It doesn’t matter how much training you give an individual, there are still times when they will do something silly. That one silly act can often have devastating results. The big problem is often being too relaxed and getting into bad habits. What prompted this post today was the story of an English heavy equipment operator who was run over (and killed) by his own ‘steamroller’. How? The details are not clear, however, it appears he climbed out of his cab and went to the front of the equipment, and it rolled on top of him – not a pleasant experience, yet it could have been avoided by ensuring the hand break was on, or better yet, not standing in front of his equipment.

We frequently hear or read about accidents, some that threaten life whilst others are just downright inconvenient. As an operator, the day will come when a neighbor, friend or family member asks for a favor – dig me a pool; grade my driveway; dig up an old tree stump. Every weekend there are heavy equipment operators doing these favors, and every weekend there is an accident of some description.

Some of these accidents involve hitting the wall or roof of a building. Of more concern is the digging up and rupturing of underground services. Sewerage is an obvious problem, however, it’s gas that causes the biggest problems, often involving the evacuation of nearby residents for several hours. More disturbing is the failure to look up, and in failing to do so, coming into contact with overhead powerlines. Small towns have been blacked out for hours because someone failed to take care.

These situations are all avoidable. Checking for underground services before digging; being constantly aware of overhead powerlines; and being aware of your surroundings, especially if you’re in unfamiliar territory. Interesting, these are skills and processes that most operators do automatically whilst at work – take them out of the workplace, and those skills and processes are suddenly forgotten. We can train you to become a heavy equipment operator, and we can train you in all the safety requirements of heavy equipment operations. What we can’t do is train common sense – hopefully, you already have that.

Safety is an important issue in any workplace. Construction brings many dangers, however, for some heavy equipment operators, safety becomes a bigger problem when they are working away from a construction site. There are dangers everywhere in life, yet as you go about your daily business, are you aware of the dangers both above and below you?

Excavator operators need to be more observant than most since those above and below dangers are ever-present. Looking up and staying alive is a common theme in heavy equipment training programs. Why look up? Overhead power lines are everywhere and they represent a major danger to heavy equipment operators. Bring down live power lines and you could create all sorts of problems. To begin with, your equipment could be become ‘live’. If you try to escape, you run the risk of being electrocuted. Stay, and there’s a risk of fire, more so if those live power cables are sparking.

That’s above. What about below? Hidden below your feet are all the service pipes carrying water, sewage, sometimes telephone or power, and gas. The latter is a major cause for concern since a minor break in a pipe could lead to a major explosion – and we have seen a few of these in recent years.

Running into problems with overhead power lines or underground services can cause problems for operators, particularly crane and excavator operators who frequently raise their equipment well above eye level. Those problems also create huge problems for residents and businesses. Loss of power is one thing, being evacuated because of a dangerous gas leak is ever more of a problem.

Most reputable heavy equipment training programs include study of these issues and how to prevent incidents from happening. Workplace safety is a big issue today, so you do need to ensure you receive the best training possible before entering the workplace. If you can remember to look up when using your heavy equipment, and to check on the location of underground services, you should be able to avoid problems. Plow in without any thought, and you’ll most likely cause problems for yourself and those around you.

Associated Training Services is proud to offer career services to students. As a school that helps people get prepared for careers in truck driving, heavy equipment operation, an d more, ATS has a lot to offer. There are many different ways that ATS offers help in the career services area.

Personal career counseling is a key part of career services at ATS. The coordinator of this department works with students right from the start of their training. The career goals and interests of each student are determined and hiring employers are presented. Throughout training, this professional is available to help students with job searches as well. Even students who graduate can take advantage of this perk.

There are also skills to work on in career services. Soft skills such as interviewing skills, application know how’s and more. Each of these are addressed in career services and help students become more prepared for a future career.
ATS career services also includes job finding assistance. There is a job leads database containing contact information for many hiring employers. Students and graduates can have access to this list of possible jobs to assist them in nailing down there future plans.

If you have an interest in becoming a heavy equipment operator, a truck driver, or a related position, ATS may be the answer for you. Training at ATS will allow you the freedom to be qualified for a number of open positions. With the training provided and career services available, ATS could change your life and set you up for success!

As Spring and Summer approach, construction work in many states starts to kick up a notch or two. Many companies are now assessing their labor requirements for this increase in activity, and that invariably means new opportunities for trained heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and crane operators. It’s an interesting phenomena in this industry – job vacancies come in waves. This week the focus is on crane operators and truck drivers. Who knows that we’ll see next week -you’ll need to come back and see what jobs are listed then. In the meantime, if you need to add more skills to your repertoire, check out the latest training programs for heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and crane operators.

