There are only three things between you and a heavy equipment career. Desire, training, and a job. When it comes to desire, that’s between you and your inner self. When it comes to training, ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can have you trained and ready for work in three weeks. That just leaves finding that first job. We’ve even got you covered with that.

The moment you start your heavy equipment training at ATS, we’re working with you to try and find that first job. Our aim is not to just pump out work-ready heavy equipment graduates. Our aim is to help people to build a new career as heavy equipment operators. That career doesn’t start with your training. It starts with your first job.

At ATS, we have staff members dedicated to helping our graduates find work. Our career services personnel work with students, first by identifying what their work preferences are, particularly when it comes to region and type of employment. We also assist students to build a resume that best represents them to employees. Finally, we sift through our database of employees, and we have thousands of potential employees in our database, in order to match graduates with potential employees based on their preferences.

This is a complete service that works hand in hand with graduates in order to give them a head start into a career. We’re not satisfied until you have become established in a job that matches your training. We have over sixty years of training experience and a reputation that is second to none when it comes to heavy equipment training. If you’re interested in a career as a heavy equipment operator, take a look at what we have to offer. All you need now is to find that desire.

It’s hard to imagine two completely different pieces of heavy equipment coming together to make one. Yet, for a backhoe, the combination works extremely well. Backhoes combing the nimble work of a loader with the grunt that excavator provides when digging trenches. As a piece of machinery, the backhoe looks to be an ugly awkward beast. I once made the comment that a backhoe looked like a deformed scorpion – it ‘s a reasonable description. Fortunately, they come with the sting.

Naturally, when you combine two different machines into one, that generally requires two sets of skills. For the backhoe, an operator needs to be competent at working as a loader, steadily filling trucks, or perhaps carting materials around in its scoop. The operator also needs to be competent at working as an excavator operator. This means knowing the digging limits of your machine. It also means knowing how to change and use the wide variety of optional tools associated with a backhoe.

Although a backhoe requires two sets of skills to be an effective operator, these skills are not difficult to learn, especially if you attend a well respected heavy equipment training provider. Backhoes, excavators, and loaders are amongst the skills available through a comprehensive training program, and these skills will help to establish you in a career as a backhoe operator. Backhoe careers are reasonably well paid and demand is slowly on the rise. Do you have what it takes to master two pieces of heavy equipment?

We often talk about working as a truck driver, and to do so, obtaining a commercial drivers license, also known as CDL. But what exactly is a CDL? As the name suggests, it is a drivers license that is required by those who wish to driver commercial vehicles. I know that sounds a little lame – however, it’s the definition of a commercial vehicle that should be of interest.

A commercial drivers license is generally available in three classes – A, B, and C. The Class A Commercial Drivers License allows the holder to drive any size truck. A commercial drivers license is obtained by passing a written test related to road rules, highway safety, and the different parts of a truck, and by passing a series of driving maneuvers in a vehicle similar in size to the one you intend operating. The Class B CDL has size restrictions while a Class C is for vehicles that are not covered by the A or B classes. In some cases, CDL holders are required to obtain special endorsements. These endorsements require a driver to pass further written tests, however, if successful, will allow them to operate vehicles related to that endorsement. Endorsements cover passenger buses, hazardous materials, and for double or triple semi-trailers.

Now that you know what a CDL is, and what vehicles are covered, the question related to why you should obtain one is almost self explanatory. If you want to work as a truck driver, for example, then you will need to obtain a CDL. If you want to drive interstate double semi-trailers, then you will need the endorsement related to double semis (T endorsement). Unless you have experience driving large trucks, know the road rules as they apply to trucks, and can describe the various parts of a truck, you are going to require truck driver training prior to attempting the required tests. Truck driver training – now that’s an area we can definitely help you with.

The new OSHA Crane Mandate makes it compulsory for employers to ensure that all riggers meet the minimum standards set down for this position. This means that all riggers must be either qualified or certified as riggers – employing riggers that don’t meet these standards could lead to significant fines. ATS Crane Operator Schools are now conducting training programs that can help employers bring their riggers up to these new standards.

For employers looking to qualify their employees, ATS offers training that:

• Meets OSHA qualification standard for rigging,
• Includes written and practical training and testing,
• Can be completed in 8 to 12 hours depending on number of candidates, and
• Qualifies employees – compliance cards are issued by Associated Training Services upon successful completion.

