With workplaces rules and regulations constantly changing, employers can find it hard to keep up to date with what is required. Some recent changes include a requirement for all riggers and signalpersons to be assessed as qualified for their roles. They also need to be able to produce a qualification compliance card to prove they have passed those assessments.

If you have a team of riggers that are about to start a job, and they don’t have those compliance cards, now is the time to have them assessed. Training and assessment can be completed in as little as eight hours – that’s just one full day. Do they need training? Perhaps not, however, they may have knowledge gaps that could see them fail their assessments and not receive their compliance cards. Training is designed to fill in any gaps they may have.

The ATS rigging and signal person qualification program meets the OSHA qualification standard for rigging and signalperson and includes both written and practical training and testing. ATS trainers can deliver these training and testing components in your workplace – this avoids transport issues and can be far more cost effective for employers.

If your riggers are not able to produce qualification compliance cards, it could result in substantial fines to employers. Rather than taking the risk, it’s far easier to have your employees undertake the compliance program to receive their compliance cards. You could opt for the four day certification program if that is suitable. Speak to one of our advisers first, they can advise you which program is best suited to your employees.

Some of the best paid heavy equipment operators are those that work in the mining industry. One reason is the sheer isolation of many of these workplaces and, of course, for many there is the inherent danger that comes with mine work. While the equipment used in mines is often huge in comparison to those used on a construction site, often the operational principles are still the same.

The giant excavators used in open cut mines, often referred to as shovels, are still just a giant excavator. The basic operations are still the same, just on a much larger scale. The same could be said for the dump trucks – on some of the big units, one wheel is the same size as a small regular dump truck. Again, the basic operations are very similar.

Because mines use similar equipment, learning to operate regular construction size vehicles can still open doors to work in the mining industry. What is important is the initial training provided, and the experience an operator can gain in the workplace. Once you have had a reasonable amount of experience, you could find that many of the mines are willing to employ you.

Training is the key to any job – more so when it comes to heavy equipment. Employers are expecting you to be productive from day one – they don’t have time to teach what is required on the job. The general assumption is, since you have completed your training, you’re ready to go to work – not enter into more training.

At ATS, we believe in a similar principle. Having the skills and knowledge that makes you immediately employable is our main goal. Safety is also included and since it is set to national standards, the employer knows you are already compliant with safety standards knowledge. As for the mines, do your heavy equipment training, gain a little experience in the workplace, then start applying to those mining companies – you never know until you try.

This is a true story that was related to me recently involving a middle aged man who had grown up on ‘the wrong side of the tracks’. He could barely read or write and had spent much of his adult life either unemployed or working as an unskilled laborer. He would have remained unskilled as well if it hadn’t been for the efforts of one employer.

I won’t go into names. I don’t want to embarrass anyone, but this employer noticed one thing about this man – he was fascinated by trucks and could name every truck model used on a work site. That employer took the time to teach this man how to read and how to write – not as well as many of us, but well enough to learn the road rules and to pass a test to gain a driving license.

Once he had his driving license, he starting working on gaining a commercial drivers license. It took several attempts before he could even get his permit, but once he had that there was no stopping him. So what is he doing now? Those events happened almost ten years ago. That man, who was once illiterate and really going nowhere in his life, is now one of the best truck drivers working for this construction company – and yes, he’s still working for that same company. He’s now married and with a couple of youngsters, something he had never dreamed could happen to him.

I know many would argue that it’s not the commercial drivers license that changed his life, however, I would beg to differ. Learning to read and write certainly changed his life, however, fulfilling that dream of driving a truck is what really had the biggest impact. It made him self confidant and able to stand up tall and proud. We can’t promise that something as simple as a commercial drivers license can change your life, but if you think your current career is going nowhere, then perhaps it’s time to change.

It doesn’t take long to obtain a commercial drivers license and once you have one, there is plenty of work just waiting for the right driver – perhaps a new career could change your life as well.

What is the biggest fear that many have of summer? It’s fire – and with June only weeks old, we have already had wildfires breaking out in a lot of different locations. Heavy equipment operators are often involved in the firefighting process, either in the weeks leading up to summer or during and after fires. It can be a dangerous experience as well.