Boom Truck Operator
Fitchburg, WI
Employer is looking for boom truck operators.

Crane Operators
Williston, ND
Hiring crane operators now, MUST have CDL-A.

Excavator Operators
Bloomingdale, OH
Job vacancies for suitably trained Excavator operators.

Truck Drivers
Sun Prarie, WI
SWIFT is hiring drivers at Diesel Driving School in Sun Prairie, WI.

Truck Drivers
Madison, WI
Hiring local drivers, home every night and good benefits.

Heavy Equipment Operators
Various locations
Spring hiring for heavy equipment operators in southern and western states.

Crop Dusters
Various locations
Spring hiring for crop dusters in southern and western states.

You can find more information on these and other job listings at our dedicated job site. There are no fees to pay, and you never know, your next great job could be there waiting for you.

There are not as many jobs on offer this week, however, they can come and go quite quickly. If you’re looking for work as a heavy equipment operator, crane operator, or truck driver, we suggest you regularly visit our job site – at least once a day since employers are regularly posting job opportunities.

If you’re interested in becoming a truck driver, Schneider National is giving a hiring drivers seminar on the 02/21/2012 at 4 PM at our Sun Prairie, WI training school. Please feel free to call us Toll free on (800) 383-7364 for more information.

Heavy Equipment Operators with a (CDL) Commercial Drivers
Pennsylvania
Petroleum Field Services team is currently looking for Heavy Equipment Operators with a (CDL) Commercial Drivers License! We will train qualified candidates in oil well cementing and acidizing services. We have several openings across the United States

Heavy Equipment Operator
Paris, KY
Looking for equipment operators who have a minimum of 8 years experience in operating a D6 or larger Dozer and or a PC300 or larger excavator.

Heavy Equipment Operator II
Jacksonville, AR
Heavy equipment operators are responsible for the safe operation of various heavy equipment vehicles that perform the spreading and compaction of construction and demolition, commercial and residential waste disposed of at the post collection facilities.

Heavy Equipment Operator II
Bidwell, OH
Heavy equipment operators are responsible for the safe operation of various heavy equipment vehicles that perform the spreading and compaction of construction and demolition, commercial and residential waste disposed of at the post collection facilities.

Tower Crane Operators
South East
As ever we have lots of temporary work available for tower crane operators in the South East.

For more information on training programs for truck drivers, crane operators and heavy equipment operators, visit ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools.

One of the most important decisions a future heavy equipment operator will have to make is choosing the right training school. There are many heavy equipment training schools both nationally and locally, so choosing the right one for the individual is essential in landing that next job in the construction industry. It is imperative that the proper school has a great training program and experienced instructors. These instructors should have real world experience and preferably have been foremen and supervisors in industry. An experienced staff is very important in properly teaching a trainee how to operate the varying pieces of machinery required to become a heavy equipment operator. This initial training is of the utmost importance in reaching that goal of becoming a certified operator.

Almost as important as the actual training is the training school’s career services program. How will the school assist the operator during and after training to land the right job in the right location? Many schools will train their operators, and then, they are done with the new operator. It is important to find a school that will give an operator personal career counseling; this should include interview training, resume writing assistance and job leads that can assist an operator in landing that first job as a heavy equipment operator. The school should be constantly networking with trucking firms to ensure the best jobs are being filled by their newly trained operators.

In choosing a heavy equipment training school, it is vital for a prospective operator’s future that a reputable and successful school is chosen. Each operator should do his due diligence and research multiple schools. During this research, the question must be asked “what will this school do for me to help me find my next career?” It is of the utmost importance that the school will put in as much effort as needed to get each of its freshly certified operators a quality job. The school with the most experienced staff and a highest quality career services program will usually be the best choice in the end.

Many skills that are learned in the military are the same skills that are needed in many non-military industries. This is especially true when it comes to the world of construction, engineering and heavy equipment. The discipline and drive instilled in veterans are needed in this industry now more than ever, and with just a few weeks of training, veterans can go from the battle field to the construction site earning great wages in this pride-filled industry.

This industry, much like the military, is a results driven industry that will be a great fit for veterans of multiple military disciplines. There are many jobs in the military that lead directly to jobs in the heavy equipment and construction related fields, so the veteran can easily transfer this knowledge to become certified in multiple disciplines. Many choose to start with heavy equipment operator training and then move on to crane training or even rigger and signal person training. All of these classes are short and can get the veteran out on the work site quickly earning an excellent income.

