Accidents happen in every job and being an heavy equipment operator is a big responsibility because the machines are big. The size and weight of all the metal, along with moving parts, changing ground conditions on the site, and people not paying attention all add up to a potential for accidents you don’t find at a desk job. But without the skill of heavy equipment operators, very little would get done in a lot of industries. Here’s a short list of possibilities:

1. People moving through the work area. 
2. Unstable ground conditions causing tipping.
3. Overhead obstructions, like tree limbs or power lines.
4. Operator doesn’t have a sense of where the machine’s parts are, so blades or corners collide with things or people.
5. Poor maintenance causing equipment failure or hazardous conditions like a greasy step.

This list isn’t the only reason accidents happen, it’s just some of the most common reasons that accidents happen around heavy equipment. The operator can reduce the chance for an accident simply by paying attention to the safety procedures that were a part of the training in an accredited school. It’s one thing to have been trained to do the job safely, but if you aren’t going to actually do the job safely, you are asking for trouble.

Employers look for accreditation in the training of heavy equipment operators because it gives them an idea of the quality of the training. Associated Training Services (ATS) is proud to be an Accredited Sponsor through the National Center for Construction Education & Research. We even helped them develop training programs and textbooks. ATS is also licensed by the boards of education in six states and certified for funding assistance programs like the Workforce Investment Act and military benefits.

If you are interested in showing an employer credentials from one of the top heavy equipment training schools in the country, our online application is a good place to start.

“Slow down to go fast” is a wise statement used in a lot of different settings. Pretty much, it means that trying to go fast usually messes things up. In a field like heavy equipment, “slow down to go fast” is a good thing to keep saying over and over again.

During training, slowing down to do every day’s classwork and not worry about the next is a good idea because it breaks a huge pile of information into bite-size pieces, kind of like eating an elephant one bite at a time. It isn’t your job to worry about knowing the whole thing when you are in training. It’s your job to chew on the day’s lessons and digest them. That’s why ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training School offers housing assistance, so you don’t have to worry about anything but classes. Experts have figured out that we learn best when we get a little bit of a break in between stuffing our heads with knowledge. Somehow, the break puts the facts into our heads better.

When you are actually on the machine, slowing down is good, too. Accidents happen when people get impatient and skip safety steps or push equipment past where it is ready to go. Jerky bursts of angry speed are out of control emotionally and can quickly become out of control on the work site because the momentum of heavy equipment keeps a motion going until something physically stops it. Bad stuff can happen quickly if an operator in a hurry misses an important detail in the conditions on site. By the end of the day, a steady, slower pace actually gets more work done. The work is better, too.

Slowing down to go fast is one of the things you learn in heavy equipment operator training. It’s a good thing to remember all through life.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook for the US Department of Labor, construction equipment operators have a good chance to stay employed. They project a 19% increase in construction equipment operator jobs from 2012 to 2022, and that is faster than other categories. Of course, they hedge their statement by saying it all depends on the economy, but everything depends on stuff like that.

The thing is, there are a lot of types of work in this industry. Roads, bridges, water & sewer systems, power grids, and such, all are part of the mix. People always need a place to live, too. But I like this quote:

Workers with the ability to operate multiple types of equipment should have the best job opportunities.

This is exactly why it’s a good idea to get certified with ATS. You don’t just learn one kind of machine, you get in-the-seat training on all kinds. Multiple types of equipment, with a real understanding of what each one can or can not do. Our graduates have the best job opportunities because we think that quote is obvious. We have been training students to operate multiple types of equipment for years.

Backhoe? Check. Scraper? Check. Forklift? Check. Dozer, grader, loaders, rock trucks, excavators? Check, check, check, check, check. Anything else? Yep, we stay on top of the industry so the training is current. There’s also training in skills like grade reading, soil identification, laser levels, safety, maintenance, and more.

Associated Training Services works hard to keep the Heavy Equipment Operation Programs relevant to the job search our graduates will be facing. The need for highly trained operators will always be here, no matter what.

A lot of times you might hear someone say they just don’t have the time to go through a long training process because they have bills to pay. But you really shouldn’t say things like that without knowing how long certification can actually take. For instance, Mobile Crane Operations – 1 is the ATS beginner level program, and it just takes three weeks. You go from Monday to Friday three times and get NCCCO prep, testing, and certification in both fixed cab mobile cranes (small hydraulic or boom truck) and swing cab mobile cranes (large hydraulic or rough terrain — RT).