If you are looking to provide your employees with a certification training program then we offer training that:

• Exceeds OSHA qualification standard for rigging,
• Includes written and practical training and testing,
• Is completed in 32 to 36 hours (4 days) depending on number of candidates,
• Certifies employees – certification issued by National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), and
• Provides NCCCO Rigging Level One Certifications.

Safety is the primary aim of this new standard and it has been introduced because of the number of accidents that have occurred in recent years. The aim is to reduce the number of accidents, in particular the number of deaths and serious injury that occurs in construction each year.

To assist employers to quickly update their employees’ skills, ATS can arrange to deliver rigger training and testing at your workplace if required. This can make training much easier for your employees as they are on familiar soil and around equipment they see and use on a daily basis. This new mandate is not an option – it’s compulsory. If you require help to ensure your employees comply, contact us now – we’re ready to help.

If you’re a former heavy equipment operator who has been out of the business for several years, you would be surprised at how many technological changes there have been. GPS and laser technology is used in some equipment whilst many others have converted to computerized controls, especially in equipment like graders where fine degrees of accuracy are required in blade placements. In many cases, an operator from ten years ago could still operate this equipment – for others, refreshing your skills certainly wouldn’t go astray.

Where former operators may struggle is in the current safety knowledge requirements. Twenty years ago, operating heavy equipment was virtually seat-of-the-pants stuff. If you knew of short cuts, you took them, irrespective of the dangers. Safety regulations are such that seat-of-the-pants operating styles are no longer tolerated on any work site – in fact, employers and employees could be fined heavily if caught in the act.

Heavy equipment technology has certain brought this machinery into the 21st Century. Operators are now highly skilled in this modern technology, and because of that, they are much safer operators. The field of heavy equipment is now well paid in comparison to many other careers, and could be a viable choice for anyone who has worked in this field before. A short three week heavy equipment training program can help you to renew your operational skills, introduce you to some of the latest technology, and provide you with the knowledge you need under workplace safety legislation.

If you were once a highly skilled and in demand heavy equipment operator, there is no reason why you can’t be again. Heavy equipment technology has advanced, but at the end of the day, heavy equipment is still doing that same old task – digging, pushing, and carrying dirt.

Heavy equipment have long had a reputation for being gas-guzzling machinery that belched huge quantities of noxious black smoke into the air. That reputation is a little unfair in this day and age, especially when you consider emission controls that have been placed on all vehicles over the years. Manufacturers have gone further, making new heavy equipment more fuel efficient and capable of running on blended renewable fuels. The very latest equipment runs totally on renewable energies.

However, I said that heavy equipment is going green in more ways than one – and it is. Reducing carbon emissions is one half of the equation. The other half is rebuilding our landscape so that it can grow native vegetation – the lungs that help to clear our air of carbon and other pollutants. Heavy equipment, particularly equipment that is itself environmentally friendly, is being used more and more to help rebuild that landscape.

Add to this President Obama’s Green Job’s Initiative, an initiative designed to fund green projects in the construction industry, and you have a future career that’s going green. This green initiative will go beyond just heavy equipment – we are already starting to see environmentally friendly trucks being used in some green projects – this is opening the way for new truck drivers to enter the trade (which makes it a good time to investigate truck driver training).

Cranes, in particular mobile cranes, are also being used, both in green construction projections, and as part of clean-up crews – especially when old wrecked cars are found in environmentally sensitive locations. Cranes can lift heavy material out of these areas rather than dragging them through and creating more damage. Undertaking crane operator training, or the broader-based heavy equipment operator training provides graduates with the skills necessary to become a part of the greening of our country. So who wants a well-paid environmentally friendly job?

Certified crane operators are well paid when compared to many other heavy equipment operator positions. In fact, if you were to compare the hours of training required to become certified to many other positions (of any skill), certified crane operators come out well on top. Training to become a crane operator can take as little as three weeks – now, compare that to some occupations that take a minimum of six, twelve, or more months.

Mobile crane operators can also look forward to a position that involves a lot of variety. Mobile cranes don’t often stay long in the one place doing the one job repetitively. It’s not unusual for a mobile crane operator to do two or three different jobs in two or three different sites, all on the one day. If there is a down side to being a mobile crane operator, it is the fact that you could be called out in the middle of the night for an emergency. Don’t worry, it doesn’t happen that often, and it only applies to operators who have made themselves available for that task.

