types of heavy equipment, the most basic equipment we’re talking about includes:

• Backhoes
• Mobile cranes
• Wheel loaders of various types
• Excavators
• Scrapers
• Graders
• Bulldozers

Again, these are the most basic types of heavy equipment you’ll find on most construction sites and many industrial work sites. A heavy equipment operator is a person trained to operate such equipment and has the proper certification to do so.

How Do You Become a Heavy Equipment Operator

Heavy equipment operators generally receive some type of professional training before they are allowed to operate heavy equipment. Some operators get their training on the job, but this is not the preferred way to get your professional certification. Rather, you are much more employable long term if you get trained and certified by an industry-recognized heavy equipment operator training school.

Many employers will hire instructors to come to their work site and provide such training to several employees at the same time. If your employer is one of those, they can contact Heavy Equipment School to set up the on-site training for you and your co-workers.

For more information on what you will learn in the heavy equipment operator training, you receive from ATS, visit our curriculum page.

It’s a tough job market. Not only do you need employable skills, but you need to understand how to position yourself as the right person for every job. That includes knowing how to prepare a resume, conduct an interview, and negotiate salaries.

If you’re looking for a lucrative career, the heavy equipment career is ready for you. Here are five reasons why now is a good time to get in:

1. Lots of Demand – There is a lot of demand for heavy equipment operators. Construction is booming everywhere. Cities and municipalities, private businesses, and even the federal government have projects going on all the time.
2. Pay is Increasing – You’d think that demand is driving wages lower, but in fact, as the cost of living rises, heavy equipment operators need to earn more to maintain the lifestyles they’ve enjoyed. The best companies in the field are paying heavy equipment operators handsomely.
3. Baby Boomers are Retiring – The older heavy equipment operators in the workforce are retiring in droves. That’s leaving a lot of empty spaces for new operators.
4. Opportunities for Advancement – Because the top heavy equipment operators, who tend to be older, are retiring, that means a lot of younger but experienced heavy equipment operators will be moving up, leaving room for entry-level operators to step in and fill positions. When new positions in management open up, who do you think will be in line?
5. Many Ways to Earn More Income – Once you get certified to operate heavy equipment, you can make yourself more employable and valuable to your employers by training on other equipment and getting other certifications that can increase your pay. These include rigging, CDLs, and mobile crane certifications.

This is the best time to start a career in heavy equipment. What are you waiting for?

How to operate a variety of heavy equipment is the obvious thing you learn while in heavy equipment school. You’ll learn to operate everything from a backhoe to an all-terrain forklift. But that’s not all. There are six other things you’ll learn that will help you throughout your heavy equipment career.

1. Grade Reading – Do you know how to read a grade? It’s very important for a lot of the work you’ll do, from excavation to clearing. You’ll learn how to tell the difference between a 45-degree grade and a 49-degree grade.
2. Laser Levels – Laser levels are construction measuring tools that you’ll see a lot and you should know how to operate them.
3. Soils – Different types of soils are more difficult to move than others. We’ll teach you how to identify the types of soil and how to operate the various equipment in each type of soil.
4. Safety – Heavy equipment safety is one of the most important lessons you’ll ever learn. We give you the full scoop.
5. Site Layouts – Layout management is very important in construction work. You don’t want to create collision courses between your various heavy equipment, so you’ll need to learn a little bit about how to layout a construction site so that your team is more efficient and more safe.
6. Heavy Equipment Maintenance – If you don’t maintain your equipment, it won’t last. We’ll teach you everything you learn and need to know at the operator’s level to keep your equipment operating smoothly for the job.

In heavy equipment school, you learn more than just sitting in a bucket and pulling levers. You learn how to succeed on the construction site.

All around the nation, heavy equipment operators and truck drivers are securing jobs that lead to productive, successful and fulfilling careers. You can be one of them. When you enroll in a course from ATS, you’ll gain free access to job leads just like these:

• ELY, IA hiring heavy equipment operators.
• IN, SOUTH BEND hiring CLASS-A CDL truck drivers.
• CHATTANOOGA, TN hiring mobile crane operators.
• CLAYTON, IA hiring mobile crane operators.
• GREEN BAY, WI hiring CLASS-A CDL truck drivers.
• AUSTIN, TX hiring heavy equipment operators.
• NEW AUBURN, WI hiring CLASS-A CDL truck drivers.
• HOUSTON, TX hiring mobile crane operators.
• HUDSON, WI hiring heavy equipment operators.
• OSHKOSH, WI hiring CLASS-A CDL truck drivers.

From construction to shipping yards and from pipelines to the highways, if you want to acquire the best, highest paying jobs in heavy equipment, you should start with the proper training. Professionals are trained by professionals. That’s the way it has always been and always will be.

Total Resources Network not only lists the best places to get your heavy equipment and truck driving training, it lists the best jobs from the best employers.

Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk. Enroll in ATS Heavy Equipment School today.

Amounting to what the company considers more capable wheel loaders its customers can simply “do more with,” John Deere has revamped its three Utility Class wheel loaders with power and operator comfort updates.

The new 444K, 524K, and 544K are each powered by Deere PowerTech Tier 4 Final engines producing 124 horsepower, 141 hp and 163 hp on the respective models. Deere says the engine provides ample torque for maintaining good boom and bucket speed in and out of a pile for heaped loads, even in wet or hard-packed material.

The new loaders are outfitted with excavator-style, load-sensing hydraulics and Deere’s PowerShift torque-converter transmission which constantly monitors speed and load conditions. Plus, the new top-of-the-line 544K features a standard five-speed transmission with lockup torque converter which boosts acceleration reduces cycle times and optimizes power and fuel efficiency during transport, roading, and ramp climbing in gears 2 through 5.

Inside the cab operators will find a new color monitor where diagnostic and maintenance info is displayed along with a new high-back, air-ride seat. The cab also features reduced engine noise, a keyless start and one of two radio options: an AM/FM/WB with auxiliary port or an AM/FM/WB and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio with auxiliary port, USB and Bluetooth connectivity. The loaders can be outfitted with Deere’s Ultimate Uptime telematics service which provides pre-delivery and follow-up inspections, three years of JDLink telematics, machine health prognostics, and remote diagnostics.

The demand is all over the world. People are building, constructing, and tearing things down. Dirt is being moved, high rises constructed, and governments funding capital projects. Businesses too. Wouldn’t you like to be a part of that? Well, you can be, with a little training.

Here are 8 pieces of heavy equipment that are always in high demand, and the ATS Heavy Equipment Operator School can teach you how to operate them while assisting you with getting your career off the ground.

1. Backhoe – Learn to excavate with the world’s best-known piece of heavy equipment.
2. Scraper – Governments, farms, and industrial companies all over the world use scrapers to even out landscapes.
3. Bulldozers – Bulldozers are big for a reason. You’d be big too if your job was to push dirt around.
4. Graders – A single blade used to flatten a piece of ground or a road for smoother traveling.
5. Loaders – There are all sorts of loaders — skid steer, front end, wheel loaders. You can learn to operate them all in one single course.
6. Excavators – Excavators are the world’s largest diggers. You can dig anything with one of these monsters.
7. Dump trucks – Dig it, pick it up, and drop it in the back of a dump truck, then haul it off somewhere and get rid of it.
8. Forklifts – All-terrain forklifts are useful pieces of equipment to have on any work site. With two prongs, you can lift thousands of pounds and carry it hundreds of feet.

Are you ready? Enroll in the ATS Heavy Equipment Operators Course today and start your career on the right foot.