Heavy equipment – the term conjures up images of big bulldozers, excavators, and perhaps even backhoes or loaders. You need to be big, strong, and tough to operate this equipment, so women are going to struggle – right? Wrong, wrong, and wrong. You don’t need to be big; you don’t need to be tough; and women are certainly not going to struggle when it comes to operating this machinery.

The fact is, there are hundreds of women operating heavy equipment – perhaps more. If you include truck drivers, then you can certainly start to number them in the thousands. It’s still not enough. Women have proven to be very good operators, especially when it comes to tasks that require attention to detail. Heavy equipment used to be a man’s world, but today’s technology means that almost anyone can operate them.

Can a woman make a successful career as a heavy equipment operator? Many have and they thoroughly enjoy the work. Perhaps there’s a little something about stepping into that ‘men’s world’ that appeals. It could be that many of these women have been fascinated by heavy equipment since childhood. It doesn’t really matter. If you are a woman and you are looking for a challenging career, working outdoors, and controlling heavy equipment like bulldozers or excavators, then a heavy equipment career is right for you.

When it comes to gaining employment, your search starts by undertaking heavy equipment training. If you undertake your training through ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools, then you will not only receive well-recognized training, we’ll help you find that first job – a job that will start you on the path to a career as a heavy equipment operator. Don’t let anyone tell you a woman can’t do the job – they can, and are, successfully – and so can you.

Computers have been good for a number of things. Communication, storing information, and playing games. In fact, gamers probably make up about half of all computer use in homes around the world. Serious gamers develop a lot of skills, and some of those skills actually make them a perfect fit for heavy equipment operations. If you look at today’s heavy equipment technology, there are similarities to playing games – just on a bigger scale.

There is a lot of machinery today that operates using joysticks. However, one of the biggest advantages that gamers have when it comes to operating heavy equipment is the almost perfect hand-eye coordination that they have. Admittedly, the close-up screens are not the same as the window of an excavator or grader, for example, but hand-eye coordination is still very much the same. There are many gamers that can adapt from playing games on their PC or laptop to playing on a console using a television screen very easily.

Are you a computer gamer who’s looking for a change of career? If you’re one of these people whose parents said that gaming was a waste of time, perhaps you can prove them wrong by putting those well-ingrained skills to good use as a heavy equipment operator. You can receive training and be ready for employment in just a few weeks. Heavy equipment operators have an interesting, varied, and reasonably well-paid career.

Heavy equipment operators can choose from a variety of equipment to work on including excavators, bulldozers, graders, loaders, and backhoes just to name a few. Gamers have great hand-eye coordination, working to precise measurements, and using light fingertip controls are what is necessary today – not the brute strength that was required many years ago.

Heavy equipment is often thought of as being strong tough machinery that is used to power through dirt and rock. In most cases it is. The bulldozer’s main claim to fame is its brute strength when it comes to pushing dirt around. Excavators are renown for their ability to dig trenches in the toughest conditions. Graders, on the other hand, while tough and powerful, are also known for their ability to sculpt the ground under them – and it’s that ability that we rely on for most of our roads and highways.

I marvel at today’s graders. With the use of computer-aided technology, a grader can be finely set to grade the ground under them to precise measurements. This includes both height and angles – or grades. If you regularly drive the highways, especially when it’s raining, you’ll notice the water running off the road easily and quickly. This is because of the very slight slope or grade given to the highway – and it’s all the work of a grader.

There are other areas where you will notice the effect without understanding why. Sweeping bends on highways, especially those that have to wind their way around hills or mountains, all have a slope, known as a camber, that is designed to help the car ‘stick’ to the road rather than trying to veer off. Engineers can determine the precise angle needed, and graders can prepare the road to those precise measurements.

You can learn to become a grader operator in just a few short weeks. Heavy equipment training programs will have you trained and ready for entry level work in next to no time at all. At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools, we’ll even work with you to try and find you that first job. Grader operators, they don’t power through the ground – they gently sculpt that ground.

Riggers and Signal Persons are required to be qualified under OSHA regulations. Becoming qualified is certainly not difficult and at the very least it should be affordable. Associated Training Services take it one step further offering affordable training and testing as either a qualified or certified rigger/signalperson. The question then is which is your best option – being qualified or certified?

The minimum requirement for a rigger/signalperson is holding a qualification compliance card. However, from an employment perspective, being certified by the National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) certainly holds more weight. Employers are always looking to hire the best credentialed workers possible, especially when it comes to safety issues. We also don’t know what the future holds for rigger/signalpersons. The law is constantly changing when it comes to workplace safety and the time may come when all rigger/signalpersons will require certification. We have already seen this with crane operators.

