The heavy equipment/ trucking industry has become one of the largest in the world. There are hundreds of jobs available in this area due to new jobs and also because so many workers are retiring. In order to become qualified to work in this industry, you need to complete a training course. ATS, Associated Training Services, is one of the best and well known schools in the country. We offer programs for operation of heavy equipment, truck driving and crane operation.

Some information that is important to know about ATS is its history. It is important to know alot of information about a school before you choose it for training. This school was founded over 50 years ago, in 1959. With assistance in finding a career upon graduation, our graduates have a very high career success rate. We are a family owned training program and we have the best interest of students in mind. We want to see the graduates become successful. That is why we provide the best training possible and make it fun for students to learn.

The simple fact that we have been in business for over 50 years says it all. Our past students can tell you, we strive to do it right. We want to see qualified and properly trained workers enter the work force. With our long standing success, you can count on ATS to prepare you for a great future. We also are known for the quality of our training. We want to be better than the rest. Our training for certifications is top notch. Our hands on training method truly prepares students for their future careers.

If you are interested in more information about ATS or would like to enroll for training, please feel free to contact us anytime. We would love to have you as a student and walk with you through the next steps toward your future.

Associated Training Services has been very successful in the training of students in different areas of study for years. Students can train to be a heavy equipment operator or even a truck driver. Obtaining a CDL in order to become a driver is something that can happen along with the training on safety.
The training program for truck driving at ATS is huge and has a lot of history. This course can take just 2 or 4 weeks to complete. It is a great course to consider because you end up working in no time. There is such a demand for good and qualified truck drivers that graduates have no problems getting a job.
.At ATS, we instruct students with the help of the machines. Hands on learning is the best way to help operators learn about all of the machines and so on. This goes for the same with the truck driver. Students are encouraged to get right into the driver’s seat and get familiar right away.
The truck driving industry is one of the highest paying jobs around. With all of the demand currently, it is job security. The program at ATS has classroom teaching as well. Learning all about safety precautions, regulations and preparing for the CDL test will all be completed.
If you are interested in becoming a truck driver, simply sign up for our program. You will be on the road before you know it and making a great income.

The days of focusing on one piece of heavy equipment as a career are quickly fading. Employers are constantly looking for heavy equipment operators who are multi-skilled, generally on heavy equipment, however, there are other associated skills that employers look for. A commercial drivers license is always handy to have since many employers prefer operators who can also drive trucks.

A look at this past weekend’s job opportunities is a good indication of what employers are looking for, although interestingly enough, this weekend is one of the few where a CDL didn’t appear in one or more job listings. Instead, we had employers that included the following:

• Must have hours on Trackhoe, Backhoe, Dozer and/or Grader;
• safe operation of various heavy equipment vehicles; and
• operates equipment including excavator, compactor, bulldozer, forklift and front end loader

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools offer training on a wide range of heavy equipment including:

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

Once you have covered the basic training, you should look for opportunities where you can build up hours on a range of heavy equipment. You’ll become more confident on each unit, and over time, build up a range of skills that employers will find attractive.

When looking to change careers, it often pays to carefully study job advertisements in that niche. You will then know what employers are looking for and so prepare yourself for those requirements. Employers are still picky when it comes to heavy equipment operators – they know the type of worker they want, and they know which training establishments provide the best graduates – so deliver them what they are looking for. Over time, you’ll have the pick of the jobs.

That is what we are seeing more and more these days – job vacancies for heavy equipment operators with commercial drivers licenses. For many smaller employers, it can be hard to justify employing individuals who only have the one skill. Employers are now wanting the flexibility to move employees from job to job depending on the demand, and that’s impossible if their employees have limited skills.

Being mult-skilled is a must in many professions now, and heavy equipment operations is no different. It’s not just the CDL that matters either. Being able to operate a range of heavy equipment also helps, and today, that’s not difficult to achieve. Modern heavy equipment training methods don’t focus on a single piece of equipment. At ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools, we offer heavy equipment training across a range of equipment including:

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

Graduating operators are able to seek entry level employment where they can gain experience operating equipment in the field. If graduates can obtain employment in positions where a range of equipment is use, they can develop skills across the range, further enhancing their employment opportunities. By then adding a commercial drivers license, operators have the complete package to offer employers.

When it comes to sustaining a career in any profession, it’s important to understand what it is that employers are looking for. If you can deliver on that criteria, then your employment prospects increase dramatically. For new heavy equipment operators, adding a CDL as quickly as possible will not only help you find employment, you will quickly gain access to a range of heavy equipment, even if it is only loading/unloading and transporting that equipment. It’s a start that will help you develop a long term career as a heavy equipment operator.

If you have a commercial drivers license, then you’re well on the way to becoming a mobile crane operator, or at least adding that option to your truck driving repertoire. Operating a mobile crane has three very distinct components: driving, stabilizing, and lifting. Driving is done in a traditional truck drivers cab and this is why you need that all important commercial drivers license. From there, you will need specific training to complete the next two tasks.

