If you haven’t entered the heavy equipment profession and you are considering a career in the field, you may be wondering where you can find equipment operator jobs. The answer is, everywhere.

There’s no region, city, state, or country where heavy equipment jobs are non-existent. There may be places where certain types of heavy equipment jobs are more prevalent. For instance, you’ll find huge industrial cranes at seaports where huge cargo ships travel in and out and are often seen unloading. Some large cities are hubs for tractor-trailers, and when you see a lot of tractor-trailers along with loading docks, you’ll often find forklifts, as well. Construction sites are known for featuring backhoes and dump trucks.

Heavy Equipment Operator Jobs

But you’ll find these heavy vehicles anywhere in the world. A seaport at Bremen, Germany will have many of the same types of heavy equipment as a seaport in Houston, Texas. A loading dock in Montreal, Canada will have the same basic heavy equipment jobs as a loading dock in San Diego, California.

Heavy equipment jobs are a dime a dozen. The question often is, which types of jobs are more common in which sections of the country? Areas, where logging is a common occupation, will have specific types of equipment associated with logging. Oil tankers are common near seaports where petroleum is imported or exported. If you want one of these jobs, you’ll have to be trained on the equipment that you’ll be operating on a daily basis. A good place to start is with a heavy equipment operator training school.

After you are trained on the equipment you want to work with, you can start looking for the heavy equipment job of your dreams.

If you want to become a mobile crane operator, you’ll need to consider getting your crane certification. Of course, there are a few ways to get that certification. You can enroll in a heavy equipment training school like Associated Training Services, or you can have the training school come to your place of employment and train all of your workforce at once. That way works when you have a crew of construction workers already employed and you want them trained on the mobile crane.

The certification authority is the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO). They set the standards for certification.

NCCCO is recognized internationally as the authority on certification and crane operator training. To become a certified crane operator, you must meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be medically fit
• Comply with NCCCO’s substance abuse policy
• Pass NCCCO written exams
• Pass a practical exam within 12 months of passing the written exam
• Comply with the NCCCO code of ethics

Rather than receive the full certification, if your work entails you to specialize in a particular type of mobile crane operations, you may receive a restriction on your certification that allows you to operate that particular type of crane.

To learn more about mobile crane certification, visit the NCCCO website, and feel free to contact Associated Training Services to learn more about our training programs.

There aren’t as many heavy equipment jobs this week as we’ve had listed in weeks past, but they are great jobs to look into. If you are looking for a Class-A CDL truck driving job or a heavy equipment job, then here are a few leads to check out:

• COLDWATER, MI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• MINNEAPOLIS, MN hiring heavy equipment operators.
• DE PERE, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.

Kick Off The New Year With Heavy Equipment Training

If you want to find the best jobs in heavy equipment, you’ve got to get trained and certified on the equipment. That includes everything from forklifts and skid steers loaders to mobile cranes, even tractor-trailers.

Class-A CDL truck drivers make some of the best money in the industry. That’s because they spend long hours away from home and away from their families. Even if you’re home every night, driving thousands of miles every year, day in and day out, can wear you down. It’s not a cushy job.

As cities, states, and other governments continue to build and re-invest in modern infrastructure, there will always be a huge demand for heavy equipment operators. First, get your training. Then you can find the job you are looking for through our national heavy equipment jobs database.

A commercial driver’s license (CDL) is a requirement if you want to get behind the wheel of a load-carrying vehicle and drive it. That’s true whether you want to drive a dump truck from one construction site to another or you want to carry vehicles across the country on Big Rig. If there is any reason you need a CDL, it’s the law.

But there are practical reasons, as well, for pursuing a career as a commercial truck driver. For one thing, it’s a construction site position that is in high demand. Finding forklift drivers is as easy as pie. Backhoe drivers are a dime a dozen. Any run-of-the-mill heavy equipment operator can move a scraper. But because you have to have special licensure to become a truck driver, the demand is higher and the qualified applicants are fewer. You’ll instantly stand out in the employment line if you have a commercial driver’s license.

Another reason for obtaining your CDL is the pay. Due to the higher demand and lower supply of qualified truck drivers (most CDL holders go after the adventurous and glamorous long-haul jobs), the pay for these jobs is often higher.

So there are two practical reasons to get your commercial driver’s license. It’s fine to start your career as a heavy equipment operator. But if you want your career to advance beyond the ordinary, get a CDL.

Heavy equipment operators have a difficult job, and sometimes it’s as thankless as it is difficult. You could be a mobile crane operator, a rigger/signalperson, a truck driver, or a heavy equipment operator. But who are the people that support these positions and keep the work site operating while guys like you are operating the equipment? Here are five of them:

1. Payroll/human resources – Someone has to process your paycheck and make sure your insurance paperwork is completed so that you have the proper benefits. Your company’s human resources department will assist you with any questions you have about benefits and issue your paychecks.
2. Dispatch – In trucking companies, one person is usually responsible for dispatching truckers. They receive manifests and notify drivers of their next delivery route. They may even be responsible for assigning you your truck. You typically do not want to upset this person. They have a lot of power and you could find yourself without work easily if you cross the wrong one.
3. Rigger – The rigger is your construction work site’s safety person. He is responsible for making sure all of your equipment, especially lifting equipment, is safe to operate. He may even be responsible for performing some maintenance duties.
4. Supervisor – Your work site supervisor will likely be a former heavy equipment operator. He could have started out with your job. They rarely operate the equipment anymore, but their main task is to ensure that the work site is managed well and managed efficiently. They could be your direct line supervisor or two or three steps above you.
5. Maintenance – If your equipment breaks down during operation, you may have to create a work order and call in the maintenance crew. Unless the situation involves a safety violation, the rigger is not usually involved. What we’re talking about here is any maintenance issue above routine operator maintenance. You’re supposed to perform your own equipment checks before you operate it.

