The mining industry has some of the best paid operators when it comes to heavy equipment. However, getting a start in that industry can be difficult, especially if you’re raw with no skills or heavy equipment experience. Excavators and excavator training can be an option to opening the door to a mining industry career.

Excavators are used widely across many industries. When we think of excavators, most people think about the machinery used to dig trenches for pipe laying. This has been the traditional role of an excavator, however, they are used far more broadly than that. In fact, excavators have been modified in specialist equipment and if you visit some mining sites, you would be stunned by the equipment in use. As an example, take your regular excavator – increase it in size tenfold, and you have one of the smaller excavators used in some open cut mines. To say they are huge is an understatement. Yet many of those operators started their careers as humble excavator operators, digging trenches on new housing estates.

To get into the mining industry, you need experience operating standard heavy equipment like excavators, bulldozers and loaders. To gain work and experience operating this machinery, you need to have the proper base training. Heavy equipment training should cover a range of machinery – this has a number of benefits to graduates including providing a much wider range of jobs to select from. Being multi-skilled is also one attribute that is preferred by many employers.

If a well paid career in the mining industry sounds attractive then look at heavy equipment training as a starting point. Follow this up with employment as an excavator operator and over time you will develop the skills necessary to gain employment in the mining industry.

There is often a mistaken belief that crane operator training (and heavy equipment training in general) requires some prior knowledge of machinery and perhaps some prior experience. As I said – this is a mistaken belief. Training for cranes and heavy equipment is often better suited to those that come into the industry with little or no knowledge of the machinery since they don’t bring with them bad habits or misconceptions. If you are totally unskilled – you may find that crane operator training is the perfect choice.

Mobile crane operator training will necessitate learning to drive a large vehicle so some driving knowledge and experience is required. Training to become a crane operator takes around three weeks with almost all students ready to sit their certification tests after that period. Training involves learning about cranes, how to set them up ready for use and, of course, how to safely and efficiently operate them.

That knowledge is acquired through your training, not through any prior experience. In many cases, students that have had prior experience, or some basic training delivered by friends or family, need to go through a re-learning process because of bad habits or poor techniques they have acquired. Being totally unskilled means you come in as a raw recruit and, if you are mentally ready, able to learn the basics quite quickly.

Good crane operators are always in demand and they can attract decent pay checks each week. Having the right base training is essential if you want to build a career as a crane operator and here at ATS Crane Operator Schools we not only deliver quality training, we deliver training to standards that the industry recognizes. Most of our students are able to find gainful employment soon after completing their training, employment that enables them to further develop their skills.

If you are totally unskilled, don’t let that stop you from becoming skilled. Crane operator training, or heavy equipment training in general, is an option that you can seriously consider – and a rewarding career you can seriously consider entering. Contact us for more information if you’re ready to become a skilled and sougt after operator of cranes or heavy equipment – we have schools across the country just waiting to give you those skills.

The wildfires in California have once again seen the introduction of bulldozers to help reduce the fire’s impact. Bulldozers, of course, cannot fight fire directly, but they can have a huge impact when it comes to preventing the fire from spreading too far. Some bulldozer operators spend much of their career working as part of a fire reduction crew, moving from area to area clearing away the ground cover.

Fires generally start in fallen leaf litter, often spreading quickly, and when wind and dry conditions combine, quickly climb to tree tops where they can rage through the canopy at high speeds. By clearing as much of the ground litter away as possible, it helps to reduce the possibility of fires starting in the first place. But what about fires that are already raging?

Bulldozers play an important role in these situations as well. Firefighters will determine where a suitable fire break should be established. Bulldozers will then move in and totally clear that area, often working around and against the clock. When successful, the fire is either brought to a halt, or at least slowed sufficiently to allow firefighters to get the upper hand.

For bulldozer operators, it can be dangerous work. The last thing they want is to be caught with the fire raging towards them. At the same time, there are homes and peoples lives at risk if the fire break isn’t established. It takes dedication and a lot of skill to complete a task with that sort of pressure around yet, year after year, bulldozer operators not only do it, but they often do it well enough to make an impact on slowing that fire.

If you want to be a firefighting bulldozer operator then you need to start off on the right foot and that is by obtaining the very best in heavy equipment training. Gaining the skills required by employers is a must in today’s workplace. From there, you can further develop your skills until you reach a point where you can work in areas that are both taxing and dangerous. Homes and lives are saved each year because of the work undertaken by skilled bulldozer operators – are you going to be one of the next generation of firefighting bulldozer operators?

Heavy equipment training centers on teaching students how to operate a range of equipment. Let’s face it, that is why you sign up to undertake the training. However, today’s training has a strong emphasis on heavy equipment safety and there are a number of reasons for this. In fact, one of the major factors that has influenced the need for more safety is not only the increase in accidents, but the potential for accidents given how easy today’s equipment is to operate.

