The life of a heavy equipment operator is not that tough. However, you will need to make some changes, particularly if you are coming from a sedentary working life like that found in an office. There are little things that many people don’t consider when changing to an outdoor and active working life. A good example is thinking sun smart – protecting your skin from the harsh sun. For those coming from an indoor working life, your skin may well burn quickly and easily.

That may sound silly, however, the first time you get seriously sun burnt, you won’t think it silly. That, however, is an easy option to consider. You will also need to consider:

• Working outdoors – can you work outdoors in all weathers? Whilst sunburn is one consideration, working in sub-zero temperatures clearing snow is another. There is a lot to like about the outdoors, however, so don’t think of it as a negative. These days, most heavy equipment operators work in climate controlled cabs.
• Working as part of a team – are you a team player? Heavy equipment operators are often an integral part of a team. If you haven’t been a part of a close team, you will need to learn to communicate and work closely with others.
• Working independently – being a team player is one thing, working independently is another. If you go the extra yard and also acquire a commercial drivers license, you could find yourself working alone on a regular basis.
• Maintaining a broad skills base – today’s heavy equipment operators should be skilled across a range of equipment. Having a commercial drivers license is also a big help. Multi-skilled operators have the benefit of a wider range of job opportunities, and more variety in their day-to-day work.

If you can adapt to the working life of a heavy equipment operator, then there are plenty of job opportunities opening up every day. Call us and we’ll help you organize a heavy equipment training program that will have you work ready within a month.

Saturday’s job opportunities showed strong for operators of a wide range of heavy equipment, however, it was the number of vacancies for skilled mobile crane operators that really stood out. One employer is looking for 30 mobile crane operators, a sure sign of resurgence in construction activities. Whilst many of these positions are for skilled and experienced operators, the operators have to come from somewhere, and that provides a lot of opportunities for new mobile crane operators.

Will employers take on new mobile crane operators? Many of them will, especially if they have several mobile cranes and their work load includes entry level type work. Many employers are now willing to take on new operators, employing them as co-drivers until they find their feet within the company. It’s a great introduction to the industry as you get to work alongside an experienced and seasoned mobile crane operator – a great follow-up to a good quality crane operator training program.

Crane operators of all types now need to be certified before they can operate a crane. Our training program exceeds the minimum requirements to become a crane operator, and all graduates are offered the opportunity to have their skills and knowledge assessed for certification at our training school. Having a one-stop-shop for both training and certification assessment makes the process much easier for students and allows for a faster and smoother transition to the workplace.

Graduates of ATS Heavy Equipment Training School’s crane operator training programs are also given assistance to find their first job. Our Career Services personnel will work with students throughout their training program to help them identify and apply for job vacancies. Graduates can also access our jobs website where job vacancies are frequently posted. The demand is there for skilled mobile crane operators. We can deliver the training to build the skills required; you just need to decide when you can start that training.

Spring must be well and truly here judging from the job opportunities that we have received this week. Most of the opportunities are for multiple operators as well. Spring is a busy time for construction, especially dozer operators since they are generally the first called into any site.

It’s interesting to note the increase in demand for crane operators, and the continued preference for heavy equipment operators with a CDL. If you don’t have a CDL, now is a good time to acquire one and we can certainly help you do that through our truck driver training program.

The job opportunities received this week include:

Loader Operator
Portage, OH
a supplier of concrete that operates locally is looking for a loader operator

Heavy Equipment Operators
Marietta, GA
Employer is Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators

Equipment Operator
Wauchula, FL
Equipment/Loader Operator – operating heavy equipment while adhering to safety policies and procedures.

Heavy Equipment Operators and drivers
Morgan City, LA
hiring drivers and Heavy Equipment Operators

Heavy Equipment Operator-Public Services
City of Saint Cloud, FL
This position includes Streets and Drainage, Water/Wastewater Line Systems. It requires the operation of heavy trucks and a variety of other equipment in order to maintain roads, rights-of-way, drainage areas, the landfill.

