Heavy equipment safety is one of the most important aspects of any heavy equipment training program. Sure, learning to operate a piece of heavy equipment is mighty important, but doing it safely is actually more important. In fact, most employers would rather you didn’t operate the equipment at all if you don’t know how to do it safely.

This has been backed up over the past decade with legislation at both a Federal and State level which now requires work sites to operate to a certain level of safety standards. There are safety inspectors touring workplaces and undertaking safety audits. If a business fails its safety audit there can be rather large fines issued.

We at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools take safety seriously and include all relevant safety practices within our training. We do not consider a student competent to operate heavy equipment unless they can do so according to those safety standards. In fact, we go one step further and insist our trainers are fully conversant with safety procedures before allowing them to train others. As a student, our expectation is that you will take heavy equipment safety seriously as well. Otherwise you could cause serious injury to yourself, a fellow student or one of our instructors during training.

Believe it or not, heavy equipment safety starts at home. Your work gear may be a part of the safety requirements. Steel toe boots and most likely a hard hat as well. However, that is just the external coverings. Heavy equipment safety starts from within; it requires an alert mind, eyes that can see, and an attitude that ensure you operate according to procedures. Dull any of these through substance abuse, poor sleep or an all night party and suddenly everyone could be in danger.

Yes – heavy equipment safety is important and it does start at home.

Many people use a lending facility to pay for their crane operator training. This has worked very well over the years. In fact, crane operators are one of the highest paid heavy equipment operators so repaying the loan has not been a problem. Low interest rates have made borrowing a little easier on the pocket although lenders have become a little tougher when it comes to lending criteria. This could all change.

The latest figures are showing that we are well and truly out of a recession and that the economy is starting to grow. A growing economy inevitably leads to one thing – increased interest rates. This is particularly the case if inflation also starts to grow. I am sure there are many out there that remember the high interest rates of the 80’s following a severe recession.

What does this mean for those looking to become crane operators? If you are going to fund your crane operator training using a credit source, do it now before rates start to climb. Past experience has shown the Federal Reserve starts slowly then moves quickly. Before you know it official interest rates will be up around the six or seven percent mark. This can equate to double that in lending markets, triple when it comes to loans with high risk.

Crane operators are still amongst the highest paid when it comes to heavy equipment operations. If you are considering a career as a crane operator then now is the time to act. Demand for operators will increase over the next 12 months, however, waiting six or nine months could see you paying considerably more for your crane operator training at a time when demand may have already peaked. Can you really afford to wait?

If you’re considering becoming a bulldozer operator then the first thing you will need to consider is bulldozer operator training. If you pick up a telephone book, newspaper or search on line you will find hundreds of places that offer this training. Your task is to find a training provider that is close to home; provides accredited training; is well respected within the industry; and can offer a job placement service should you need it. Depending on your circumstances you may also need to consider how you are going to fund your training.

We have thought of all of these factors and can provide bulldozer operator training in ten locations around the country. ATS Heavy Equipment Operators Schools has been accredited to deliver heavy equipment training for many years. We have a reputation for producing well trained work ready operators – in fact, we have many businesses coming to us looking for new operators. Our ten training centers are located in:

• Sun Prairie, Wisconsin;
• Columbus, Ohio;
• Brentwood, New Hampshire;
• Rapidan, Virginia;
• Pelzer, South Carolina;
• Lecanto, Florida;
• Wills Point, Texas;
• Watkins, Colorado;
• Victorville, California ; and
• Eldorado Hills, California.

When it comes to funding your bulldozer training, we can help out there as well. Fill in an online loan application and we will process it and get back to you – often within 48 hours ( a little longer for weekends).

Are you looking at the role of a bulldozer operator as a possible career? Let ATS Heavy Equipment Operators Schools help you take the first steps.

Becoming a certified crane operator is not that difficult. Becoming an employed certified crane operator is a little bit more difficult. What you can do of course is ensure your training and certification is done through an accredited training provider. Whilst not guaranteeing you a job, it will certainly enhance your ability to win a job. Let’s look at the three components separately.

Crane Operator Training

Receiving your crane operator training through an accredited training provider means you are receiving training that has been approved at a national level. This means your training credentials will be respected across the nation, relieving you of the need to pass a test or do more training in each state.

