Work places are not the same, especially in industries like construction and mining. These industries often have special situations that call for specific skills, skills that are not always readily available in the general workforce. To cater to the needs of these workplaces, employers are often forced to recruit employees who are well suited to the situation, and to then train them in the specific skills required.

Associated Training Services (ATS) has a long history of working with employers to deliver training that meets these specific needs. Our training can be designed specifically for your work environment and the equipment or work required. We deliver training in areas such as:

• NCCCO Crane Operator Training, Testing and Certification
• OSHA Compliant Rigging & Signal Person Training, Testing and Qualification
• NCCER Heavy Equipment Training, Testing and Qualification
• Class-A CDL Commercial Driver Training, Testing and Licensing

Our instructors are certified and they work from the latest in training methods, up-to-date curricula, and where necessary, to national accreditation standards. Training can be delivered on-site, or in our training facilities. Designing a training program to meet specific requirements can be challenging, however, our instructors are experienced and work closely with employers to ensure that training meets their needs, the regulatory requirements, and any specific requirements such as insurance.

If you require specialized training for your workplace, contact us to discuss your needs. Our long history of success (over 40 years) is based on customer satisfaction and industry relationships we have built. By working closely with industry, national accreditation organizations, and regulatory authorities, and we are able to deliver no matter how specialized your requirements.

General employment across the United States has been patchy over the last 12 months. Some sectors are definitely growing, and one of those sectors is the construction industry. This has led to an increase in demand for heavy equipment operators, crane operators, and truck drivers. As these workers are drawn into the construction industry, the demand for these workers in non-construction areas increases.

This makes for a great environment for those looking to get a start as heavy equipment operators, crane operators, and truck drivers. If you’re interested in a great well-paid career in any of these areas, contact us for more information on training. As an example, you can complete a heavy equipment training program in as little as three weeks and be ready to start your new career. Each week we publish job vacancies that have been listed on our job site. This week’s jobs include:

Crane Operator Job Vacancies

• San Jose, CA – The employer requires two certified Crane Operators.
• Tulsa, OK – Bridge Crane Operator: local Company in the Tulsa area is in immediate need of a Bridge Crane Operator.
• San Marcos, TX – Hiring tower crane operators
• Hamilton, TX – Hiring tower crane operators
• New Mexico – Hydraulic crane operator required for a seven-month project
• Anchorage, AK – Offshore Crane Operator and Riggers
• Driver – CDL – Crane/Boom: Requires a crane or boom operator certification. Operating a Boom or Crane.

Truck Driver Job Vacancies

• San Antonio, TX – Class A CDL drivers required – Home every night
• Nashville, TN – Class A CDL Truck Driver $1000 and home every week – Pays to $800-$1200.
• Kill Devil Hills, NC – Delivery Driver (CDL Class A) Full Time – Job Requirements Valid CDL
• Detroit, MI – CDL A Driver Hours: TBD (Full-Time) Pay: Pay by mile
• Fort Worth, TX – CDL Class A Regional Truck Drivers required
• Eagan, MN – The company is hiring new CDL-A drivers.
• Sun Prairie, WI – Brandon will be recruiting drivers for Swift Trans in the DDS Classroom on 09/04/2012 at 4 PM.
• Class A CDL Driver – HOME EVERY NIGHT! – SYSCO, Inc., 19.00 per hour.

Heavy Equipment Operator Job Vacancies

• Fargo, ND – The company hiring Heavy Equipment Operators, Starting at $20-$22/hr.
• All Round Operators Needed in WA.
• Production Excavator Operators EX2500+ experience essential.
• Mining, Oil & Gas – WA

If any of these jobs interest you then visit our jobs site for more information. Check back regularly as employers are regularly listing new job vacancies.

You can spend weeks, months, or even years training in a particular field. That doesn’t mean you’ll ever find employment in that field. It doesn’t matter the type of career – employment relies on a lot more than just training or skills. So what does it take to find a job in the heavy equipment field?

If we assume that skills are not the issue, then finding employment comes down to two things: knowing where the jobs are and knowing how to best apply for those jobs. You cannot isolate those issues either. You may know where the jobs are, however, if you don’t know how to best approach potential employers, you’ll most likely not make the interview stage. It goes without saying that it’s pointless knowing how apply for a job vacancy if you don’t know where those vacancies are.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training Schools have solved those problems by including a free lifetime access to a career services department with your training. When you start one of our training programs (and that includes crane operations and truck driver training), one of our career services personnel will work with you to help develop your career. This assistance includes soft skills training in areas such as resume creation and interview techniques. Our career services personnel will also work with you to identify potential employers related to the location and type of work you want to undertake.

Graduates also have access to our employer database and a dedicated jobs website. Employers frequently list jobs on this website (and we publish many of these jobs on this blog every Saturday) and review resumes left by graduates. How do you successfully start a heavy equipment operator career? You get the right training, then you make the most use of any career assistance offered by your training school. If your training school doesn’t offer career services, then you may find it difficult to gain that all important first job in the industry.