Heavy Equipment Operator
Tyler, TX

CDL-A Truck Driver
Windsor, WI
hiring local CDL-A driver this week! to deliver modular homes to construction sites.

Crane Operators and Riggers
TX, State.
hiring 30 Crane operators for 30 ton Mobiles and 20 Riggers

Dozer Operators, Gradall Operators, ReadyMix Drivers, Traffic Control
Huntsville, AL
Employer hiring Dozer and Gradall operators, ReadyMix drivers and Traffic control people.

Crane Operators
Madison, WI
Employer hiring now, crane operators.

Mobile Crane Operator
Darien, WI
60 Ton Mobile Crane operator required

Tanker Drivers
Watford, ND
hiring tanker drivers for oilfield work. Need tanker and hazmat endorsements.

Equipment Operators and CDL Drivers
Grand Forks, ND
Employer is hiring Equipment operators and CDL drivers.

Loader Operators, Grader Operators, Excavator Operators
3 Forks, MT
Employer is taking applications for loaders, graders and excavators operators with CDL.

Heavy Equipment Operators with CDL
Cooper City, FL
hiring heavy equipment operators, must have CDL also.

Dozer Operator, Excavator Operator
Onalaska, WI
Looking for dozer and excavator operator.

Rochester, MN, Rochester Sand and Gravel doing spring hiring.

Hancock, MN, Koel WE WILL BE HIRING SOON. Street Reconstruction, Demolition, and EXCAVATION

If you require more information on these or any other job opportunities as they arrive, visit our job site. It’s totally free and available for both employers and job seekers.

Dump truck drivers can generally find work all year round. In from spring through to fall there’s a lot of construction work across the country whilst in winter northern drivers are employed in a range of activities including snow and ice control (carting salt, for example). In the south, construction continues through winter, there’s hardly any let up at all. Some dump truck drivers have the best of both worlds – they spend their summer months in the milder northern regions and their winter months further south.

There is a shortage of truck drivers in general across the country, and that included dump truck driving. One of the disadvantages to sticking with just the one truck type is the competition, especially in winter. Some truck drivers opt for dump trucks because the work is local and they are able to spend more time with their families. Having said that, if you build up a good reputation as a dump truck driver, you’ll always be in work.

Driving a dump truck takes a different set of skills compared to most other trucks. The vehicle you’re driving tends to be shorter than most trucks, however, it can carry a lot of weight for its size. A dump truck driver will also need to learn dumping skills, and these can sometimes be quite tricky and require precision.

You can learn to become a dump truck driver in just a few weeks. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools have a proud truck driver training record that goes back 50 years. To survive this long, we have had to deliver truck driver training to industry standards. This means our graduates are ready to start work the moment they acquire their commercial drivers license.

In today’s workplace, safety is the responsibility of everyone; employees, employers, workplace visitors and government agencies included. When it comes to earth moving equipment, heavy equipment safety training is a necessary requirement in all work places. The question then is, do you undertake that training as part of your heavy equipment training program or expect a future employer to deliver the training?

Most employers are running on thin margins in today’s economic climate. Given a choice between employing an individual who has already completed a heavy equipment safety course, and someone who hasn’t, you know who the employer is going to select. It makes sense then to ensure that when buying a heavy equipment training program, you check first on whether or not it includes a safety component.

Entering the heavy equipment workforce can be a tough undertaking so you need to have every possible box ticked. Employers are picky when it comes to new recruits, and they are taking a big gamble on someone who has little experience apart from that received during training. So what boxes do employers want ticked?

• Training provided by a well known and respected organization
• Training that follows national guidelines
• Training that includes hands on experience
• Training that includes heavy equipment safety as a core component

In fact, if your training is delivered by a well known and respected organization, then the chances are all the other boxes will get the automatic tick – that is why they are respected. As a student, it is still up to you to check on what is offered prior to signing on to the course. Heavy equipment training is a serious undertaking – heavy equipment safety is even more serious.

