There has been a lot of talk recently about how the construction industry has held together despite the recession. In fact, the recession has probably helped it out considering all the money that has been thrown into thousands of programs around the country. The silent winners have been the truck drivers.

Truck driving is one of those skills and qualifications that a lot of people take for granted. Yet, without truck drivers, the heavy equipment required for these projects would still be sitting idle in the contractor’s yards. It’s not just the heavy equipment either. These projects require building materials and often need to have rock and debris removed before work can start.

Work as a truck driver covers a broad spectrum of jobs. You could be a heavy equipment hauler; perhaps a dump truck driver; or a truck delivering building materials. These are all jobs that are essential to any construction project thus making truck drivers valuable members of any construction team.

Learning to become a truck driver is not difficult. It only takes a few weeks and you have the skills required. The hardest component is passing the test to qualify for a commercial drivers license. Pass this test and you’re officially a truck driver. It is then up to you to decide in which area you want to specialize.

ATS has been teaching people to drive trucks for over 25 years. We have a great track record for delivering truck driver training that enables most students to qualify for their CDL at their first attempt. Are you a truck driver in the making? The nation’s heavy equipment needs people with good truck driving skills to move that equipment from job to job.

We are entering an era where the skills of yesterday may not be adequate enough to continue with today’s equipment. At the same time, who wants to lose skilled and knowledgeable employees just because of new equipment. On-training is perhaps the next big step in employer-employee relations. This is where Associated Training Services and their heavy equipment, crane operator and truck driver training schools can be of assistance.

ATS has been providing in-the-workplace customized training for many years now. We have a well trained and highly dedicated team of trainers that can design and implement training programs for your employees based on your actual needs. Wherever possible, we align these training programs to national standards. This provides employers with well trained employees and at the same time offering these employees skills that are recognized nationwide.

Customized training can be delivered at any one of our ten training centers or, if it’s more practical, in the workplace. Training covers a broad spectrum, including heavy equipment associated with earth moving; mobile cranes and lattice boom cranes; and CDL truck driver training.

The advantage of undertaking customized training in the workplace is that employees can be trained on the actual equipment in use in the environment it is being used in. They are trained to use the equipment to deliver maximum productivity for specific tasks.

For more information on customized training, contact us at 1.800.383.7364 and we can discuss your training requirements. Customized training in the workplace helps to reduce employee stress in situations where they are failing to cope with the demands of the job through lack of up-to-date skills. By providing training that updates those skills, you will be increasing confidence levels and reducing stress and you’ll be rewarded with increased productivity and less downtime.

With a commercial drivers license you open the door to a lot more opportunities. We are not talking about being a truck driver here although it does of course involve driving trucks. I am looking more at those who have careers in heavy equipment operations like operating a bulldozer or excavator. At present, if a bulldozer is required on a site somewhere, it takes it two operators to complete the job – one to drive the bulldozer to the site and one to operate the bulldozer.

How many employers would jump at the chance of employing one person to do both jobs? There are a lot of employers that would grab the opportunity at present, particularly if they are taking contracts for land clearing type jobs where only one piece of equipment is needed. The operator takes the equipment out to the site, does a days work then drives the truck back to base. The truck is then free for other jobs. The operator uses their vehicle to get to the site then.

Once the job is almost complete, the operator takes the truck back, finishes the work then takes the whole lot back to base. Job done and only one operator required. The saving in wages for that employer can be huge if spread over several pieces of machinery.

If you are one of those operators that is also holding a commercial drivers license, you are more likely to be employed these days than someone who doesn’t have their CDL. Obtaining your CDL only takes three weeks of training through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools. The training is followed by a licensing test carried out by your state licensing authority. Once licensed, you can have a greater say in where and for whom you are going to work – that has to be good.

Truck driving as a career offers a lot to those that like variety. You can drive the same stretch of road every day for years, yet it’s not the same. There are different weather conditions and, of course, your fellow road users are different every day. You have the idiots that want to take a truck on by overtaking when there’s no room, and you have the reverse, those that are terrified by big rigs. They suddenly slow down when they see one in their rear vision mirror and drive with so much caution they almost create accidents.