Once you successfully complete program 1, if you have the time and want to go further and train for lattice boom (crawler or truck) cranes and articulated (knuckleboom) cranes; it takes another three weeks of Monday through Friday commitment, and by the end, you get another NCCCO certification. That is pretty good for six weeks of class/training time!

Experienced operators who are being paid by a business can take a single week of Monday through Friday NCCCO mobile crane operator prep/test on any two combinations of these mobile crane types. One week to get the certification that verifies your experience and the benefits that come with it. The NCCCO Rigger/Signalperson certification and training takes one week, Monday through Friday, too.

Associated Training Services Heavy Equipment Operator Training School isn’t just a push-you-through and leave-you-hanging operation, either. We provide the best professional crane operator training in the industry and have the graduates to prove it. For more information, call (800) 678-8149 and ask about our crane operator training school, class dates, curriculum, or certifications. In a couple of weeks you could be getting a whole different paycheck.

Associated Training Services offers housing assistance at the Water Tower Residence Inn as part of the financial help you can get when you come to our heavy equipment and crane operator training programs. We have been in the business long enough to know that it’s a good idea to stay near your classes while you go through the program. Here’s why:

1. You will be learning a lot of new information and it will take some time, possibly even some evening re-reading of the material, to get it firmly in your head. Staying nearby in a comfortable, safe room gives you the downtime you need to process your classes and get ready for the next day.
2. Many of our students come from other parts of the country and will need a place to stay in any case. Even the students who live close by find that it helps to stay at school instead of commuting. Why spend all that money on gas and a random motel room?
3. We have established housing with the Water Tower Residence Inn, just a few miles from the school. It is a short walk to restaurants, stores, and local attractions. The rooms have cable TV, air conditioning, and small refrigerators for your favorite snacks. There’s also access to laundry facilities and a game room/social area where you can connect with fellow students. 

Because we believe available housing will help you get the most out of training, we make housing assistance part of the financial aid we offer. We will reserve a room for you at the Water Tower Residence Inn for the length of your training. Ask about it when you call us and get ready for a solid future career in heavy equipment and crane operation.

On February 7, 2014, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a proposed rule to extend the compliance date for crane operator certification requirements. This would give three more years to both the certification and phase-in requirements that ensure crane operators are qualified to operate the equipment. It is a good thing, but it’s better to just go ahead and get your crane operator certification now.

Associated Training Services offers training for the CCO certification exams and we endorse the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) national certification program. The NCCCO program is designed to provide a complete assessment of knowledge and skills for those who work in, with, and around cranes. It shows you are a recognized professional crane operator.

We think you should get your NCCCO Certification if you are going to operate a crane, pure and simple. It shows you know what you are doing, it keeps everyone safer on the job, and employers are more likely to choose you over other job applicants. Even though the OSHA deadlines are extended, you know they are coming so why wait?

Crane operators are in high demand and those who are well-trained make very good money. We are one of the biggest crane operator schools in the country and our Certified Crane Operator Program will give you the experience and training you need to get that higher wage. Our training includes experience with fixed cab and swingcab mobile hydraulic cranes and a whole lot more. You learn how to operate a crane professionally, and you get your NCCCO Certification by the time you complete your training. You will be ahead of the pack scrambling to meet the new OSHA deadline and in a good position to be hired.

This has been a weird winter so far. Many parts of the country are dealing with more snow than they are prepared for, and the fact is that everyone relies on heavy equipment operators to get things moving again. Hazardous conditions challenge operator skills because you have to add an extra level of attention to a job you are already familiar with.

Check your machinery frequently. Drastic changes in temperature, like hot liquid gushing through freezing cold pipes and lines, cause stress from sudden expansion. It’s not unusual for breakdowns to occur. Maintenance is vital this time of year. If your equipment is out all the time, this is especially important.

Pay attention to your mirrors and windows — you need to see your surroundings in order to react fast. Slippery conditions mean longer stop times. If you are lucky enough to be in a climate-controlled cab, it’s easy to forget the way the weather has affected your job. A lot of operators get hurt after they stop the engine and start to get out…that first step can be icy, and if you aren’t holding on, your feet can go out from underneath you quick.

The biggest difference between a heavy equipment operator and a professional, expert heavy equipment operator is their attitude about training. The best in the business respect their training, remember their training, and apply what they know to their job every day. Good training has included safety procedures, including those for hazardous winter conditions.

Winter can challenge operator skills, but being well-trained prepares you for it. ATS Heavy Equipment Operation Programs will get you there.