Heavy equipment operators, particularly graders and bulldozers, are frequently used to create fire breaks and fire access trails. Fire breaks are used to try and put the brakes on a fire while also giving firefighters easy access to remote areas. Fire trails are there for one purpose only, to get those firefighters in and out quickly.

During a fire, bulldozers have been used to bury smoldering vegetation. Of course, after a fire, heavy equipment is called in to clean up, especially when homes and other buildings have been affected. This is a demanding and often dangerous job for heavy equipment operators – yet, when volunteers are called, there are often more hands raised than required – a testimony to dedication of heavy equipment operators.

Working in those environments takes a lot of skill and dedication – attributes that can never be achieved by sitting at home dreaming of a career in heavy equipment. To achieve that dream, you need to complete a heavy equipment training program that provides you with the skills required to succeed in the workplace. Once in the workplace, you can work on developing those skills and gaining the experience required to work in more demanding areas like fire protection and control.

If you have the dedication but lack the skills, then ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools are the people to talk to. They can help you develop the skills required to succeed as a heavy equipment operator.

There are some in the community who consider dump truck driving to be less skillful than most other truck driving jobs. There’s no doubt that dump truck driving requires slightly different skills, but those skills are important and make dump truck driving just as skillful as any other truck driving job.

To a certain extent, dump truck drivers have a greater responsibility. They do a lot of their driving in and around towns and cities. Their loads are constantly changing and it’s the driver’s role to ensure that none of that load ever lands on the road, or on other vehicles. Considering how many miles a dump truck driver has to do each day, making tight turns, and constantly stopping depending on traffic flow and traffic lights, ensuring that no part of their load causes any problems is a demanding skill in itself.

A dump truck driver also needs to learn how to operate the dumper, the most important part of a dump truck’s existence. In many situations, operating the dumper is easy – just reverse up to where you want the load dumped, and switch the dumping action on. In other situations, the process is made a little harder as the truck needs to be moving to gradually spread the load as it is dumping – that is another skill that most truck drivers never acquire – unless they want to become dump truck drivers.

Dump truck drivers require training like any other truck driver. To drive on open roads, they generally also require a commercial drivers license. Dump truck drivers are not second rate truck drivers. They are first rate truck drivers that require special skills to successfully operate their vehicle – but then, so too does a big rig driver, a tanker driver, or any other form of truck driver. Interested in becoming a dump truck driver? Contact us for more information on dump truck driver training.

Are you outgoing, determined to succeed, and enjoy working outdoors? If that is you, then you could be a perfect candidate for a career as a bulldozer operator. Bulldozers are the real grunt of the heavy equipment range since they rely on power and strength to complete their tasks.

In some work areas, bulldozers move tons of earth every day – and I’m talking about one bulldozer working on its own. Bulldozers are the preparers – they remove vegetation and carve out the ground ready for other equipment like graders and excavators to come in to do their work. Even when confronted by stubborn roots or large boulders, bulldozers are determined machines and they generally win the day.

For those looking for an interesting and challenging career, then operating a bulldozer could be just what you’re looking for. Your first step to achieving that career is to undertake training in the field of heavy equipment operations. What may surprise many is that training to operate a bulldozer doesn’t take months – you can be ready for entry level employment after just three weeks of training.

Associated Training Services has been in the business of training for over half a century. Over that time, ATS has developed a reputation for delivering quality operators to various industries, all ready to start work and all ready to be productive from day one. If you are considering a career change and operating a bulldozer appeals, then contact us for more information on how we can help you bulldoze your way to a great career – it’s a well paid career too.

There are tens of thousands of people sitting at home right now, all pondering a possible career change. Some are unemployed following the economic downturn that hit us all pretty hard while others are just bored or fed up with their current career and looking for a change. Associated Training Services (ATS) have, since 1959, helped thousands achieve new careers in either heavy equipment operations, truck driving, or crane operations – perhaps we can help you to build a new career.

The construction industry is one of the biggest employers of skilled operators of heavy equipment, cranes, and trucks, and while it too has its ups and downs, it is one of the first to recover from any recession. You only have to look at the billions of dollars the federal and state government have thrown into building new roads and bridges to see this. As the economy improves, factories, homes, and commercial centers are developed, all needing these skilled workers.