Associated Training Services has a comprehensive certification program for rigger/signalpersons. This program:

1. Exceeds OSHA qualification standard for rigging and signal persons.
2. Includes written and practical training and testing.
3. 32 to 36 hours (4 days) depending on number of candidates.
4. Certification issued by National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).
5. NCCCO Rigging Level One and NCCCO Signal Person Certifications.

Being certified is an important step when looking at your qualifications. Why stop at meeting the minimum requirements when, with just a little more effort, you can gain certification that reflects your knowledge and skills. If you are looking for affordable NCCCO certification, or a qualification compliance card, contact Associated Training Services – we’re leaders in the field of rigger/signalperson training and testing.

It’s still winter in most places up north. And there is still ice and snow on the ground. In fact, Southern Pennsylvania just received snow last night. So will that kill the excavators?

Absolutely not. When a trench needs to be built, there’s no better tool than an excavator. It’s a machine that was built for the job. But, while that’s true, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend using the bucket for breaking up ice. The excavator has other tools for that. One tool that has proven to be useful for breaking up ice is the ground-breaking pick.

Backhoes are OK. They are versatile machines, but excavators are more powerful. In fact, put them side by side and let them have a contest and I guarantee you that excavator will win on breaking ice.

Heavy equipment operators are often multi-skilled operators. If you know how to operate a backhoe, chances are you know how to operate an excavator. By taking your training through a heavy equipment school that trains on multiple equipment such as the excavator and backhoe, you improve your chances of obtaining and keeping a long term job.

At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools, you’ll learn how to use the excavator even on the ice. You’ll be trained in its various functions and how to determine when to use each tool this versatile piece of machinery has to offer. Enroll today and start your career in heavy equipment operations.

It’s a bit of a cliche I know, but bulldozer operations is a real “down-to-earth job.” Let’s face it, what do bulldozers do best? They push earth around. You could probably use a more poetic description – bulldozer operators spend their days carving the earth. The end result is still the same. The have to push dirt around. That sounds fairly simplistic when the reality is that a large bulldozer can push an awful lot of dirt around – tons of it in a day’s work.

Bulldozers are one of the most important pieces of equipment on a construction site. Engineers, builders, and other plant operators all rely on the skill of a bulldozer operator to carve out that landscape according to the plans. If a building is going to be constructed, that firm and level base is what is going to help hold that building up. If a highway is to be constructed, then the road building crews are relying on the bulldozer operator to provide them with a level and accurate road base to start on.

Our farmers still rely on bulldozer operators. Farm roads are often bulldozed, especially after snow or heavy rains have made them impassable. Farmers also rely on bulldozer operators to help in the construction of small dams, vital for those periods during the year when rainfall is minimal. These jobs all require the skills of an experienced bulldozer operator.

When you and I look at a piece of land, we may see some vegetation and dirt. When a bulldozer operator looks at that same piece of land, they will be looking at the soil type (sand, clay etc), tree stumps, large rocks, and anything else that may make the job difficult. Once they have scanned the area, they are ready to go to work.

Training to become a bulldozer operator is fairly straightforward. Three weeks of classroom training and in-the-seat training and you’re ready for entry level employment. Experience comes with time, but you would be surprised at how quickly a new operator learns their craft.

Heavy equipment has been the focus of attention when it comes to safety for several years now. While operators require training that includes safety, onsite workers also have an obligation to act safely around heavy equipment. Work place health and safety training is now mandatory in many industries and where employers have failed to ensure their employees are trained, big fines are on offer.

When it comes to heavy equipment safety, there are several areas that are important to understand. These areas include:

Preservation of self – This is fairly obvious, the last thing any operator should do is act in a way that could put themselves in danger. An obvious example of this is when working around power lines – come into contact with one of those power lines and you could be in real trouble.

Safety of others – The majority of heavy equipment accidents involve injuries to people other than the operator. In some cases, it is the worker on the ground that hasn’t taken care. However, operators should be aware of everyone around them and be trained sufficiently well that they can take avoidance action should a situation become dangerous.

Safety of property – By far the number one result of accidents is damage to property. This includes buildings and vehicles. These accidents generally occur through sloppy work, often because an operator has misjudged a distance. Heavy equipment can cause tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage just through one simple error of judgment.