Accredited training is delivered to a standard set of skills. Every person that undertakes accredited training should in theory have the same set of operating skills no matter where they undertook their training.

Crane Operator Certification

Like the training, crane operator certification has to be undertaken through an accredited provider. These are providers who have been approved to deliver assessments and issue certificates to those that pass. Like the accredited training, the assumption is that everyone who has been certified is able to demonstrate the same skills and knowledge no matter where they undertook their training.

There are many states now where all crane operators must be certified before they can be employed to operate a crane. It doesn’t matter where that certification was done so long as it was done through an accredited provider.

Crane Operator Employment

Once you have completed your training and passed all the requirements for certification, you are ready to seek employment. More importantly, you will have all the requirements for an employer to hire you.

Some accredited training providers also provide job placement services. These services are designed to try and match your skills and attributes to the right employers.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are accredited to deliver crane operator training. They are also accredited to undertake crane operator assessments and to issue crane operator certifications. Finally, to complete the picture, they also provide a job placement service. That’s everything you need to become an employed certified crane operator. If that’s your career plan, what are you waiting for?

There is a lot of hidden talent in the US today with many former truck drivers either not working or working at non-driving jobs. Many of those drivers have let their commercial drivers license lapse as well so they have written off ever returning to the industry. Perhaps it’s time for a rethink. Times have changed, we have more trucks on the road now and there are some road rules and regulations that have also been updated or introduced.

If you’re a former truck driver then the bottom line is – your skills and knowledge are in demand. The way to resolve the issue is to undertake a short three week truck driver training program, resit your commercial drivers license tests and you’re ready to take to the highways again. You may think it’s a bore redoing the training, perhaps even unnecessary. You could be right but we can all use refresher courses occasionally and if you have been out of the cab for five years or more, then you really do need it.

The nation is now going through a period of rebuilding and this is putting a strain on the resources we currently have – including commercial drivers. Working conditions for truck drivers are much better these days and so too is the remuneration packages on offer. What can you offer the industry? A lot! You know the score. You know the highways and you know the routine when it comes to loading and unloading. It may be several years old, but that knowledge still places you ahead of green drivers coming through with no experience.

If you have a yearning to return to the truck driving profession then give us a call. We can discuss your truck driver training options and the quickest path back to a commercial drivers license and employment.

If there is one problem with our modern society it is that we are never satisfied. We are constantly looking to update, upgrade, modernize and/or invent new things in the belief it will make life easier. Sometimes it is true. Crane operator training is one area that has to try to keep up with all new technology. Sometimes it can be difficult with new devices and new ways of doing things coming out with the release of every new model.

Of course, manufacturers do it on purpose. If they didn’t bring out new equipment with more modern technology then no one would bother updating – at least not until the old equipment was beyond repair. What does this mean for students studying to become crane operators? Heavy equipment operations, and cranes are included here, is a job that is a constant learning cycle. Whether it is a new technique, a new soil type, or a brand new technology – these all require a new phase of learning, often by the seat of your pants in the cab.

Take laser and GPS technology. There are courses you can take to learn this technology. However, most operators were simply given a ten minute run through and left to their own devices (when the technology was first introduced). Imagine what it was like when magnetic cranes were first introduced – it really was seat-of-the-pants learning back then.

Fortunately, we have top quality training providers that try to maintain equipment that has all the latest technologies on board. Simply being familiar with the technology is a good start to your career. Crane operator training is not a training program you attend once and it’s finished. Once you’re on the job you will continue learning – at least until you decide to retire.

Whilst backhoes, excavators and bulldozers do all the hard work digging and pushing dirt around, it is the loader that invariably gets the job of cleaning up after it’s brothers. Of course, backhoes have loader scoops at the front so for the purpose of this post we will include them in the category of loader. The other aspect to remember is that loaders come in all sizes, from the small compact loaders to the mighty beasts that are used in mining.

Before anyone argues the point with me, I know some loaders can also undertake a degree of digging and earthmoving, but for the big jobs, the specialist machinery is generally called in relegating the loader to cleanup detail. If it sounds like I am putting loaders down, I’m not. Cleaning up is of equal importance to any other aspect of a job.

