Why do you need a havy equipment career? The truth is that you can probably get by as an unskilled laborer. There is usually work to be found and you can earn a living at it. The trouble with unskilled professions is they usually only provide people with enough to survive. You can eat; you can have a roof over your head, you might be able to afford your own car, but there is really not much more than that that you will be able to manage. Heavy equipment careers provide a better lifestyle for many people in similar circumstances to those in which you find yourself.

There is no need to be satisfied with the lot of an unskilled laborer. We all know what life is like for those without specialized training; tough does not adequately describe it. People without training must satisfy themselves with lower wages, harder working conditions and job insecurity. They are likely to go from job to job, through no fault of their own. It is a hard life and while it offers satisfaction for some, it is subsistence living, and most people find that they go from paycheck to paycheck with little to show for their hard work. Getting out of such a lifestyle can be hard work, but it is worth it. There are a few things that make getting into a heavy equipment career a little difficult, but here at Associated Training Services, we have made it as easy as possible:

• Training costs can be expensive – We will be the first to admit that it can be hard to find the money to pay for training up front. If you do not have a lot in the way of savings, it might not be possible.
  Solution – We offer financial aid to approved customers to help them fund their heavy equipment careers.
• Many people don’t have the time for full time training – If you are busy working, it can be hard to commit to a full time course. It might mean trading a guaranteed income for unemployment and uncertainty. That is not always possible, especially if you have people depending on you.
  Solution – Here at Associated Training Services, we provide both full time and part time course options. You can train for your heavy equipment career without sacrificing your present employment.
• There are no guarantees of employment – The worst thing imaginable would be going to a course, paying hard earned money and not finding work at the end of it.
  Solution – While we cannot guarantee employment, we do have a job placement program that has been very effective in finding jobs for our graduates. Employers recognize our professional training system and the fact that our graduates are work-ready. While there are no guarantees in life, that is a pretty big assurance.

If you are thinking about training for your heavy equipment career, please feel free to contact us at Associated Training Services. We look forward to your call.

It is a fact that accidents happen and no matter how conscientious you are about heavy equipment safety, nothing will change that. What people can change is the way that they approach heavy equipment safety. Heavy equipment safety is not about creating a perfectly safe environment where nothing can go wrong, it is about minimizing the number of unnecessary risks that we take in the workplace. You are never going to be able to eliminate all risk. Let’s work on eliminating the risks that we can control, starting with clothing.

Clothing: a Heavy Equipment Safety Variable that you can Control

Tight fitting clothing is an absolute must. Loose clothing gets in the way of handling equipment. More importantly, loose fitting clothing can get caught in moving parts and that can potentially be fatal. If you want to improve your heavy equipment safety levels, clothing is a great place to start.

Needless to say, scarves are a major heavy equipment safety issue. It’s winter, it’s cold, wear a neck warmer. Think of a scarf as a potential noose, because that is what it is. If a scarf gets caught in equipment the wrong way, it can be deadly. Incidentally, office workers should take care around paper shredders if they wear ties for much the same reasons.

Hardhats are essential heavy equipment safety equipment, regardless of whether or not your vehicle is covered. There will be times that you need to exit the vehicle. If you make a habit of wearing a hardhat constantly, you will not be caught without one.

Do you have some heavy equipment safety concerns that you would like to discuss? Are you interested in taking a heavy equipment course? Please feel free to contact us at Associated Training Services.

An obvious drawback of the construction people for many people is the fact that the weather can affect a person’s ability to earn a reliable wage. Truck Driving escapes from this problem. Trucks can be driven in all but the very worst weather. Skilled construction workers tend to make a great deal of money per hour when compared to other professions; truck driving is one area that people can get the best of both worlds: they can earn higher wages and they can work consistently.

Why is truck driving different from many other kinds of heavy equipment work?

When weather stops construction, it is not necessarily because the equipment cannot operate. Construction is all about teamwork. If there are parts of the team that cannot work, the whole thing can grind to a halt. Truck driving is a step removed, deliveries need to be made regardless of weather, no matter what industry you are in. If you are looking for something to sure up your income, truck driving is a very good way to do it.