Learning to be a truck driver is not that difficult. Learning to put up with other drivers takes a life time. In fact, as a driver, I don’t think you ever get used to the way others drive. Being on the road, you see them all – the crazy, the drunks, the teens partying while driving and nervous nannies.

If you’re interested in a career as a commercial truck driver, it is as easy as ABC:

A – ask us at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools about our truck driving training programs. We have over 25 years experience training people to drive trucks. We can advise you where your nearest training school is and when the next courses start.

B – Begin your training. Start your training with ATS and we will provide you with all the on and off road skills required to achieve your commercial truck driving license.

C – Complete the testing for a commercial drivers license (CDL) and you’re ready to hit the road as a professional truck driver.

With a professional training organization like ATS behind you, you will receive all the support necessary to obtain your CDL and then to locate suitable employment. Remember – all it starts with is ‘A’ – ask us about our truck driver training programs. It’s the first step to a successful truck driving career.

Does a truck driving career interest you at all? Local truck drivers have the best of all worlds. They get to spend their days driving around their area making deliveries and pick ups where necessary. At the same time, they are home for dinner each night – there is no overnight driving involved. Better yet, local truck drivers are well paid for their efforts – in this case, it’s three strikes and you’re in.

Did I say three strikes? There is more. Training to become a truck driver can be completed in just three weeks. When we say training, we are talking about comprehensive training that will have you ready to pass the commercial drivers license written test as well as the practical component. Our training focuses on the knowledge and skills required to be a good driver – anyone can drive in a straight line, but can you reverse a tractor-trailer? You will be able to once you have completed your training.

That is one skill that is obviously necessary. There are many others. Driving in traffic can be difficult given the unpredictability of other drivers. Being able to drive safely is an important consideration. Do you know how far a truck will go when full brakes are applied at 50 mph? You need to. Am I scaring you? I hope not. Once you complete a truck driver training program at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools you will have all these skills.

As the oldest and most successful heavy equipment school in the country, we know exactly what skills are required to succeed in the work place. We know what employers want and we know what the licensing authorities want. We deliver to those requirements so you can start delivering to their requirements.

With over 45 years experience in truck driver training, we have built a large database of employers ready to hire our graduates. Complete your training and pass your commercial drivers license test and one of those employers could be your first boss. What are you waiting for? You could be driving a truck in just over three weeks.

If you have your commercial drivers license (CDL) then you may want to consider adding a crane operators certification to your range skills. This will certainly improve your job prospects and can offer a diversity of employment options. Employers today are looking for potential employees that are are multi-skilled and can work in various areas.

You may wonder the association between crane operators and truck drivers. There is one. For starters, mobile crane operators require a truck driver’s license anyway. However, moving away from mobile cranes, if you can operate an overhead crane then you can potentially help to load or unload your own truck. Having skills to operate a fork lift places you in a similar situation.

Adding a crane operator’s certificate only takes three weeks – yet it adds a life time of opportunities to your resume. I won’t try and fool you. There are not employers jumping out of the woodwork looking for multi-skilled truck drivers. Having said that, it’s not until an employer sees your resume and understands that you can drive a truck, operate a crane (as a certified operator) and perhaps drive a fork lift that your true worth will show through.

Employers don’t always see the associations until it is there in black and white in front of them – suddenly a host of possibilities opens up. Your first step is to find a training provider that is accredited to deliver crane operator training and who is also accredited to undertake the follow up assessment and certification. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have both of these accreditations – in three weeks you can add a crane operator certification to your truck driving skills.

Like the idea of driving trucks? If you answered yes then now is the time to get your commercial drivers license. The economy has well and truly turned the corner and shoppers’ confidence is returning in big numbers. This means more goods are being transported which leads to more trucks on the road which in turn leads to a greater demand for drivers.