These accidents are all avoidable. Heavy equipment safety training is designed to cover all aspects of safety. This training is generally included as part of a person’s basic heavy equipment training program. In some states, an employee cannot start work onsite unless they have undertaken this training. If you are looking at heavy equipment training programs, be sure they have a good safety component – you may find it necessary when looking for employment.

Tower cranes can be huge and, in most cases, cannot be moved under their own power. In fact, almost all tower cranes are nothing more than giant Meccano sets with each crane put together on site. Anything up to a dozen flatbed trailers are used to bring in all the parts, all carefully laid out and ready for assembling. Who does the grunt work? Mobile Cranes.

It has to be one of the most interesting jobs on a work site. Slowly lifting each piece of a giant Meccano set into place while riggers and engineers slowly build that tower crane. Of course, when the job is done, it will require another mobile crane to come in and slowly take the tower crane apart again. With some large construction sites taking up to 12 months (and longer) to complete, operators and workers rely on that tower crane to be perfectly put together.

That is only one role of a mobile crane, and a challenging one at that. Wherever there are heavy objects that require lifting, you’re likely to find a mobile crane. Mobile cranes range in size from fairly small vehicles to large vehicles that equal or exceed the length of many semi-trailer rigs. Because of their size, mobile crane operators are also required to hold a commercial drivers license (CDL).

Mobile crane operator training can be undertaken over three weeks. This will provide operators with the skills and knowledge for entry-level work as mobile crane operators. In today’s workforce, crane operators are also required to undertake a certification process that demonstrates their knowledge of cranes, particularly when it comes to safety knowledge and the safe operation of a crane. If building tower cranes from giant pieces of Meccano appeals to you, consider undertaking crane operator training – the pay’s good and the work is always challenging.

Is there a clear definition of heavy equipment in today’s workplace? According to Wikipedia, heavy equipment is defined as:

…. heavy-duty vehicles, specially designed for executing construction tasks, most frequently, ones involving earthwork operations. They are also known as, construction equipment, construction plant, earth movers, engineering vehicles, or simply equipment. They usually comprise five equipment systems: implement, traction, structure, power train, control and information.

Now that’s quite a definition, especially the latter part which names the equipment systems. What should be noted is that the word ‘heavy’ is not mentioned in reference to weight. In fact, weight is not the issue in today’s workforce as can be seen by the use of skid steer loaders and mini excavators. While relatively lightweight, they are still classified as heavy equipment. Generally speaking, the follow vehicles are typical of what could be described as heavy equipment:

• Backhoes
• Wheel Loaders
• Scrapers
• Excavators
• Bulldozers
• Road Graders
• Rock Trucks
• Skid Steers
• All-Terrain Forklifts

These range in size from small vehicles up to massive vehicles (if you can still call them a vehicle) the size of small buildings, often used in the open cut mining industry. You should see the size of the dump trucks that are used alongside them – a single wheel stands almost twice as tall as most people and requires a special forklift when a tire change is required.

Size is irrelevant when it comes to determining heavy equipment. What is interesting is that training for a mini excavator is virtually the same as training for a standard excavator and for one of the giants used in the mining industry. Training is the key to using this equipment. If you are interested in heavy equipment as a career, then start by gaining your skills through a reputable heavy equipment training organization. That way you will be sure of having all the base skills required to launch a successful career as a heavy equipment operator.

If you are wondering whether or not truck driving had a future – wonder no more. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, truck driving is at number thirteen in their list of the careers with the largest growth expectations. The BLS statistics put growth at 13%, which effectively equals 233,000 new truck driving jobs. Before you get too excited, these are ten year figures so the actual annual growth rate is around 23,300.

Now, consider one other fact – over 5% of the truck driving workforce is either moving on or retiring each year, so those number of new drivers each year suddenly explodes. With a workforce of 1.8 million drivers, the number of drivers required to replace those leaving the industry is approximately 90,000 – per year. Now you can get excited because that represents 100,000 new truck drivers needed each year until 2018.

Realistically, you could say that each state needs around 2,000 new truck drivers each year. That’s still a lot of drivers that need to be trained, licensed, and given experience. The one thing that ATS is renown for is providing the trucking industry with drivers that are well trained and ready for employment. We have a database with thousands of employers, many of whom are looking for new drivers on a regular basis.

If you have ever had a dream to drive trucks, either locally, intrastate, or interstate, then now could be a good time to start your truck driver training. Truck driver jobs generally peak in early summer and with training only requiring three weeks of your time, you could be trained, licensed, and ready to roll, just when employers are reaching out to take on new drivers.