As the name suggests, stabilizing is ensuring your mobile crane is stable and won’t move during the crane’s operations. Just as importantly, being able to return the mobile crane to a driving state is also important. Stabilizing a crane is normally done from outside the crane using feet that lift the whole unit so the wheels clear the ground – this ensures a level base and no rolling.

Crane operations are done from a separate cab that is attached to the crane. This has standard crane controls for lifting and lowering the cable, raising and lowering the boom, and swinging the cab from side to side. While that sounds easy, crane operations can be quite involved. The operator needs to assess the weight of the object to be lifted, the lifting conditions (for example, wind), and the destination of the object to be lifted. That assessment will determine how the lift will be undertaken.

Upon completion of the crane’s work, the crane operator will also need to learn how to return the crane to a safe position for transport to the next location. Mobile crane operations are well suited to those who enjoy variety and who like to use their brain to solve problems. If you have a commercial drivers license, all you need is three weeks of mobile crane operator training to complete the requirements.

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.

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.

Truck driving has been one of those careers that have remained relatively stable no matter what the economy is doing. There is one real fact about life – we need to eat, and because most of us know little about how to grow our own food, our supermarkets thrive. Truck drivers are the link between your supermarket and the producers of that food so the more we eat, the more truck drivers we need.

So how do you get a start as a truck driver? There are two basic requirements – a commercial drivers license (CDL) and truck driver training. In fact, you need the truck driver training to get a commercial drivers license. They are the basic requirements – however, both of those will never guarantee you a job since you lack the one component that most businesses require – experience. Of course, if you know someone who’s in the business, you maybe able to get them to help gain a foothold – you could always try.

What you may not know is that you already know someone who has the ear of the trucking industry. We do. We have a database of over 10,000 trucking companies from all around the nation. They know that we deliver thorough training and that graduates walk out of doors ready, willing, and very able to work in the transport industry. This is not a reputation that was built overnight, this is a reputation that has stood the test of almost 50 years – and that means we have sent a lot of drivers out into the workplace.

How do you get a start as a truck driver? Your first step is to call us to discuss your training options. From there we will do everything possible to get you licensed, and to then help you find that first job. Who are we? We’re Associated Training Services and we have have been training prospective truck drivers since 1963 – can we help you join that list of successful truck drivers?

Wherever you find natural disasters occurring, there is bound to be a huge clean-up to follow. Whether it’s a hurricane, tornado, or floods as we have seen in Brazil and Australia, the debris that’s left behind always needs to be carted away. That’s where dump trucks come into their own.

Dump trucks have a couple of features that make them ideal for use in these situations. They have deep dumpers that can hold a lot of material. They are, for their size, pretty nimble when it comes to maneuvering in awkward situations. More importantly, they can cart the debris away, and very quickly empty their load without the need for any more equipment. Just like a child’s dumper, the operator hits a lever and the dumper rises emptying the contents in a matter of minutes.

With dump trucks able to quickly take load after load away from any site – or bring material in when it comes to new construction, dump trucks and experienced operators are always in demand. Learning to operate a dump truck is not as difficult as it may seem. Training basically boils down to learning how to drive a truck well enough to pass the assessment for a commercial drivers license. While learning, you will gain experience in using the dumper component and how to maneuver your vehicle for quick and easy filling.

If you are considering a career as a dump truck driver, then you will need to find a training program that will help you to gain your CDL with ease. ATS has been training truck drivers for almost half a century – that’s a lot of experience and a lot of truck drivers plying their trade today. Employers have come to respect the training offered by ATS, giving graduates a distinct advantage when applying for vacancies. The truck driver training program offered by ATS can be completed in as little as three weeks – this means you could be working as a truck driver within a month of starting your training. Who knows? You may be called upon to help clean up after a natural disaster.

Have you ever considered a career as a truck driver or heavy equipment operator? If you have, ATS have some great news for you as we head into 2011. Our successful free heavy equipment and CDL workshops are continuing on into the New Year and they present the perfect opportunity to find out all there is to starting a career in these industries. These workshops are conducted on Saturdays only and are only conducted one every three weeks – so if you’re interested, book early to secure your place.

While we call them a workshop, they actually represent a free day’s training. Schedules differ from location to location, but the general thrust is a morning of classroom training introducing you to either heavy equipment operations or truck driving. The afternoon is then spent with equipment demonstrations and hands on practical experience. For those who successfully complete the morning’s activities, the day could be rounded off with the presentation of a $500 scholarship towards the cost of a full training enrollment.

Don’t look at this opportunity at being just a demonstration either. You will complete an actual training module from the full training course, which, if nothing else, should give you an indication of whether or not you could successfully complete the full course. It should also give you an idea as to whether or not truck driving or heavy equipment is a good career choice for you.

Heavy equipment and truck driving careers are well paid and there is always demand for operators or drivers, particularly as the economy starts to pick up. By taking one Saturday and experiencing one of our workshops, you’ll experience a career changing move for the better. There’s only one way to find out: Call us on 800-383-7364 to find out where and when our next workshop is planned. You can also check out our free heavy equipment/CDL workshop web page for more information.

NOTE: The information in this post will no longer be valid after December 31, 2010.