Safety is one issue that should not be ignored. Throw in a large piece of machinery and you you can understand a little about why heavy equipment safety is so important. Safety guidelines are set to protect everyone and everything. The operator, their fellow workers and the general public obviously require some form of protection but so to do buildings, vehicles and many other objects.

Some safety aspects are fairly obvious. For example, vehicles that are parked should have safety brakes applied. That is pretty obvious. Did you know that if that vehicle is parked overnight close to any public roadway then in some areas it requires either lights and reflectors or a barricade fitted with lights or reflectors?

It may seem like a useless piece of information. However, for an operator it is an important safety issue that has to be complied with. You would think it would be fairly hard to accidentally collide with a huge bulldozer that has been parked off the road – but it has happened. This is why these vehicles need to be clearly seen and idenfied as traffic hazards by passing motorists.

Safety rules go far beyond this and are generally focused on operational issues concerning safety. There are simple matters that the ordinary lay person would not think of. For example, the position of the bucket, scoop or blade on heavy equipment when it is moving from one area to another. Should it be up or should it be down? What sort of angle should they make? If you want the answers to these questions then you may need to consider undertaking a heavy equipment safety training program.

If you were looking at heavy equipment careers then you are probably considering construction, mining or perhaps forestry. It is those three industries that do employ the highest number of heavy equipment operators. However, there are many other areas where you will find a piece of heavy equipment.

The area that is perhaps the least thought of is in the food industries. Believe it or not, heavy equipment such as loaders and mini bulldozers are used in a broad section of food supply. Stockpiled raw sugar is often moved around using a small front loader. I must say it made think about using sugar after seeing the front loader driving over piles of sugar.

Sugar isn’t the only area. Grains that we use to make bread, or to mix with various foods are also often moved around a work area using a front loader. I have seen small bulldozers being used to push dried corn from the drying room floor in manageable piles.

I have read of farmers who stand in the scoop of a large loader to pick fruit – the picked fruit going straight into the loader. Once full, the bucket load is tipped into large bins. Whilst we may turn our noses up at the thought, it has been going on for decades. You needn’t worry. By the time the food reaches our tables it has gone through so many processes that any possible contaminates are long gone.

If you were to undertake heavy equipment training, you just never know where you may wind up being employed. Whether it is on a construction site, or in a sugar mill, the skills required are just the same. Heavy equipment training prepares you for a heavy equipment career – where that career takes you is solely up to you.

If you have ever wanted a career in the area of landscaping then you may want to consider starting by undertaking training on loaders. Loaders, particularly the smaller versions, are being used more frequently in landscaping because of their versatility.

When thinking about landscaping, most people think of gardens around the home. However, as our society starts to push the environmental buttons, various projects now require the inclusion of rehabilitation and landscaping targets before gaining approval.

Although these projects can run into many acres, bulldozers are too large and too cumbersome, especially for areas that have fragile ecosystems. Smaller vehicles such as loaders, small backhoes and bobcats are preferred. The demand for operators that are skilled in the use of these vehicles in sensitive areas will increase dramatically over the next decade.

If you have an environmental bent you can train on loaders, get some experience in rehabilitation projects and then start to specialize in the area of environmental landscaping. The rewards in both dollar and job satisfaction terms can be huge.

Even if you’re not interested in environmental issues, the use of heavy equipment in general landscaping is growing. Equipment like loaders enable landscapers to quickly carve the land to the required shape before using hand tools to finish off and start planting.

Loaders are also often used to assist with planting more mature vegetation. The scoop can carry the plant to the planting site and then help to lower it into it’s new home. Trees, for example, can be dug up and relocated in a few hours thus reducing plant stress and increasing its chances of long term survival.

Heavy equipment is not restricted to construction or mining sites. Smaller versions like loaders are filtering into many different work environments and landscaping is just one of them. If landscaping is a direction you are considering, why not consider training on loaders – those skills are increasing in demand rapidly.

Crane operator training can put you into a career that has many interesting tasks. We wrote a post late last month titled Mobile Cranes Are Always Ready To Come To The Rescue and a report in the Des Moines Register is a classic example of what we had written. Cranes do get used in the most unusual situations including performing rescues.

According to the report, the crane operator needed to lower a fellow construction worker into a dam to rescue an elderly woman from the swirling waters. Once the woman was secured she was then lifted to a nearby boat where she was taken to hospital.

This all sounds fine and you may think there is nothing special about the task. Putting aside the fact that a woman was saved from drowning – let’s look at the task itself. In most tasks like this the crane operator is operating almost blind. Once the crane’s hook goes over the side of the embankment, he cannot see where it is going. His eyes are the eyes that are on the ground looking over the edge – in other words, his fellow workmates. He relies on signals from his workmates for directions.