In years gone by, when the equipment was slow and cumbersome, workers often had warning when something was about to occur. Not today. Modern equipment is fast and reasonably nimble when compared to some of those old machines. You don’t need strength to wrestle controls now – some machinery can be operated using the touch of your little finger. This makes the equipment very responsive – often too responsive.

With this in mind, it is now more important to think and look before pushing a lever. In the past, if you were swinging a crane load, you knew you could start the maneuver, even though there were people walking by. Good judgment meant they were well past before the load arrived at that point. Today, that load is likely to arrive on top of them, so it becomes important to wait until the area is clear. Good crane operators have always waited, of course, but I think you get the idea of how fast equipment can move now.

Legislators are worried by the number of workplace accidents that have occurred in recent years. This had led to many states insisting on some form of certification or, at a minimum, heavy equipment safety training prior to an operator commencing work. Some employers undertake their own training program, however, most expect new operators to come into the industry already equipped with the necessary heavy equipment safety training.

If you are considering entering the heavy equipment industry then be sure the training you receive has a safety component. If you don’t receive this component, you may find it difficult, if not impossible, to find any employment. Heavy equipment training does have an emphasis on safety – it’s designed to keep the operator and those around them safe at work. Something I think everyone can agree on.

Developing a career as a successful and sought-after grader operator is a long term project. When I say long term, you are looking at two-plus years to reach a standard where employers will come to you seeking your services. In the meanwhile, you are the one that will be chasing employers looking for work. That’s not a problem since that is the situation with most careers – still, it’s nice to have employers chasing you instead. So what do you need to do to become a sought-after grader operator?

There are several key areas that you need to consider. Naturally, the first is that of grader operator training. You need to be trained by experts in the field, experts that will teach you good habits rather than bad, and experts that can give you a thorough grounding in how to maintain and operate a motor grader in a variety of situations.

The second area that requires consideration is that of experience and skills development. This may require a variety of employers over a period time, depending on what each employer has to offer. What you are looking to do is to develop your skills across a wide variety of terrains and working conditions until you become highly proficient in each.

Finally, there are those personal traits that round out an operator’s attractiveness. Personal traits such as leadership, attention to detail, teamwork, flexibility, and above all else, reliability, are key to your future success. Let’s face it, you could be the world’s best grader operator, but if you’re unreliable, what good are you to anyone? The same could be said for an individual who can’t work as part of a team – their skills count for nothing in the finish.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can provide the skills foundation required to gain a start in the industry. We can even provide assistance to gain that start. Whether or not you succeed of course will then depend on whether or not you’re prepared to learn and whether or not you have those personality traits that employers are looking for. If you have those traits and are willing to continue learning everyday you’re at work then career as a grader operator could be yours. Contact us now and take that first step to becoming a much sought-after grader operator – and by the way, the paycheck’s pretty good too.

If you are looking for a reliable career as a heavy equipment operator then backhoes are one of the better choices. Being versatile equipment, there is generally always a demand for competent operators. The key word there of course was competent, often measured by experience across a wide range of projects and activities.

For most new operators, lack of experience is the one area that will count against them when looking for employment. On the plus side, if a new operator has received training through a well recognized training provider then employers will consider their application more seriously. Getting your foot through the door is the hard part – once you achieve it, you then need to learn as much as you can on the job.

In years gone by, a prospective operator could basically learn from their parent, or the operator from down the road. Training was unstructured and most new recruits to the industry brought with them the bad habits of their trainers. In today’s world, heavy equipment training needs to be structured and with such strict safety guidelines in place on worksites, there is no room for bad habits.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools have been training backhoe operators for decades. The training program offers instruction on a variety of equipment, including loaders and excavators, equipment closely associated with backhoes. Our training record speaks for itself and over the years has built a solid reputation with employers and those involved within the industry.

If you are seeking a reliable career as a heavy equipment operator, rather than limiting yourself to one piece of equipment like a backhoe, look at who is providing the training. Heavy equipment as an option is fairly reliable, but only for those who have had good training and developed a record as competent and reliable operators – that’s where ATS can get you started.

Three heavy equipment vehicles that can often be seen working together are loaders, bulldozers and dump trucks. They do make for a perfect team with the bulldozer’s sheer grunt giving it the ability to move a lot of dirt around fairly quickly. Loaders then transfer those piles of dirt to dump trucks to be carted away. You will often see bulldozers, loaders and dump trucks working together in areas such as pre-construction of buildings and roads.

Bulldozers do one thing – they move dirt and they do it well. With plenty of grunt in the engine, and a good strong blade at the front, they can carve out a new road or building site fairly quickly. It is interesting to watch the bulldozer take an area of land that is lightly vegetated and transform it into a flat clean area of land ready for whatever project is intended. The only sign of the bulldozer’s presence being the piles of dirt and rubble scattered around the edges of the site.

Bring in the loader and those piles of dirt and rubble are soon gone, all transferred to waiting dump trucks for removal. Loaders don’t rely on brute forward strength. Their power revolves around their ability to quickly maneuver around a site and to lift large loads, particularly overhead and into dump trucks. Where bulldozers rely on tracks for mobility, loaders are generally wheeled and often articulated, giving them even more mobility.