Crane operators generally don’t work alone. In many instances, it’s impossible for a crane operator to work alone, they simply can’t get a clear vision of the load, any obstacles, or people moving around them. When it comes to lower a load into a precise position, it’s impossible to do it alone. Crane operators spend most of their working lives as a part of a team, and their best friend in that team is the signalperson.

These days, it’s not uncommon for a construction site to have several people who can work as signalpersons. They will have other duties such as heavy equipment operations that they will normally work at, only switching to a signalperson when required. A signalperson’s job is one of precision and clear communication. The crane operator relies on that signalperson to tell them when to raise and lower the load, and when it is safe to swing the load sideways – if the signalperson gets it all wrong, then there is the potential for a serious accident.

What is most important is that the crane operator and signalperson are both talking the same language. If the signalperson signals up slowly, the crane operator clearly understands and complies; likewise, when the signalperson signals a stop, the crane operator stops. This means the crane operator is keeping a very close eye on the signalperson whilst watching everything else.

Rigger and signalperson training and qualification is now a requirement for those working in these positions. Fortunately, the training and assessment is not too onerous. A construction company have the entire crew trained and qualified (with a compliance card issued for each worker) in eight to twelve hours. Certification can take up to 36 hours, however, it is a more comprehensive training program that leads to certification of riggers and signalpersons.

Take an excavator and an experienced excavator operator and you have the perfect demolition team. There are plenty of youngsters the world over that practice being a demolition expert every day of their lives. If they chose a career as a heavy equipment operator, they can do it for real.

The following video clip shows an excavator demolishing a home. While watching, take note of several points. The first is how the excavator operator folds the roof and walls of the home in on itself. There are several reasons for this. One is safety, there is no debris falling out onto the roadway; and the second is convenience, the debris is all collecting within the home. When the home is totally demolished, the debris is there ready for removal.

The second thing to notice is the neatness of the entire operation. The excavator operator tidies up as they go about their job, even stopping to load a truck with debris. Spend a couple of minutes watching the video – it takes two or three minutes to replay what has taken an excavator a couple of hours to accomplish.

Demolition work is a normal part of an excavator operator’s job. In the above video, the excavator operator is using a special attachment that works almost like a hand to pull down the home. Excavators have a range of attachments that can be used for a variety of tasks. They are certainly not restricted to just digging trenches. If you feel that you’d make a good demolition expert, perhaps a career as a heavy equipment operator is worth considering. We can deliver the necessary heavy equipment training in as little as three weeks. With a little on-the-job experience, you could just find yourself pulling down a home like that shown in the video.

If you are looking for a job in the fields of heavy equipment operations, truck driving, or crane operations, then our dedicated jobs site is the perfect place to start your search. You can check daily, or every couple of days, or you can drop by here every Saturday to see what jobs have been on offer.

This week’s jobs include:

Equipment Operator
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Operator required by an employer in Fort Lauderdale

Tanker Drivers
Wafford, ND
Employer is looking to hire tanker drivers for oilfield work. Need tanker and hazmat endorsements.

Mobile Crane Operator
Darien, WI
Employer requires a 60 Ton Mobile Crane operator.

Heavy Equipment Operators
Cooper City, FL
Hiring Heavy Equip Operators. Must live in area. Pipe laying, Utilities, Demo work.

Heavy Equipment Operators
Cheyenne, WY
Contractors is hiring Heavy Equipment Operators now.

During March, we had a wide range of jobs listed, these included:

Equipment Operator/CDL Driver
Milwaukee, WI
Looking for an Equipment Operator/CDL Driver. This is full time and NOT just seasonal employment! For landscape construction and maintenance for residential and commercial clients.

Heavy Equipment Operators with a (CDL) Commercial Drivers
Pennsylvania
Client is currently looking for Heavy Equipment Operators with a (CDL) Commercial Drivers License! We will train qualified candidates in oil well cementing and acidizing services. We have several openings across the United States.