The grass is always greener!

The last thing that you want to do is to jump into truck driving when you love what you are currently doing. Get into truck driving because you are interested in truck driving. You might find a few truck drivers envying your bad weather bed rest. If truck driving is something that you are really interested in, or if you are looking to make a change to what is a fantastic profession, contact us at Associated Training Services. We have helped plenty of people just like you find a new and exciting career in truck driving!

If you want a good explanation of what graders are used for, then you need to go no further than Wikipedia. This explanation is, without a doubt, one of the best on the World Wide Web:

A grader, also commonly referred to as a blade or a motor grader, is an engineering vehicle with a large blade used to create a flat surface. Typical models have three axles, with the engine and cab situated above the rear axles at one end of the vehicle and a third axle at the front end of the vehicle, with the blade in between.
In civil engineering, the grader’s purpose is to “finish grade” (refine, set precisely) the “rough grading” performed by heavier engineering vehicles such as scrapers and bulldozers.

The job of a grader is to make a surface flat and smooth. They can be used to make tracks, roads, airstrips, to prepare foundations, and numerous other applications that require a flat smooth surface.

Graders have three pairs of wheels and a blade that is used to perform the grading function. This blade is set in such a way as to provide the fine grade that is required for many engineering applications.

Graders are also very effective at snow clearing. They are used in many towns and cities around the United States for this purpose. If you are interested in learning more about graders, please contact us at Associated Training Services.

In building, the demolitions process can be just as important as the construction process. Demolishing unsafe buildings safely takes a degree of skill and expertise. Demolitions of smaller buildings, those that are around two or three stories high is a relatively simple process. It can often be accomplished by making use of common heavy equipment and usually involves the use of heavy equipment, in particular of excavators.

Excavators are particularly useful for demolitions because of their strength and size. An excavator fitted with a grapple can make short work of a home or small building. The operator can make use of both the brute strength of the excavator while also enjoying the pinpoint precision that is afforded by the articulated arm.

Excavators can be used for the bulk of the demolitions process, which can proceed very quickly with the support of a bulldozer. The excavator can take part in rubble clearing, but if the space is available a bulldozer is generally faster. A bulldozer will push large amounts of rubble at once, while an excavator is limited to the size of the bucket or the amount that the grapple can hold.

Once the building is torn down and the rubble cleared, the construction process can begin. If you are in the construction industry and would like to learn how to use an excavator, contact us at Associated Training Services. We have helped many people, just like you get their excavator certification.

Most people think that they can recognize a bulldozer. If you show them a big, heavy tracked Caterpillar, they will correctly identify it. If you put that Caterpillar next to a wheeled front end loader with a dozer attachment and they will probably pick the big one or both. If you show the same person a front end loader on its own, however, you will find that a lot of people make the same mistake. One of the defining characteristics of the bulldozer is that it is a tracked vehicle.

Bulldozers are slow moving heavy vehicles that can operate in all weather conditions and on very rough terrain. The tracks allow the bulldozer to hold its own when lesser vehicles would slip or become bogged. They have all kinds of applications because of their robust nature. You will see bulldozers in mining applications, construction, demolitions, agriculture and even military. Heavily armored bulldozers with special blades can be used to clear minefields.

The type of blade that a bulldozer is fitted with depends largely upon the use for which it is intended. Traditionally bulldozers are used for pushing large loads of dirt. The basic blade types are (according to Wikipedia):

1. A Straight Blade (“S-Blade”) which is short and has no lateral curve, no side wings, and can be used for fine grading.
2. A Universal Blade (“U-Blade”) which is tall and very curved, and has large side wings to carry more material.
3. A “S-U” combination blade which is shorter, has less curvature, and smaller side wings.This blade is typically used for pushing piles of large rocks, such as at a quarry.

If you are interested in obtaining your bulldozer certification, contact us at Associated Training Services. We have helped plenty of people, just like you, find their way into exciting careers in heavy equipment.

Can the weather affect your heavy equipment earning potential?