Have you seen that reality TV show, Railroad Alaska? Anyone interested in heavy equipment will be fascinated by the portrayal of all the big machines that are needed to keep the railroad functional. And it’s true that for many folks, the railroad is the lifeline of communication through the wilderness. Of course, the directors seem to think that “human drama” is what sells the show, but I bet a lot of viewers watch because they love watching big machinery get a job done right. Who wouldn’t want to watch a cannon blast an avalanche loose so the excavator can move it off the tracks?

The show demonstrates something that many often miss; it takes a lot of different types of machinery to do things. In this case, a railroad is more than trains. Businesses often rely on more types of heavy equipment than most people realize.  This is why ATS offers Specialized Training.

We can come to your site or you can come to our training site and get training, testing, qualification, certification, and even licensing in the exact area it needed for the equipment you use. It will be OSHA compliant and meet NCCCO and NCCER standards. We know the industry because we’ve been in operation since 1959, but we haven’t stagnated. We’ve strengthened.

Customized training and specialized curricula are part of our strengths:

• we can train your employees for the work you do with the heavy equipment you use
• we can meet regulatory, insurance, and safety requirements 
• we can help you be productive and profitable

That Railroad Alaska TV show is a showcase for the need to train heavy equipment operators expertly so they can do an important job safely and well. If those guys didn’t know what they were doing, it’d be terrible.

OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, have a lot of rules and regulations in their arsenal. And you know what? Every single one of those rules and regulations is the result of trying to avoid an ugly thing: death and destruction to workers. Those regulations are like links in a chain – each one is ineffective on its own, but they combine to be strong.

Professional rigger / signalperson training is one of those essential links in your safety chain because your riggers and your signalers are performing basic safety procedures affecting every aspect of the job. If the load isn’t rigged right, accidents are inevitable. If the communication isn’t happening, accidents are inevitable. This job is one that truly merits comprehensive training so that everybody on site stays alive and whole.

Associated Training Services (ATS) provides that comprehensive training. We think it’s the best in the world! All the experience of 45 years combined with the best rigger and signal training instructors in the industry to get our students ready for both written and practical OSHA certification tests.

ATS offers two levels of training in this important field:

1. Rigging/Signalperson Qualification
2. Rigging/Signalperson Certification

Both programs emphasize OSHA safety compliance and ensure basic skills, knowledge of rigging and signal use, and teach the latest OSHA regulations. ATS will even come to a company’s work site and train personnel in the classroom with written materials, including testing and practical instruction in both levels of certification.

The difference between our two types of programs is simple. Those completing the Qualification Program have from 8 to 12 hours of rigging/signalperson instruction, written curricula & testing, practical training & exam, and are issued a qualification compliance card at the completion of the course showing they meet all OSHA qualification standards.

The students in the Rigging/Signalperson Certification Program have gone through 4 days of training (32-36 hours), all the classroom and practical training and examinations, and exceed OSHA qualification standards for rigging/signalperson training. Successful completion results in NCCCO Rigging Level One and NCCCO Signalperson Certifications.

Both levels of training are going to meet the safety standards you want on site. Associated Training Services can provide what you need to keep your safety chain strong in our OSHA Qualified Rigging / Signalperson Training.

Heavy equipment is a good field to get into; the operation of heavy equipment is essential for laying the foundation of everything that is built on top of it. Without a good foundation, it really doesn’t matter how well a bridge or building is constructed because the shifting base will counteract that construction. Your career should be like that well-built bridge, built on a good foundation. For heavy equipment operation, training is the base of everything.

Build your career on the best foundation in the business, one that has a history you can research and results you can see. Associated Training Services (ATS) has that history and those results. Since 1959, we’ve been family-owned and operated with the motto of Quality, Integrity, & Pride – and that motto is taken seriously. It shows in the results, too — our graduates have been successful operators throughout the years. We have one customer base, our students, and that is who we focus on.

As the industry has changed, the type of operator needed for running the equipment has changed, and so has the training. We’ve kept up with the changes in our curriculum and equipment so our graduates continue to start their careers from the solid foundation they need. Green construction jobs require a workforce trained in new equipment, new initiatives, and new practices. With ATS, we’ve got that covered.

But the foundation is laid with more than hands-on training and knowledge standards. We provide career assistance. Our Career Services Department gives personal career counseling, soft skills training like resume and interview skills, and job leads with an exclusive website our graduates can always come back to.

The ATS foundation is solid – one your heavy equipment career can be built on to last a lifetime.