Are you a heavy equipment contractor? Do you employ heavy equipment operators? Have you considered encouraging your heavy equipment operators to gain a commercial drivers license? As a business owner, having employees that are multi-skilled makes a lot of sense and can, over time, save your business a lot of money.

The heavy equipment industry is a classic example of where multi-skilled employees can be a real boon. How many small jobs have you had over the past 12 months, is my next question. These are the jobs where you send out a piece of heavy equipment to do a job and then retrieve it at the end of the day, or at some stage during the day, with the job done. For most contractors, they load up the trailer and have it driven to the work-site then the tractor and trailer (sometimes only the tractor) return to base only to have to go back out at the end of the day.

This takes two employees, one for the tractor trailer and one to operate the heavy equipment. It also means a heavier use of fuel with an extra return trip added to the job. If your heavy equipment operators have their commercial drivers licenses, you can send them out with the tractor, trailer and equipment and they can return when the job has been completed. There is no waiting around, only a single employer required, and a significant saving in fuel – all costs that affect your bottom line.

In fact, the amount of money saved over a twelve month period could well truly cover the cost of training. As an employer, you could sponsor the training of your employees and still show an increase in profits at the end of the year. Training through Associated Training Services only takes three weeks – three weeks that could significantly boost your bottom line.

We often discuss some of the more unusual jobs that heavy equipment operators can be called upon to do at times. Excavators have a role that is important in our society, a role that most of us will require at some stage, yet a role we will not care about at the time. I am of course talking about our final resting place. Mini excavators are often the equipment of choice these days when it comes to digging burial plots.

It’s not a subject we all want to discuss – but then, it is a job that is required in our society and someone has to do it. If you have ever seen an empty burial plot, you will be struck by how precise they can be. Rectangular, straight walls and perfect corners. That actually takes precision work by a skilled operator to achieve that finish – skills that can take quite some time to fully develop.

When developing any skills in life, the end result will almost always depend on the platform that you are building those skills on. If your original training has been poor then no matter how much practice and experience you get, you are only reinforcing a poor skill set and bad habits. Quality training provides a solid platform from which you can build skills to a high level.

Employers know this already. When looking at resumes, or interviewing applicants for a vacancy, one of the questions they want answered is ‘where you did your training’. If your heavy equipment training provider has a poor reputation you can forget the job. If your training provider has a good reputation then your chances of securing the job increase dramatically.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have a solid reputation for delivering good quality operators that are ready for the workplace. Excavators get some of the interesting jobs – like digging burial plots. Are you interested in becoming an excavator operator? Contact us if you are.

Heavy equipment safety has become an important issue and many states now insist on operators having some form of safety training. Employers themselves are now starting to see the worth of safety training. Consider the two sides of the issue. Accidents mean stoppages, injuries, inquiries, possibly fines, and the job finishing behind schedule. No accidents means – well, the opposite. No injuries, no inquires, no stoppages, a happier workplace and jobs finishing ahead of schedule.

Southern Industrial Constructors are a classic example. They have just celebrated a full year with zero accidents in the workplace. You may think “so what?.” However, consider this: they employ 750 employees at sites spread around the country. This means safety is a prime concern, not in one place, but in multiple places. As one of the nation’s biggest employers of construction workers and heavy equipment operators, this is a record to be proud of.

How have they managed to achieve this record? Safety training, including ongoing training on a regular basis, has formed an important part of their safety platform. Workers are rewarded for working within safety guidelines. More importantly, using crane operators as an example:

(…source)The company advocates nationally for industry safety standards requiring its crane operators to be certified by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools along with ATS Crane Operator Schools have long promoted safety in the workplace. All nationally accredited training includes safety components as laid down by the relevant national bodies for each equipment type. For our crane operators, we offer training that has been accredited and graduates can be assessed at our training centers for accreditation by the NCCCO. Heavy equipment safety training is helping to reduce workplace accidents – just ask Southern Industrial Constructors.

Some people love them, some people hate them, but without a doubt our highways make traveling long distances quicker and easier. Every single highway had, at some stage, a grader or two working to prepare the way for the seal. In fact, graders have made the job of road building so much easier.

What most lay people don’t realize is that the grader is the one machine most responsible for ensuring our roads are flat and built at the right slope. This is important for water control in the wet (the water needs to be able to drain away quickly rather than just lie there) and for general road safety. Cambers on corners help to keep the car on the road.