There are also many other military professions that, although not directly related to construction, can make a smooth transition into this industry. After all, tank drivers can easily transfer their skills into driving a bulldozer. Many other drivers and operators of military vehicles and machinery can find rewarding careers in the heavy equipment fields, an easy transition.

The life of a soldier is one of constant training, which makes a veteran a great fit in the construction industry. This is an industry where a great deal of importance is put on training, mainly for safety, but also to ensure the job is done correctly the first time. Heavy equipment training truly is a great fit for veterans of any discipline.

Heavy equipment and the environments they are employed in are, quite honestly, a recipe for disaster if the proper safety methods are not used at all times. For this reason, training – and more specifically, safety training – is essential for all heavy equipment operators. Unlike many professions, a heavy equipment operator must keep up to date and pay special attention to safety training as they are in a position to badly hurt or even kill themselves or a coworker. The title of Heavy Equipment Operator comes with a great deal of responsibility; a laborer can get away with fooling around and horseplay on the job site, but the heavy equipment operator must be responsible for the safety of all of those who come in close contact with his or her equipment.

Many people feel that regular training is a waste of time and boring, but it is a mandatory mechanism to ensure all workers on a job site are safe. Repetition of training assures that workers treat safety as second nature; safety on the job site is everyone’s responsibility and training assures this. Regularly scheduled safety training ensures that heavy equipment operators do not become complacent. It is easy to forget the importance of safety if we are not reminded on a regular basis.

Many workers make the mistake of “just going through the motions,” but this can lead to accidents and injuries occurring on the job site, or worse happening to the operator or his coworkers. The best remedy for complacency is to keep oneself educated regarding the safety issues and trends that are currently relevant in the workplace.

Many people think they have it all figured out when it comes to picking out their profession. But often, they have no idea what a worker in that field really does on a day-to-day basis. A quick review of what a Heavy Equipment Operator does may help in this decision making process.

Operators are generally going to be working at a construction site, an industrial site or a road paving site, so for the most part the job will be outside in the elements. A Heavy Equipment Operator may operate numerous pieces of machinery such as: excavators, loaders, bulldozers, scrapers and more. Other operators might become highly effective with one piece of equipment and focus their efforts on just that facet of the job.

Another aspect of the Heavy Equipment Operator’s job is the physical work — very rewarding work, but tough none the less. An operator has to have good balance and physical strength to maintain control of his equipment in rough terrain. He also has to have great eye-hand-foot coordination to ensure he can manipulate the equipment with the precision necessary to complete the project. At times, an operator may need to even climb down off of his equipment and help the laborers to get a job done.

One overlooked and less glamorous part of the job is the maintenance and cleaning of the equipment. Minor repairs are often required to be made by the Heavy Equipment Operator on site to ensure the work schedule is maintained. When needed, the equipment will need to be cleaned by the operator to ensure it is maintained in working order at all times.

The life of a Heavy Equipment Operator can be a great one with good pay and a true sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. But, as with anything in life, great rewards come from hard work and responsibility, and the life of a Heavy Equipment Operator epitomizes this phrase.

The role of a heavy equipment operator is often more varied than many people realize. Their main job is to operate heavy equipment, often a range of different heavy equipment, depending on their experience and the employers requirements. However, it’s important to realize that operators are still part of an overall team, and sometimes that means getting out of the cab, rolling the sleeves up, and getting stuck into some good old-fashioned laboring work.

Operating heavy equipment is generally not for prima donnas. You can’t refuse to pitch in and help out ‘because you’re an operator’. You’re an employee, and your employer can and will ask you to do alternative work when required. That is not to say it happens every day – let’s face it, an employer doesn’t really want to pay a laborer heavy equipment operator wages. It makes more sense having laborers do the laboring work and operators operating their heavy equipment.

Often, an operator may need to switch off his machine for just ten minutes, for example, to help remove a stubborn tree stump or large boulder before continuing on with the bulldozing. It is a normal part of an operator’s job, and one which employers are utilizing more often. In fact, they are even advising potential job applicants of laborer expectations when listing job vacancies. Some employers are smarter – they are advertising laboring positions but adding heavy equipment experience as a preference.

The bottom line is straightforward for anyone considering a career as a heavy equipment operator. There are times when you will need to get out of your cab and pitch in with general laboring work. However, it’s also worth pointing out that this is one part of your working life that really does make you a part of the team, and that it’s one way to really earn the respect of your work colleagues.