Crane operators have an interesting career. At first glance, you may think that a crane operator’s role is fairly repetitive. However, that thought really doesn’t take into account how complex a crane operator’s role can be. Take a fixed construction crane. Sure, they spend all day lifting (or lowering) building materials, however, every lift is different with environmental factors like wind playing a big role.

A mobile crane operator’s working life is very different to that of a fixed crane operator. As the name suggests, a mobile crane is frequently on the move, going from one job to another, and it’s rare for any two jobs to be the same. A mobile crane operator may find themselves on a construction site today, in someone’s backyard tomorrow as they help install an in-ground swimming pool, and out on the highway the following day helping to retrieve a car or truck that has run off the road.

Each and every job is different, and a mobile crane operator’s skills are put to the test whilst still in the truck driver’s cab – they have to pick the best position to locate their crane (taking in all environmental factors). They then need to stabilize their crane off the wheels – you don’t want to be rolling whilst in the middle of a lift. Finally, they need to do the actual work. The irony often is that setting up can take longer than the actual lift, and once completed, the whole set-up process needs to be reversed.

Crane operators do lead an interesting life, especially if they are in control of a mobile crane. Mobile crane operators are paid well, and there is always demand for crane operators somewhere. If you’re considering a career change, consider a career as a crane operator – it only takes a few weeks of crane operator training and you’re ready to start work.

It’s becoming more apparent each month that we as a nation are slowly climbing out of the economic doldrums that have caused so much grief over the last five years. Construction is one industry that generally leads recovery so it’s no surprise to see a steady demand for construction workers, and that includes by heavy equipment and crane operators. Truck driving jobs are always going to be there – we have to eat and there are few people who can grow their own food. So where are the jobs?

We have a website dedicated to employment for heavy equipment operators, truck drivers, and crane operators. It’s interesting to see where the jobs are each month. More interesting is that these locations have had multiple job vacancies.

Heavy Equipment Operators

Truck Drivers

Crane Operators

If you are looking for employment in these fields, then you should be checking our job site every couple of days. New jobs are coming in on a regular basis, and in most cases, they are from employers who are looking for more than one operator or driver. If you’re interested in a career as a truck driver, heavy equipment operator, or crane operator, then talk to us about your training options. You can complete a career change in as little as three weeks if your heart’s really in it.

Heavy equipment operations can be taxing at the best of times. For those who are not in the industry, heavy equipment operations may seem like a ‘bust or bust through’ type job where brute strength is used to perform jobs to a rough plan. In most cases, the reverse is true – heavy equipment operators are working to precise measurements and well drafted plans, and the ultimate skills are perhaps those possessed by a fined grader.

Fine graders are the operators who complete the final work on a surface. A new road is a good example. A fine grader will grade that surface to fractions of an inch in accuracy in both thickness (of the road base) and angle – and roads are built at precise angles to facilitate water drainage whilst helping to keep vehicles on the road. You may notice that well built mountain roads have a camber that angles the road away from the mountain edge – gravity forces help to keep vehicles on that road, especially around corners (check it out the next time you’re driving along a mountain road).

Graders, whilst predominantly used in road building, do have uses in general construction. Fine graders are found in those areas as well. Most grader operators work towards the recognition of being a fine grader. They are generally paid more than standard grader operators, however, achieving that goal takes more than just a few weeks of heavy equipment training.

Once trained with a sound platform of skills, a grader operator will need many months, sometimes several years, of on-the-job experience, all the while refining their skills to the point they are able to complete tasks with very fine accuracies. Heavy equipment operators are just muscle machines – they do work to plans, often to fine degrees of accuracy.

Truck driving technology has changed a lot over the years. At one point, the only technology wanted by truck drivers was their CB radio. That one piece of technology allowed truck drivers to communicate with one another whilst on the road. Drivers were warned of road hazards, bad weather, even highway police (or smokies as that famous trucking song goes). Today, new trucks have gone way beyond the CB radio; instead, they have fully fledged computers, similar to your iPad or tablet PC.

This new technology includes everything from GPS and the mapping and road direction advice that we install in our cars to full internet connections including Skype for voice calls. Trucks are now often connected directly to their home base through computers with traffic managers able to communicate directly with drivers. Managers can advise truck drivers on alternate routes when problems are encountered, or alternate delivery destinations if necessary.

What we are now seeing in the latest heavy equipment models is similar technology. Grader operators can use onboard computers to accurately set their blades at the right height and angle based on the engineering plans and the current conditions. These computers use a combination of GPS and laser technology to gather the data required to perform very accurate grading.

Graders are not the only equipment to use technology. You will find excavators, bulldozers and backhoes taking advantage of this new technology. It won’t be long and operators will be using tablet PC-like devices to do a lot of their work. It’s interesting to note that those who have played a lot of computer games using joysticks are able to make the transition to heavy equipment operations with ease. That’s where technology in the home is helping to train individuals for the workplace – if only most people realized that fact.