Engineers of course have the task of designing our roads, designing the slopes and cambers, but it is the grader that is employed to deliver the results – all based on the plans put together by engineers. Grader operator training therefore needs to include training on how to read plans, and how to read soil types if the operator is going to be effective in their job.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools we don’t just teach how to drive a grader, you are also trained on other aspects including reading plans, understanding soil types, workplace safety and basic maintenance procedures. As a graduate, you will have good general knowledge of your equipment and, of course, the skills required to actually operate the equipment.

Do you want to leave a permanent mark on society in one of the most helpful ways? Consider becoming a grader operator. Training only requires three weeks of your time and then you’re ready to hit the road!

Heavy equipment training is by no means cheap. I wouldn’t call it expensive either, at least not when you consider the rewards available at the end of your training. Financial aid is one of those areas that can be a stumbling block for many considering a career change. Yet, it shouldn’t be.

Training to operate heavy equipment generally only takes three weeks. This means you can complete your training and enter the lucrative trade fairly quickly. If you have borrowed money to undertake training, there is a good chance your new wage could quickly have that loan paid off.

Finance is an important consideration, but it is one that should be weighed up against several factors. The first of course is how quickly you can be in the workplace and earning. As already mentioned, training is only three weeks so time is not a problem. What about opportunities? There are plenty of opportunities around at present. Middle to late spring is one of the prime recruitment seasons for heavy equipment operators so vacancies should be on the increase.

The second factor to consider is the wage rate. Heavy equipment operators are well paid so there is a good chance your new wage could be considerably higher than your current wage. Working hours are good and the work itself, while often a challenge, is extremely satisfying.

Are you suited to this field? This is the third and most important question. You shouldn’t be paying (or borrowing) for a training program if your heart and soul is not in it. There is a good chance you won’t remain in the trade for long and every obstacle will become a huge negative. Those with a positive attitude see obstacles as another challenge to defeat – and they succeed as heavy equipment operators.

There is plenty of financial aid around at present including very competitive student loans. With a new career and a lucrative wage in hand, taking out a student loan shouldn’t be too much of a burden. Call us to discuss your situation and to find out what financial aid options are available for you.

Dump trucks are one of the busiest vehicles on any construction site. If they are not bringing in truck loads of building materials they are carting truck loads out. At times, they will do both, bringing in, say, a load of sand and then filling up with a load debris that needs to be removed.

The role of a dump truck driver is never boring. In fact, you are on the go almost all day. The only time you get to pause is when your truck is being filled. These days, that doesn’t take very long at all. There are many areas that utilize hoppers – you simply drive your truck under the hopper, the hopper is opened and within a minute you have a full load. At the construction site, loaders. backhoes and excavators can quickly fill a dump truck with material that needs carting away.

Career prospects for dump trucks are good with demand for drivers fairly steady all year round. The peak in demand around the middle to the end of spring as construction companies take on new drivers to help meet contract deadlines. Now is one of the best times to gain one’s qualifications as a dump truck driver since that recruitment drive for drivers will soon start in earnest.

ATS Truck Driver Schools can have you trained and ready for work in as little as three weeks. Dump truck driver training is undertaken using both in class and behind the wheel training sessions. Behind the wheel sessions involve you doing the driving, not watching someone else doing the driving. Every kid wants to be a dump truck driver when playing in their sand pit, but is the big kid in you still wanting to drive a dump truck in a real life sand pit?

As the weather starts to clear you will see more and more bulldozers hard at work on many of our back roads. Over winter, snow, ice and water sit on these back roads and are generally only accessible using off-road vehicles. Off-road vehicles tend to have larger tires with large tread patterns so you can imagine the effect they have as they grind snow, ice and mud against the road surfaces.

Once the weather has cleared – and the snow, ice and water has gone – these back roads are almost impassable due to the large pot holes that have been gouged into the roads. Bulldozers are often called in to start the repair processes. They carve out the rough patches of road ready for either a repair crew to resurface the road or for gravel, which the bulldozer then spreads over the surface.

Bulldozer operators are always in high demand at this time of the year. They are normally the first heavy equipment operators called into any construction area as they prepare the way for new buildings or new roads. Because of this demand, it is also a great opportunity for those who are looking to start a career as bulldozer operators.