ATS prides itself on the reputation it has built over the last 50+ years. Quality is the key as our instructional staff, curriculum, equipment, and facilities all come together to deliver well-trained operators to industry. For students, we offer a variety of payment options, housing assistance for the duration of your training, and a well-trained career services department designed to help you find that all-important first job.

If you are interested in looking a little closer at a career as a truck driver, crane operator or heavy equipment operator, then contact us for more information. You can also call to arrange a visit to one of our training schools to see first hand what is involved with the training and the career options available to you.

Some people like to grumble about the classroom side of heavy equipment training. I can understand that students want to spend as much time as possible behind the controls gaining experience. However, there are some issues that require classroom time, and heavy equipment safety is one of those issues.

If you have any doubts about the importance of heavy equipment safety, there are two avenues worth looking at. The first are the requirements set down by federal and state legislators. Safety in the workplace has become a real political issue and the end result is fairly tough requirements for employers. That leads us to the second avenue that you can check – the job descriptions for heavy equipment operators.

Here are some examples of what one employer (City of Duluth MN) has including in one of their job descriptions:

I have been picky in that list since the job requirements run to two pages. However, you can see the importance of safety particularly in the last point. This requires employees to not only work in a safe manner, but to also have knowledge of the safety laws and regulations as they apply to their work.

If you are considering undertaking heavy equipment training, be sure to ask about the safety component before signing on the dotted line. State and federal governments expect safe work places. Employers know that unsafe work practices will result in big fines. Therefore, they generally only recruit employees who can demonstrate heavy equipment safety knowledge so the only path worth taking is training that includes a thorough look at heavy equipment safety.

If you have a desire to become a crane operator, then your first step should be to research the best crane operator training schools. Crane operations go far beyond just pushing levers to raise and lower a cable with a load on it. There are safety aspects to be considered. You need to know how to stabilize your crane before you even start to lift, and you need to be able calculate the best way to move a load given its weight and the conditions.

There are many different ways to learn how to operate any equipment. You can have a friend teach you, or you can just teach yourself. However, you are really only learning how to push those levers. This means you may be able to operate a crane, but you’re definitely not a crane operator. In fact, you now require certification before you can step onto a crane and no employer will look at you without that certification.

When looking for a crane operator training school, look for those that have a long history of successfully training operators. You should also look for those that offer certification as a crane operator as well. The best crane operator training combines in-class and in-the-cab training that gives you both the skills and knowledge to work effectively as a crane operator.

Associated Training Services (ATS) has been in the business of training for over 40 years. They offer crane operator training and certification for both new entrants and old hands looking to refresh their skills (and gain certification). If you are looking for quality training to kick start your crane operator career, look no further – ATS have the experience and follow-up services that will give you every opportunity to not just obtain a certification, but to find employment as well.

Gender equity in employment has long been a challenge for women. I recently noticed an article on the topic of gender equity in truck driving, and some of the content could be equally applied to heavy equipment and crane operator careers.

Two statements really stood out. The first referred to the fact that a truck doesn’t know whether it’s a man or woman driving it – neither does heavy equipment machinery or cranes. The second statement was even more important, and to the point.

“recruiting ads looking for professional drivers you will often see the starting pay right in the ad. There’s no asterisk that says, “This pay rate is for men only.” Not only is that illegal, it would be foolish for a carrier to differentiate pay when the level of service is not dependent on the gender of the person behind the wheel. ”source

Again, this is very true of both heavy equipment and cranes. In fact, in today’s workforce, there are a lot of women working in all three areas. It’s not unusual to see a woman behind the controls of a bulldozer – in fact, from a distance, I’d challenge most people to tell me if was a male or female behind the controls.

Gender equality does exist in the field of heavy equipment. If you were to ask why there weren’t more female operators, the answer would be easy – they are not coming through and undertaking the heavy equipment training. It is no longer a man’s domain. As a career, the door is open to all who can pass the minimum requirements – and that really relates to training, including safety training, health, minimum age restraints set by the state, and the ability to communicate effectively in English. Meet those criteria, and you can train to operate heavy equipment, drive trucks, and operate a crane.