Trucks are setting the way when it comes to using modern technology, however, heavy equipment technology is quickly catching up. Truck driving, heavy equipment operations and crane operations are getting easier every year. At the same time, operators and drivers are being paid more each year, sometimes due to the new skills required to operate that technology. If you’re considering a career as a heavy equipment operator, the future is exciting, especially when it comes to heavy equipment technology.

This week’s jobs listing has an interesting mix of heavy equipment operations, truck driving, and crane operations. There is still a steady demand for all three occupations although we have seen a trend where employers have either shown a preference for those with multiple skills (heavy equipment operations and truck driving for example), or have actually listed that as a requirement in their vacancies. This week’s jobs are more straightforward, however, if you do have multiple skills, you’ll find yourself far more employable. If you need to add skills, consider a heavy equipment training or truck driver training program. You can broaden the range of skills in just a few weeks.

Heavy Equipment Operators
Leesville, NY.
Fuller hiring Heavy Equip operators.

Truck Drivers
Eagan, MN.
Dart Trans is setting up regional runs where you get home more often.

Truck Drivers
Amherst, WI.
HO Wolding is hiring drivers.

Truck Drivers
Marshfield, WI.
Windy Hill Foliage is hiring drivers.

Crane Operators
Waterloo, IA.
Construction companies need a certified Hydraulic Crane operator, asking for 5yrs exp.

Truck Drivers
Eagan, MN.
DART is hiring new CDL-A drivers.

Heavy Equipment Operators
Fargo, ND.
Border States Paving is hiring Heavy Equipment Operators, Starting at $20-$22/hr.

Heavy Equipment Operators
Wilmington, NC.
LARGE CIVIL CONTRACTOR (Heavy Highway & Utilities) has immediate openings for Project Managers, Superintendents, Foremen, Heavy Equipment Operators, and Pipe Layers & Laborers. MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE. Competitive pay.

You should take special note of the job listings. If a job states that truck drivers are required, the plural indicates that there may be more than one vacancy – the same holds true for heavy equipment operators and crane operators. If you require more information on these jobs, or to keep up-to-date with the latest job vacancies, visit our dedicated job site.

It doesn’t matter how much training you give an individual, there are still times when they will do something silly. That one silly act can often have devastating results. The big problem is often being too relaxed and getting into bad habits. What prompted this post today was the story of an English heavy equipment operator who was run over (and killed) by his own ‘steamroller’. How? The details are not clear, however, it appears he climbed out of his cab and went to the front of the equipment, and it rolled on top of him – not a pleasant experience, yet it could have been avoided by ensuring the hand break was on, or better yet, not standing in front of his equipment.

We frequently hear or read about accidents, some that threaten life whilst others are just downright inconvenient. As an operator, the day will come when a neighbor, friend or family member asks for a favor – dig me a pool; grade my driveway; dig up an old tree stump. Every weekend there are heavy equipment operators doing these favors, and every weekend there is an accident of some description.

Some of these accidents involve hitting the wall or roof of a building. Of more concern is the digging up and rupturing of underground services. Sewerage is an obvious problem, however, it’s gas that causes the biggest problems, often involving the evacuation of nearby residents for several hours. More disturbing is the failure to look up, and in failing to do so, coming into contact with overhead powerlines. Small towns have been blacked out for hours because someone failed to take care.

These situations are all avoidable. Checking for underground services before digging; being constantly aware of overhead powerlines; and being aware of your surroundings, especially if you’re in unfamiliar territory. Interesting, these are skills and processes that most operators do automatically whilst at work – take them out of the workplace, and those skills and processes are suddenly forgotten. We can train you to become a heavy equipment operator, and we can train you in all the safety requirements of heavy equipment operations. What we can’t do is train common sense – hopefully, you already have that.

The construction industry has gone through considerable change over the last five years. A lot of changes have been forced through legislation that now mandates employers in respect to safety training, compliance, and the certification of many occupations. Crane operators were amongst the first to feel the effect of these changes, and in recent years riggers and signal persons have felt its effects.

To be employed on a construction site as a rigger, you now need some form of recognition of your skills and safety knowledge. This is generally achieved through training and certification. Many heavy equipment operators have been in the construction industry for years and have managed to seek certification (or qualification) based on that experience and the currency of their knowledge. Those who are now looking to take up positions as riggers (or signal persons) need the appropriate training and assessment in order to formally receive certification.

Training and certification is not a long process (three to four days depending on experience and knowledge) and can be completed as part of a group training exercise onsite, or as part of a class at a training school. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Training Schools has been certified to deliver both the training and certification of riggers and signal persons. Certification is a nationally recognized award, which means successful individuals can work in any state without further training or assessment.

If you require OSHA-compliant rigger certification, then you (or your employer) should contact us for details on our training programs. If OSHA inspectors determine that employees have not met the minimum requirements to work as riggers, then that employer could be liable to large fines. The construction industry is constantly changing and the emphasis now is only making these workplaces safer for all. Rigger and signal person training is one of those areas that was targeted for change – are you OSHA compliant?