Add to the mix the rapidly approaching Christmas period and you have a shopkeeper’s dream. For shopkeepers to stock their shelves and keep them stocked, we need a large fleet of commercial trucks traveling from factory to warehouse and from warehouse to shopfront. Over the past eighteen months shopkeepers dropped their stock inventories – now they are fast tracking the restocking.

The American economy rides on the back of our transport industry. Road freight may only be one component of that transport industry – it is a big component. Drivers operate long hours and on interstate runs, may be away from home for several days at a time. The upside is the freedom that driving a truck brings together with a reasonably good pay check.

Truck driving is not as easy as it seems. Sure, you sit behind the wheel for long hours. However, navigating through towns, around road construction sites and in heavy traffic takes a lot of skill. Even more skill is required as these drivers reverse those rigs into fairly small loading bays.

These skills and more are learned through commercial drivers license training. This training not only provides the skills, it prepares you to pass and receive your CDL ready to start work as a truck driver.

Truck drivers have had a bad reputation over the years. I am not sure why when you consider the training, the skills and road knowledge that is required to obtain a commercial drivers license (CDL). The image hasn’t been good but it is built more on perception than fact.

I know what it’s like to be driving down a highway, late at night, only to have a big tractor trailer come bearing down on you from behind. It can be a scary feeling. If you ever get the opportunity, you should climb into the passenger’s seat of one of these big rigs and go for a drive. You will come to realize fairly quickly that every thing is different. The driver does have control and although they do come thundering up behind another car, the truck driver has a great view of the road ahead. He does know what he is doing.

In fact, if you are the truck driver, there is nothing like the view, the power of the engine under you, and the feel of the road in front of you. Even after 40 years, I know drivers who fret to get back out on the road after a long weekend away.

Truck driving can be an awesome job. The hours are long, but the pay is pretty good. When you climb into the cab, you are in charge – you’re the boss. Sure, you do have a supervisor somewhere who is watching to ensure you arrive and leave on time – but they are not in the cab with you, or leaning over your shoulder.

Obtaining a commercial driver license requires knowledge of road rules, the ability to drive a truck, and knowledge of safety procedures. Training for a commercial drivers license can be done in as little as three weeks. In fact, within a month of starting you training program, you could be on the road, driving for a living.

It doesn’t matter what trade you are in these days, you need a resume if you are looking for assistance from a job placement officer. Whether it is heavy equipment operations, crane operations or truck driving, it is the resume that first introduces you to any potential employers.

A good resume doesn’t have to be sophisticated, it really only needs three components:

Who you are: obviously a potential employer wants to know a little about you so a resume normally starts with your name and address and contact telephone number.

What you can do: this is the meat of your resume and one of the first places a prospective employer will go to. Knowing the skills and how to present them is important – the following is a brief but good example:

• Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving equipment.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Your Qualifications: this is just a simple list of your qualifications and where and when you obtained them. This is where you would list and licenses such as a CDL or crane operators certificate.

Building a resume is not difficult and most job placement officers can help you out. What you need is a clear list of what you can do and what qualifications you hold. Job placement officers can help you find employment – you need to help them first and a good resume is a great start.

Gaining a commercial drivers license (CDL) means more than just a piece of paper. It also involves more than just having a job. That CDL is a license to freedom, a license to explore, see new places and meet new people.

Being qualified to drive trucks can lead to interesting jobs driving trucks and trailers thousands of mile every week. You could have a run that takes you from home through to Mexico (or Canada), or from one coast to another. There is a lot of freight that arrives on the west coast that needs shipping to the east coast. Some businesses rely on rail – others rely on trucks. I am sure you have seen them on the highways – I am also sure you have probably asked yourself – where have they come from and/or where are they going?

Truck driving is more than a skill. In a tradition that probably goes back to the stagecoach days, drivers meet at certain places along the route. You know they say you can tell a good roadhouse by the number of trucks parked outside. Inside, there is real camaraderie amongst the drivers.

A commercial drivers license is not that difficult to obtain. Good quality truck driver training from a highly reputable training provider is the first step. Having belief and working hard during that training is also important. Finding employment to put your new found skills to work is the final step – we can even help in that area too.