By undertaking your heavy equipment operator training through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools you are giving yourself the best advantage possible in starting this career. Training only takes three weeks so you are ready to snap up any opportunities that arise. ATS has an excellent record when it comes to producing skilled operators. Future employers will often show preference for our graduates over those from other training schools. If you’re ready for a career operating bulldozers, give yourself the ATS advantage and contact us now for details on the next training course in your area.

Cranes are not all made the same with some requiring more skills than others. The lattice boom crane is one crane that requires extended crane operator training to achieve a proficiency ready for the workplace. Training for the lattice boom crane is a recent addition to the ATS training calendar and is only available through our training centers in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Texas and California.

Standard crane operator training through ATS Crane Operator Schools is a three week nationally accredited program. Upon completion, graduates can be assessed against the national competencies for crane operators and, if successful, certified as crane operators. This certification is a national qualification, which means holders are eligible for employment in all states, particularly those where certification of crane operators is mandatory.

Lattice boom crane operator training is a two week extension to the standard crane operator training. This training is conducted every three months and upon completion, graduates can be assessed and certified as qualified lattice boom crane operators. Lattice boom crane operators are well paid compared to many other areas of the work place including mobile crane operators.

If a career as a crane operator appeals to you, why not contact ATS Crane Operator Schools to discuss your training and employment opportunities. Crane operators are always in high demand with skilled operators rarely out of work. Once you have graduated and been certified, our career service can help you identify suitable employers in your region where employment opportunities may exist. The demand is there for crane operators – are you capable of filling that demand? Call us to find out.

I think there are times when we underestimate the value of simple machinery like loaders. On the face of it, they have a limited range of tasks and most of those are related to carrying. They can’t dig very well, they are not really suited to any bulldozing and they can’t do a lot when it comes to demolition, except carry away the demolished material.

With that sort of description, who would want to operate one? In fact, who would want to undertake loader training? However, if you stop and think about what they can do, it’s a different story. A loader can move an awful lot of material in a very short time. Take loading sand into a truck. It would take at least 20 men at least an hour to load a pile of sand into a truck. In fact, getting it into the truck would be the difficult part. Perhaps they could use a couple of buckets tied to rope. The loader, of course, could move the pile in two or three scoops.

It’s not recommended these days, but in the past many tradesman relied on the scoop to raise them high enough to perform special tasks. Cherry pickers or specialist hoists do the job these days. Loaders can also be used, in a limited way, to level out the ground. This is done by adding loose material with the scoop being used like a giant rake to level out the loose material.

Almost every building site has a loader of some shape and size, even if it’s just a compact loader. They are versatile when it comes to carrying and moving objects, whether it is loose material like sand and dirt or solid material like rock and concrete. They are also useful for moving hardware like pipes, steel or timber and any other object that will fit into its scoop.

Loader operators are always in demand, which is fortunate since loaders can also be one of the easiest ways into the heavy equipment industry. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can have you qualified and in the operator seat of a loader in just three weeks. Call us and find out how.

Are you sitting at home wondering where your next job is going to come from? Have you considered undertaking a few weeks training to learn new skills? If you haven’t then maybe it’s time you did because it only takes three weeks to learn the skills required to become a backhoe operator. In fact, it only takes three weeks to acquire the skills to operate most forms of heavy equipment.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are one of the most respected heavy equipment schools around, having supplied the construction industry with literally thousands of new recruits. Our graduates are noted for being skilled and ready for employment through training that is accredited to national standards.

Now all that sounds like one big ad doesn’t it? Yet, it’s all true. Let’s take a step back.

The construction industry has been on the crest of a wave over the last 12 months thanks to the injection of massive amounts of money by the Federal Government. This funding is going into basic infrastructure programs like roads, bridges and schools. More importantly, it has created a lot of new jobs across the board including heavy equipment. Backhoe operators have been particularly blessed with plenty of work because of the versatility of their equipment.

On the flip side of the coin, there are many hard working Americans who are now out of work, simply because the economist and the bankers got it all wrong. If you are one of them (hard working American that is, not an economist or banker) then you can get your working life back on track by taking on a career as a backhoe operator. These jobs are well paid with good work conditions and a terrific camaraderie. Just be sure you gain your heavy equipment training through an accredited, well-respected heavy equipment training company. Call us and reclaim your career – it only takes three weeks.