Dump trucks complete the picture. With open top bodies, they can be quickly and easily filled with dirt and rubble. Being trucks, they can take that load to any destination, including driving on the open roads. Dump trucks get their name from the action of dumping, or tipping the body upwards to ‘dump’ out their load.

These three vehicles work independently yet each relies on the other to complete its job. For those looking at a career in heavy equipment, standard training at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools introduces students to all three vehicles (and many others). If you are looking for hands on training that prepares you for the workforce, check out your heavy equipment training options – perhaps a career as a dump truck driver, bulldozer operator or loader operator is right for you.

Excavators – they were once considered to be great at digging holes in the ground, particularly trenches for pipes. These days, excavators can be found in a variety of workplaces and digging trenches has become just one of many tasks they can perform. One of the best places to see the variety of jobs an excavator can perform is on a demolition site.

Demolition jobs have to be every big kid’s dream job. While we like building things, just watch your kids – they take great pleasure in pulling them down again only to start all over. Demolition work, however, is not a kid’s job. In fact, it’s a serious job that requires precision and care with safety of paramount importance. Excavators often play a major role in demolition jobs because of the variety of tasks they can perform.

Attachments are what allows an excavator to be versatile and while pulling down walls is a major part of their job, using attachments such as claws and jackhammers means the excavator can move and break up large sections of a building. It can be an interesting experience just watching an excavator rip up a concrete building block – they can certainly make short work of the task.

You will find excavators at work in a variety of jobs. The mining industry relies on them as does construction. They can be used for river and creek dredging or widening, forestry and, using smaller versions, landscape gardening. To become an excavator operator is not as difficult as some believe. Three weeks of heavy equipment training will prepare most students for entry level employment opportunities. On the job training using a variety of attachments will soon see proficient operators offered more challenging roles such as demolition work.

If you’re interested in a career as an excavator operator, contact ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools for more information on course dates, financial assistance and post-training career services. The opportunities are there for those ready to take them.

When talking to those who dream of a heavy equipment career, it can be hard work trying to get them to think realistically. As with most careers, you can’t expect to start at the top – after all, if you start at the top, the only direction you can go is down. Operating a large excavator or bulldozer is not out of the question, but you do have to get the basics right first and to then work your way to more responsible roles.

If you are considering a career in heavy equipment, start by thinking like an employer – who are you going to employ and what sort of jobs are you going to give them? Novices are obviously going to get the more mundane easy jobs. The harder task will go to those that have experience. Just remember, those experienced operators once started at the bottom, as you will. How they applied themselves to the various tasks then reflected in the types of jobs they were asked to do – the more they applied themselves and learned about their roles, the more difficult the tasks.

So starting with the basics then becomes important. Heavy equipment training that exposes students to a range of equipment and a range of tasks is the best start. Hands on training is obviously the best way to learn. Standing behind someone and watching them may teach you how to use the controls, but it doesn’t give you a ‘feel’ for the equipment. There is so much more to learn by actually sitting in the operator’s seat. Your hands and feet play an important role in ‘feeling’ what the equipment is doing – for example, is it straining, is it hitting rock, and what about the many other situations?

This is what is often termed ‘instinctive’ control of your equipment. Your body feels what is happening and acts almost before your brain clicks into gear. The more hands on experience you gain, the more control you will have over your equipment. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have been training prospective heavy equipment operators for decades. We can’t teach you ‘instinct’ – you develop that over time. We can, however, teach you to become highly proficient operators, ready to start in the work place and ready to gain that ‘instinct’ in the workplace. Your heavy equipment career starts by getting those basic skills right – and that’s where we can help you.

If you take a lot of pride in your work then a career as a grader operator could be ideal. Of course, you need to like working outdoors and working as part of team. As you drive around your neighborhood, along city streets, and out on the highway, take note at how well the roads have been made. You can lay a lot of the credit right into the lap of the grader operators who worked to precise measurements.

Grader operators are responsible for providing a smooth base that has been carved to the right slope prior to finish being applied. It takes a lot of skill to work to such fine measurements, yet many operators learn these skills in quite a short period of time. You can credit this to the type of training received in the first place. Quality training is one of the keys to most occupations and grader operators are no different.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools have been at the forefront of heavy equipment training for over thirty years. We know what skills and attributes employers are looking for when it comes to new recruits and, over time, have developed a reputation for delivering. For those looking to enter the field of heavy equipment, proper training has to be the first consideration.

Is there a demand for operators? There is and, generally speaking, there always will be. While ever we build roads, undertake new housing developments, and undertake large constructions projects, heavy equipment operators including grader operators will be in demand. It is predicted that our aging population will result in a fairly sudden drop in the number of workers available to fill these roles. If you’re interested in a career as a heavy equipment operator, now could be the best time to undertake training – this will see you trained and experienced, ready to fill the coming void.