Again, you may think this is standard – and it is. That is why crane operators undertake training. One component is of course actually operating the crane. Other components include interpreting signals from those on the ground. By the way, it is always useful for those on the ground to undertake training on how to send those signals to the crane operator.

The crane operator and the person giving the signals need to work as close team. You may think the signaler signals stop, and the crane stops – it is not as simple as that. The person on the ground has to be able to read the situation and make signals an instant or two before the action is required. There is always a delay between giving a signal, the operator interpreting that signal and then acting on it. This is why you will often find that crane operators and signalers work as teams on construction jobs. Where the crane and operator goes, so too does the signaler – good teams are hard to find.

If your crane operator training is solid and thoroughly covers the basics then performing a rescue like this become second nature. In fact, a well trained novice crane operator could have pulled it off – all because of the interaction between those on the ground the operator. The rescue story quite rightly focused on the construction worker who was brave enough to hang onto the hook and allow himself to be lowered into the dam. It still took a team to get him there though. You can read the Des Moines Register story here.

Certified crane operators are in strong demand around the nation. However, in most states, you cannot operate a crane without that piece of paper that says you are certified. Thousands of people have worked as crane operators in the past before moving on to other careers, or perhaps other heavy equipment. If you’re one of these people and have been considering changing back to a crane operator career, the news is good.

To re-enter the workplace as a crane operator requires three steps. Undertake the safety components for crane operator and take some type of refresher course to ensure your knowledge is up to date and your skills current. The final step is to undertake an assessment of your skills and knowledge. If you pass these assessments then you will be officially recognized as a certified crane operator.

You may argue that you have twenty years experience behind the controls of a crane. Many would argue it was twenty years of developing bad work habits – which of course you would deny, and I don’t blame you. Certification is a way of proving to others you do have current skills and knowledge. With that certificate no one can say you have twenty years of bad habits – you have had twenty years of skills building.

Certification is also used to ensure that every crane operator has the same set of foundation skills and knowledge. Those working around a crane will know that, no matter who the operator is, the crane will be operated in a safe and almost predictable way. This makes for a much safer workplace and, over time, a more efficient workplace.

Becoming a certified crane operator is not that difficult with companies such as ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools offering comprehensive training and follow up assessments. You get the complete package at ATS – crane operator training and formal certification – or in the case of a former operator, refresher training and certification.

Backhoes are everywhere and range in size from small toy-like machines to huge monsters, but have you wondered how they got their name? Let’s have a look and see if there are any clues.

The most common backhoe in use today is a backhoe loader. These machines have a large wide loading scoop at the front and a smaller digging bucket at the rear. These vehicles can perform various roles with the front scoop predominantly used to move material such as sand, earth, and gravel. The digging bucket at the back (also called a hoe – now is that a clue?) is used to dig holes, traditionally trenches.

There are other types in use as well. The skid loader is a very small version of a front-end loader. However, the front scoop can be removed and a backhoe attachment fitted. The backhoes attachment works in exactly the same manner as a traditional backhoe.

Now, hang on – a backhoe goes at the back of the machine, doesn’t it? That is why it is called a backhoe. That is the popular misconception. A backhoe is not called a backhoe because the bucket is at the ‘back’ of the machine. The answer is just as straightforward, however.

If you think about the front loader or a bulldozer, they move earth and dig by scooping the dirt forward, away from the machine. Backhoes dig by moving the earth towards the machine. In other words, it moves dirt backwards rather than forwards. So, that is where the backhoe derived its name.

It is perhaps a useless piece of information unless you’re looking to work as a backhoe operator. However, you would be surprised at how many people would not have known. It would be an interesting question to put to all new students before they commenced their backhoe training – I am sure we could catch a lot of them out – unless of course, they have read this post.

Bulldozers come in all shapes and sizes but one thing almost always stays the same – the tracks that keep them on the go. Because of their size, weight and the jobs they have to do, bulldozers use tracks similar to those found on military tanks rather than wheels. Have you ever wondered why they need tracks and not wheels?

I say most bulldozers because there are one or two models that have wheels instead of tracks. Tracks have several distinct advantages over wheels. If you think about the type of work and the kinds of environments that bulldozers operate in you may have a better understanding.

Wheels come with one major problem – they tend to get stuck whenever the surface is a little soft. This could be mud, sand or just soft ground. A bulldozer’s claim to fame is its strength and a lot of that strength comes from its actual weight. Bulldozers are built close to the ground and convert the power of their engine into strength, which then allows it to use its own weight to push (or pull) heavy objects or gouge out the ground.

Tracks are a major component in this power conversion. These tracks distribute the weight of the bulldozer, particularly around the engine itself. With wheeled vehicles, the weight is distributed at the four corners and in the very center – of course, there is no wheel in the very center of the vehicle so that power conversion is lost.