There may be a good chance you’re cut out for one of these jobs. If not, you should respect those who are.

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.

Heavy Equipment School wishes you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Of course, it will be a happier new year, we’re sure if you can enter it with a new truck driving or heavy equipment job. We’re certainly willing to do whatever we can to make sure that happens, from offering you the training you need to start your career to introducing you to the best jobs in the country. Like these:

• APPLETON, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• SAVANNAH, GA hiring heavy equipment operators.
• FITCHBURG, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• ROGERS, MN hiring heavy equipment operators.
• BETTENDORF, IA hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• CHATTANOOGA, TN hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• FITCHBURG, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• MONTROSE, MN hiring mobile crane operators.
• WATCO, ND hiring heavy equipment operators.
• MOBILE, AL hiring heavy equipment operators.
• SCOTTSDALE, AZ hiring mobile crane operators.

All graduates of the heavy equipment and truck driver training school gain access to our national database of truck driving, crane operator, and heavy equipment operator jobs. You gain access to this database from Day 1, and we also assist you in looking for work. That includes providing you with soft skills training and assistance with resume preparation.

Enroll now. The next class begins on January 4, 2016.

This is the time of year when employers are looking at their human resources and deciding if they have enough personnel to carry them through the next year. As a result of this self-inspection, you are likely to see more job ads. It’s actually a pretty decent time to look for work as a truck driver or heavy equipment operator. Here are some of the job leads we’ve been acquiring recently.

1. PADUCAH, KY needs NCCO crane operators.
2. TOMAHAWK, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
3. SAUK CITY, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
4. GREEN BAY, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
5. BURLINGTON, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
6. DE PERE, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
7. MARSHFIELD, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
8. REEDSBURG, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
9. ALMOND, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
10. TOMAH, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
11. COLUMBIA, TN hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
12. JANESVILLE, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
13. FRANKSVILLE, WI hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.

So, as it looks, if you are a trained Class-A CDL truck driver, then you have the pick of the litter. If you want to become a Class-A CDL truck driver, then now is the time to get your training. You’ll be graduated and ready to find your first job right after the first of the year.

Enter 2016 with a bang and get your Class-A CDL training now.

In truth, there is only one kind of mobile crane operator–a trained one. But there are 4 main types of mobile cranes that a trained operator may work on. These mobile cranes are known as:

1. Fixed cab – The cab is that part of the crane where the driver sits. In a fixed cab crane, the driver is stationary because the cab doesn’t move. The crane operator is always looking forward.
2. Swing cab – The swing cab swivels. It allows the driver to turn to see what is behind him more easily. A swing cab mobile crane is handy on some construction sites because of the nature of the work. If you do a lot of maneuvering and moving in the crane, forward and back, and with a 360-degree awareness scenario, the swing cab crane is a mighty handy tool.
3. Lattice boom – The boom is that part of a crane that does the heavy lifting. It is the arm of the crane that can raise high above the cab and is used for lifting items off the ground. In a lattice boom crane, the lifting is usually done in a straight up-and-down movement.
4. Hydraulic boom – Also called telescopic boom cranes, these creatures are very flexible. The boom is maneuverable in multiple directions simultaneously. It can raise up and down like a lattice boom, but the arm can also be extended and retracted. On top of that, the boom can rotate left or right.

Interested in being a mobile crane operator? Learn how to operate all four types of cranes.

When professionals in other industries have trouble finding work, heavy equipment workers and truck drivers can go online, search the Total Resources Network jobs database, and have plenty of options. This week, there aren’t many jobs listed, but the ones that are listed should have Class-A CDL truck drivers standing in line and waiting. Or picking up the phone to make an appointment with the hiring manager.

All four truck driving opportunities this week are from the state of Wisconsin, but that doesn’t mean all opportunities in other states have dried up. Stay tuned. You never know what you’ll see this time next week.

• GREEN BAY, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• MADISON, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• TOMAH, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• EVANSVILLE, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.

How to Ensure You Land a Truck Driving Job

There’s no guarantee that if you apply for a job, you’ll get it. Other people are likely applying for that job too. But you’ll increase your chances of being hired for any job if you take a few steps to increase your own likelihood of success. Here are some ways you can do that:

• Attend a truck driver training course
• Learn some interviewing skills
• Prepare a resume
• Practice your presentation
• Scour the jobs database for the latest jobs openings
• Dress for success
• Be diligent and arrive at your interview on time
• Keep a good attitude

Looking for work is hard, but going without work for a long period of time is harder. Keep your head up, keep searching for the best opportunities, and prove you really want to work. Learn to drive first, then show that you want to drive.