When people head into heavy equipment careers, they sometimes fail to recognize the impact that the weather can make on their ability to work. If you are earning an hourly wage, as opposed to a fixed salary, then you do need to be aware that inclement weather can reduce your earning potential. Not all heavy equipment operations are affected by weather, but some are, and for some people it can really bite into their budget. One way to deal with this is to obtain certification for machinery that is not affected by the weather.

Be Prepared!

It is worth pointing out that not all bad weather is bad enough to stop work. If there is heavy rain, an electrical storm or deep snow, however, work can grind to a halt. For some people, this is a welcome break, for others it represents a loss of income. If you experience a lot of downtime in your region due to weather, you might want to consider working towards extra certification. Some heavy equipment will be operated throughout the year in rain or snow. Indeed, graders and bulldozers are sometimes used to clear snow, so you might find your services in even greater demand in bad weather.

Different climates, different considerations…

Depending on where you live, weather might have minimal effect on your workload. If, however, weather is a significant factor in your workload, it would pay to consider extending your skill base. Contact us at Associated Training Services if you are interested in learning about heavy equipment careers that will allow you to operate in almost any weather condition.

One of the things that we really try to stress here at Associated Training Services is heavy equipment safety. The amount of workplace accidents in the United States is alarmingly high. We firmly believe that all accidents are avoidable and try to instill this philosophy in all of our students.

Would you report a workmate for unsafe behavior? Most people would answer that question with a definite, “no.” Reporting workmates for unsafe behavior goes against the grain of many people. The fact is, however, that unsafe work practices put lives and jobs at risk. If you are a heavy equipment operator, then you have a duty of care to your fellow workers. You are responsible for heavy equipment safety relating to your machine. If you allow workers to behave unsafely around your heavy equipment, you are, to a certain extent, responsible.

If you do not want to report your workmates for unsafe practices, you should at least make them aware of heavy equipment safety guidelines. Talk to them; remind them of the dangers of their actions. If they persist in working unsafely then it might become necessary to take action. Do not let heavy equipment accidents occur on your watch.

If you have any questions regarding heavy equipment safety, please contact us at Associated Training Services.

Loaders might not be the heaviest of heavy equipment, but what they lack in size they make up for in versatility. The smaller size of loaders makes them useful in built up areas where larger heavy equipment won’t easily fit. Loaders are generally wheeled, not tracked, so they can operate on paved or sealed services without creating problems. Loaders bring heavy equipment to places that it might not otherwise fit.

There is a wide variety of attachments for loaders that can see them performing a range of tasks. While their traditional use is moving loads, these days they do quite a bit more. Different attachments really give loaders a full range of operation. They can be used to dig, as light dozers, or for their traditional purposes. Some loaders are tracked, but the majority is wheeled, their size makes them quite easy to maneuver and the learning process for most people is fast.

If you are thinking of learning to operate a loader, we can help. Our training schools throughout the country can train you in loader operation. We have a range of full time and part time programs so that you can earn your certification in a way that suits your schedule. Contact us at Associated Training Services if you believe that we can help you enter into an exciting new career with your loader certification.

Since we began offering carpentry courses here at Associated Training Services, we have helped a large number of students improve their employment prospects. Our courses are structured in a way that a person can complete different course components over time. This is a nice alternative to an apprenticeship. It allows our students to get certification for the aspects of carpentry that they are most likely to need for their jobs. Once they have obtained one level of certification, they can then later decide if they want to move on to the next.

With carpentry certification you will become a skilled laborer. Most construction workers do not take the time to become certified. It is to their detriment, certification strengthens your job position and can bring in higher wages than you would otherwise get. If you are not certified, then you are not getting the most out of your job.

Carpentry certification will set you apart from unskilled laborers and give you some employment stability. A common complaint amongst unskilled laborers is that they never really find job stability. They might enjoy good work and even good pay during a construction project, but there is no guarantee that there will be work when the project is finished. There is very little to differentiate one unskilled laborer from another. If they are a hard worker, it might be noticed, but the fact always remains that there are a lot of people that are capable of doing the job. The competition is simply too high. Carpentry certification can give you the edge that you need to compete and see you in long term employment.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a career you can count on instead of living day to day? If you think that carpentry certification can give your career a boost, contact Associated Training Services today!