Wheel loaders are really quite special. They are quite maneuverable and can travel fairly quickly over the ground. They can also move a lot of material fairly quickly. Loaders are probably one of the fastest machines used on a construction site. Even the larger models can move quickly. If you ever watch a loader at work you will see how quickly they can load a truck; zipping forward to scoop up material then in reverse to line up with the truck. And all done at a fair speed.

Loaders rely a lot on hand-eye coordination with eyesight quite important – you need to be sure the scoop is over the truck before tipping the load. If your eyesight is askew you could be dumping the load just short of the truck all the time.

You can undertake loader training as part of a general heavy equipment training program. This will also equip you with skills to handle backhoes, loaders, excavators and bulldozers. Loaders may do all the clean up work, but without them we would have pretty awful looking buildings.

One of the biggest fears that people experience prior to undertaking crane operator training is whether or not they will actually find a job once their training has been completed. It is a rational fear given the talk surrounding the economy. However, there are several things working in favor of new graduates, one of the most important being the amount of money going into new projects at present. Even more important is having someone who knows the industry providing a free job placement service.

ATS have a reputation for producing well trained crane operators. Because of this reputation, employers listen when graduates are promoted for possible operator vacancies. ATS have also over 25 years experience training crane operators for industry. During this time we have developed a considerable database of possible future employers, a database that graduates can access to gain contact details.

Each of our training centers has a job placement service. Students who wish to use the service are interviewed prior to training and provided with a job placement assistance package. Job placement is one of our priorities at ATS since your success is effectively a measure of our success.

Crane operator training will provide the skills necessary to gain entry level employment into the industry. With the demand for all types of heavy equipment operators on the increase employers are looking to training organizations like ATS to supply the current shortfall – crane operators as well. In fact the demand at present is probably greatest for mobile crane operators.

If you are considering a career change and the role of a mobile crane operator appeals to you, give us a call to discuss the training options and ongoing employment prospects. Crane operator training can have your work ready is as little as three weeks – are you ready? Our job placement service is!

Winter may be rapidly approaching but that does not seem to have reduced the demand for grader operators. If anything, demand has continued to climb. Grader operators are generally employed to assist with road construction projects – of course, these have exploded in number in recent months thanks to increases in Federal funding. Winter also sees the arrival of snow in many places. Grader operators can sometimes be found also helping to remove snow from our roads.

Operating a grader is perhaps one of the most technically demanding jobs on a building site. Grader operators have a lot of variables they need to constantly watch. Unlike most construction site equipment, graders are driven over very long stretches of new road. Fellow workers are just one aspect that needs to be watched. At the same time the operator needs to be watching what the blade is doing as the grader cuts, removes and level a stretch of ground.

These days a grader is often guided by laser technology. This is another instrument that must be given attention. With so much going on inside the cab, and a lot going onside the cab, the operator needs to concentration skills and an ability to multi-task. Fortunately, a grader is a relatively easy machine to learn to operate.

Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have grader training programs commencing all the time. If you are interested in a career as a motor grader then I suggest you contact us to inquire about our next training program starting soon.

Mobile crane operator training is quite indepth and covers a range of topics. These topics include various safety aspects along with various operating requirements. Electrical grounding has actually got two definitions when it comes to mobile crane operations.

The first is, as the name suggests, a technique to ground the crane in case of electrical contact. One of the hazards of operating any type of crane, but mobile cranes in particular, is the risk of coming into contact with overhead power cables. This contact can have a life threatening impact on the operator and those around them.

By utilizing an electrical grounding system the harm from any contact can be minimized. When a crane comes into contact with overhead power cables, electricity flows from the cable into the crane. This passes through the operator as well as anyone who happens to be touching attached to the crane in any way, either through direct contact with the crane itself or through any wiring such as a communication system. Grounding directs the current to the ground bypassing the operator.

The second form off electrical grounding is a system that grounds the crane in the real sense. It is a stabilizing system that ensure the crane is balanced on uneven ground. Mobile cranes have a series of ‘feet’ that are lowered to the ground in much the same way we use car jacks to raise a cars wheel off the ground.

An electrical grounding system lowers these feet sufficiently to ensure the crane is sitting firmly and is well balanced – and important safety aspect when it comes to lifting heavy weights. The next time you see a mobile crane in use, have a look to see whether or not the crane has been balanced using an electrical grounding system. As I mentioned at the start, mobile crane operator training covers a lot of topics – electrical grounding is just one of them.