ATS Crane Operator Schools are one of the nation’s oldest crane operator training schools. Our three-week training program includes both in-class and in-the-seat training. This training is comprehensive and will cover all the areas required for a graduate to successfully complete their certification assessment following training. Certification is becoming a requirement in most states so employers are not longer willing to employ operators without this certification.

If you are looking for a well-paid job, a job where you can be trained and in the workforce quickly, then consider becoming a certified crane operator.

Have you seen those little excavators around your neighborhood? You can’t miss them, they fit on the back of a small trailer, towed by no more than a family wagon. If you ever see one in action, stop a moment and watch – for their size, they certainly pack a punch.

These mini excavators are generally used for digging trenches. They have a long arm so they can dig a fairly deep trench and with interchangeable shovels, they dig trenches from eight inches wide to two feet or more. It’s the power those little engines have that can be amazing. I noticed one mini excavator almost lifting its own cab and power plant off the ground – the only thing stopping it was the control of the operator.

Talking of cabs, they are tiny – just big enough for one person. Forget joining the operator as an observer to learn how to operate one. You will need to find a much bigger rig for that. Operating a mini excavator is not that different than operating a much larger excavator; it’s all a question of scale. Where many operators do go wrong is when they forget they are operating a much smaller piece of equipment.

Mini excavators, while small in size, still pack a decent punch when it comes to doing a day’s work. They are classed as part of the heavy equipment family so anyone trained to operate excavators through a heavy equipment training program can obviously operate a mini version of that equipment. Heavy equipment doesn’t necessarily mean ‘heavy’ equipment – even mini excavators qualify. They certainly look like a lot of fun – but then, it’s supposed to be work. I suppose you can have fun while you work.

A sad fact in today’s employment market is that employers are always looking for ways to cut costs. That can work to your advantage if you are prepared to take a few extra steps. Combining several related skills can make an individual a far more attractive employment option compared to someone with only the one skill. If you were to combine heavy equipment operations with a commercial drivers license, you are in effect opening options up for your employer.

An example of this a small business that only has a handful of equipment. They may have been asked to perform a task that will only take an hour or two to complete. Rather than sending out the heavy equipment with an operator and a truck with a driver, an operator with a CDL can take the equipment out, complete the job, and bring the equipment back (or on to the next job), thus saving the employer from paying for two people for the one job.

We live in an era where companies are forever competing with each other for work. This is often done via quotation or tendering process. If an employer knows he can reduce employee costs, then they can submit a lower tender or quote, and increase their chances of securing the work. The more work they can acquire, the bigger they will grow, and the more machinery and operators they will require.

ATS conducts both heavy equipment training programs and truck driver training programs. It is quite easy to complete one training program and to then move on to the second so that, within six weeks or so, you will have graduated from both training programs with skill sets that will make you far more employable. Provide employers with that complete package, and you will be surprised at how much easier it is to build a sustainable career.

How important is workplace safety to you? For many people, safety in the workplace is not something they really think about. For other people, workplace safety is something that is constantly on their mind. This is the situation with heavy equipment operators, their vehicles are large and powerful and one slip could cause a lot of havoc. For this reason, heavy equipment safety is one of the key components of any training program.

Over the years, legislators have slowly increased the requirements for operators, particularly where it comes to safety. Crane operators now require certification and it won’t be long and this will be extended to all heavy equipment operators. Why introduce certification? The certification process doesn’t just assess a person’s ability to operate heavy equipment. It also assesses their knowledge of safety when it comes to the operations and transport of their machinery.

The end result is that most construction sites are becoming safer. Certification is becoming the norm for most skilled areas on construction sites. If an individual is in charge of any aspect of a site that could prove to be dangerous, a recent example being those involved with rigging, then certification is becoming a requirement.

No one likes to see more and more legislation regulating our working lives. However, if accidents continue, then the cost to the community grows, not to mention the devastating effects these accidents can have on families. When it comes to heavy equipment training, you owe it to yourself, and more importantly, you owe it to your family and the families of those who will be working around you to ensure the safety training meets the minimum requirements for employment in your state. There is an easy way to check this. Ask the training company of they know what the safety requirements are, either locally or federally. If they don’t, look for another training provider. If you are looking for a career in heavy equipment, then you can help to build a safer workplace by undertaking training that includes heavy equipment safety.