So to answer the original question – bulldozers have tracks that help them stay above the ground rather than sinking into it and these track help the bulldozer convert engine power into pushing and pulling power. Without tracks a bulldozer would not be as effective in the work it performs.

If you undertake bulldozer training you will get a better understanding of tracks and their importance. You will also be trained in how to perform basic inspection and maintenance task on these tracks – after all, without those tracks, you don’t have a bulldozer.

If you have trained and worked as a heavy equipment operator then it may be time to consider adding a commercial drivers license (CDL) to your list of skills and qualifications. You would be surprised at how many employers jump at the chance to employ heavy equipment operators that can truck their equipment to the work site.

We live in a period where employers are looking to be competitive when tendering for projects. One of the biggest costs to any business is the cost of labor. For every worker they employ, the actual cost to the business can be as much as double their pay packet. If you are on $40,000 per year, chances are it is actually costing the business $60-80,000 each year by the time you look at training and insurance and the multitude of little costs associated with employment.

If a business can employ someone with more than one skill, particularly where those skills are complementary such as a truck license together with experience as a heavy equipment operator, then that is one less pay packet. If a business can complete a project with ten less employees, that is the equivalent of over half a million bucks. The business can submit a tender for a lower price which will improve it’s chances of winning that tender. The more tenders the business wins, the more employment for you – think about it.

This situation is not restricted to heavy equipment operators. You may already be employed as a truck driver, or at least hold an A class CDL. If that is the case, you can undertake training to become a heavy equipment operator. Once again you have multiple skills that complement each other – a sure fire road to a long and successful career.

There are many individuals who investigate heavy equipment careers but their approach is often focused on a single piece of equipment. Bulldozers are always a popular choice, possibly because they are one of the most visible pieces of heavy equipment in use. However, specializing in one area can have its down sides.

We now live in a world in which diversity is becoming the key to success. If you place yourself in the position of an employer, who are you going to put off during tough economic times? I will give you a choice – a bulldozer operator or an operator that can work with three or four different types of equipment. Common sense says to dismiss the bulldozer operator.

The employee that can operate a diverse range of equipment is far more valuable to the employer. In fact, as much as I hate to say it, the chances are that two or three specialist operators will get their marching orders since the employee with diverse talents can replace all of them – although not at once.

At present, there is a strong demand for heavy equipment operators across the full range of equipment. The trap is that many new operators will decide to specialize as an operator on one machine. They will certainly find plenty of work over the next 12 to 18 months – but what happens then? If there is another downturn in the construction industry, they may well find their heavy equipment careers grinding to a stop.

In the meantime, those with diversity are able to either find or maintain their employment because of the value they offer to an employer. There is a simple long term lesson to gain from this – if you are looking at heavy equipment careers, maintain as much diversity as possible and this starts by undertaking your heavy equipment training on a range of machines.

Sure, you can specialize in one area if you wish, but whenever you get a chance to operate other pieces of equipment, grab it and keep your diverse skills up-to-date. If your employer knows you have this diverse range of heavy equipment skills, your value to them will increase and with it an assured career as a heavy equipment operator.

Everyone knows we are going through tough times financially, yet a well paid career as a heavy equipment operator could be the financial turning point in your life. The problem is finding the money to pay for the training – it’s the old business adage that ‘you have to spend money to make money’ all over again. There are many options to financing your heavy equipment training – here are just a few.

Finance Your Training Through Government Grants

There are many different government grants available at present, although access to them will always depend on your current situation. Some of the grants available include:

• Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
• Department of Workforce Development
• Trade Adjustment Act (TAA)
• Displaced Workers
• Displaced Farmers
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Tribal Education (BIA)
• Veteran’s Benefits (VA)

Using Bank Financing To Fund Training

Most of us have bank accounts. And most banks have credit facilities to help pay the costs involved with career training. Your ability to access these funds will depend on things like your credit history and your ability to repay.

There are other financial institutions that offer credit using similar guidelines. You need to be aware that some lenders will charge much higher interest rates if your credit worthiness is impaired in anyway. Banks and financial institutions often also require guarantors if they feel the loan needs extra security.

Finance Your Heavy Equipment Training Through ATS

One of the easiest ways to find finance for your heavy equipment training is simply by asking us. We have been in business for over 40 years and during that time we have helped many students access some form of finance.

The easy way is to simply fill in our online finance application for heavy equipment training and sit back and let us do some of the work. If you have issues with transmitting personal information online then you can fill in the application and either snail mail it or send it by fax. Finance is never guaranteed, of course, as there are always going to be a range of credit checks.

Once approved, your finance may be used to fund your tuition, accommodation and living expenses. Yes, You do have to spend money to start a new career. However, you don’t have to break the bank to cover the costs. Financing heavy equipment training is as simple as filling in a form and waiting for us to get back to you – often within 48 hours.