Heavy Equipment Operator
Moorhead, MN
Position Summary:
Performs overhead and underground line construction duties, as directed by the Field Superintendent. All operators are required to help out when and where necessary – with operation of other equipment and/or manual labor.

Equipment Operator
Bostwick, FL
Do you have a passion for operating heavy equipment? As an Equipment Operator you will operate heavy equipment while adhering to safety policies and procedures. Have fun at work while being safe. This position will operate various heavy equipment, such as front-end loaders, knuckle booms, bulldozers, wheel loaders, and all-terrain forklifts, in a rugged 50+ acre outdoor, paved and unpaved environment.

Heavy Equipment Operator -Finish
Fayetteville, AR
Do you want to work for a company that values your skills? Do you want to work for a company that values safety above all else? Are you looking for opportunities and benefits of a large corporation with a small company feel? Apply for the Equipment Operator today and jumpstart your career.

And that is just a small sampling of the types of jobs that come through our jobs listing website. We also offer quality training in the fields of heavy equipment operations, truck driving and crane operations.

If you are considering a career change, one of the best areas to look at is the requirements of a future employer. One trap that many people fall into is to decide on a career, fly off and do a quick training course, then expect to start work in their new career. There may be a few industries where that will work, however, heavy equipment requires just a little more. Not much – but there is more. A typical job description for a heavy equipment operator may include:

• The ability to operate a range (or a specific unit) of heavy equipment
• The ability to work with others as part of a team
• The ability to work alone and unsupervised when required
• The ability to maintain equipment and report issues before they become problems
• The ability to carry out daily inspections of heavy equipment
• The ability to work safely and to follow all regulations and safety protocols
• The ability to work as directed

Notice that every requirement is an ability. These you can learn through a thorough heavy equipment training program. You develop and enhance these abilities with time and experience on the job, however, an employer will expect you to arrive on their doorstep with those as the very minimum abilities.

It stands to reason then that when looking for a training school you look for a school that will instill those abilities through a combination of classroom and in-the-seat training. Knowledge goes so far – it’s that in-the-seat training and the hours of practice you can put in that will eventually make a difference as you develop your career.

Associated Training Schools delivers heavy equipment training programs that have been developed in line with industry. We know what employers are looking for, so we endeavor to train new operators so they meet the needs of employers. If you decide on a career as a heavy equipment operator, we hope your training school helps you to build those abilities. Iif not, come and talk to us because we will.

Like many occupations, heavy equipment has a strong emphasis on safety. Like driving a car, most operators develop a safe working habit over time. And just like a car, the real danger is often not what you are doing, but what others are doing around you.

This is generally labelled as safety awareness. Using the car as an analogy again, it’s difficult to be taught road safety awareness since there is so much going around you at any given time. The same is true on a construction site. Being able to develop that safety awareness is as equally important as learning to operate your heavy equipment. If you’re accident prone, no matter how good you are digging trenches, or moving earth, you won’t have a long career in the industry.

Construction sites are a real hub of activity. There are people moving around everywhere; trucks and other vehicles constantly coming and going; cranes constantly raising and lowering loads, and heavy equipment like yours trying to maneuver through and around what is often described as organized chaos. To be successful, you require either eyes in the back of your head, a sixth sense, or a strongly developed sense of awareness – the ability to quickly look around you and to take it all in. Not only do you take it all in, but you factor it into your decision making.

We only ever hear about the serious accidents that occur involving heavy equipment. Here’s a little known fact – 95% of heavy equipment operators work year after year without ever having a serious accident. They will have minor accidents, but then, almost everyone has had a minor incident with a car. If you can develop a sense of awareness while operating heavy equipment, you’ll have a long and safe career. Heavy equipment training will give you the skills required to operate your equipment. We can also give you all the safety knowledge required to stay safe. Awareness is something that comes with time and experience.