It was 1977. Fresh out of high school, with not a clue of what to do in life. A friend calls; they’re building a highway down south and they are hiring!

Another boiling hot South Texas summer; day after day of 100+ temperatures.   But thanks to youth and being in the best shape of my life, a job outdoors was exciting!

Besides, the pay was a whole lot better than anywhere else.  It was twice the minimum wage back then.

TALK ABOUT EXCITING!

My friend and I show up on the job site; an interstate highway through several South Texas counties. We both got hired; both driving scrapers.  The foreman said, “only the best of the best could handle the scraper.”

And I believed him: 15’ tall and over 30’ long; mountains of steel on giant rubber tires.  A scraper looks a lot like a big truck and trailer, with a cab out front that turns independently of the trailer.  But that is where the comparison ends!

Behind the cab is a huge steel trailer, with an open box like a dump truck in the center.  Below the open box is a side-to-side blade, that the operator raises up and down. And scrape it does…when the operator drops the blade, it scrapes long strips of dirt from the earth and into the open box. From there, the operator drives the scraper to another part of the project, lines the scraper up, and opens the door on the bottom of the box to lay out a line of dirt as he drives along.

I spent 3 days riding shotgun with a trainer, on the roughest seat I had ever felt (he had air-ride)! Then I was on my own…on top of the world!

SOUTH TEXAS DIRT

Because the dirt was so dry and hard, the scrapers of that time, even though they were massive machines, could not pull the blades through the dirt without some help.  That help was the “push cat”.  The push cat was a bulldozer with no blade; it had a huge metal bumper on the front, and it did what the name suggests…it pushed.  The scraper driver pulled into line, dropped the blade, and waited. First, you heard that big Allison V-12 bulldozer engine wind up, and then you would feel the push cat meet the back of the big metal bumper on the scraper.  It was hold-on time; that big dozer would push you along, and the scraper operator had to watch for the box to fill up with dirt. Then, the round trip began all over again.

It was hot and it was dusty, but it was one of the greatest times of my life!

Today’s scrapers are more powerful, with enclosed cabs and air conditioning on some. Even so, for a kid just out of high school (or anyone looking for a satisfying job), it is an adventure that should not be missed.

Today, there are heavy equipment schools, where you can learn how to operate any kind of heavy equipment.  There were not any schools back in the ’70s.  Check it out…put some adventure into your life!

When most people talk about heavy equipment careers the mind conjures up images of a bulldozer, grader or perhaps an excavator. They are no doubt the big three when it comes to heavy equipment, but there is a range of other equipment that also provides for interesting and well paid careers. This equipment includes:

• backhoes,
• wheel loaders,
• scrapers,
• rock trucks,
• Skid Steers, and
• All-Terrain Forklifts.

And that is just a short list. We talk a lot about backhoes and occasionally about wheel loaders but Skid Steers, All-Terrain Forklifts, scrapers and rock trucks rarely get a mention. These machines provide valuable service in their niche and without them, we would have to resort to using hand tools of some description. Take the all-terrain forklift. This vehicle is similar to a standard forklift but it can safely transport loads over different terrains. Without it, we would be forced to break loads down to much smaller sizes to move them over the rough terrain.

Scrapers of course do just that. They scrape the surface in preparation for other equipment. Rock trucks help to remove large rocks from construction sites whilst the little skid steer is able to get into tight areas to work where no other vehicle can fit. This machines all offer interesting careers. The skid steer maybe a small machine in comparison to a bulldozer, but it is still a valuable part of the heavy machinery family.

One of the benefits of training through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools is that students are introduced to a range of machinery. This provides each student with a broad set of skills and a better insight into how each piece of equipment fits into a construction team. Heavy equipment careers don’t sit solely with the big three – there are many other options available for you to look at.

Winter may be rapidly approaching but that does not seem to have reduced the demand for grader operators. If anything, demand has continued to climb. Grader operators are generally employed to assist with road construction projects – of course, these have exploded in number in recent months thanks to increases in Federal funding. Winter also sees the arrival of snow in many places. Grader operators can sometimes be found also helping to remove snow from our roads.

Operating a grader is perhaps one of the most technically demanding jobs on a building site. Grader operators have a lot of variables they need to constantly watch. Unlike most construction site equipment, graders are driven over very long stretches of new road. Fellow workers are just one aspect that needs to be watched. At the same time the operator needs to be watching what the blade is doing as the grader cuts, removes and level a stretch of ground.

These days a grader is often guided by laser technology. This is another instrument that must be given attention. With so much going on inside the cab, and a lot going onside the cab, the operator needs to concentration skills and an ability to multi-task. Fortunately, a grader is a relatively easy machine to learn to operate.

Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have grader training programs commencing all the time. If you are interested in a career as a motor grader then I suggest you contact us to inquire about our next training program starting soon.

Do you use bulldozers or a range of other heavy equipment in a specialized environment that requires specialized skills? If so, then engaging a professional training organization to deliver customized training can cut your long term costs to a fraction of what you are currently paying.

Whilst the cost of training may seem to tell a different story, having operators that are trained to do their work quickly and efficiently without any accidents can be make the difference. The cost of having one or more units out of action can be high, particularly if you need to hire replacement units to keep the processes moving. Customized training has been shown to reduce down time quite significantly.

There are other hidden costs associated with a lack of training. Operators can become frustrated if the task is complex and they have not had adequate training. These results in those operators moving on to more satisfying employment leaving the employer to go through the expensive task of hiring a replacement. Conversely, employees that are offered customized training feel that their employers value them highly. Being able to perform tasks with their new skills add to their job satisfaction.

The end result is a team of highly skilled bulldozer operators that enjoy their job and can complete tasks without incident, day after day. A second benefit to employers is that productivity increases when are operators are trained to use their equipment effectively.

Customized training for bulldozer operators is available through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools. They can provide customized training on a range of heavy equipment along with cranes and trucks. Consult one of their experts to see if they can design a customized training program that can benefit your organization.