Winter brings quite a few interesting scenarios that backhoes have to deal with. Water pipes that rupture due to the cold, perhaps sewage mains and a myriad of other problems that occur every time we bury essential services. The one piece of equipment you can always rely on to come in and help, of course, is the backhoe.

They are quite nimble for their size and can be quickly set up to dig up a trench and expose problematic pipelines. They can help raise and lower pipes and finish the job by back filling the trench. It can be a cold job, however, especially in some of the older models that have open cabs. You could be called out at odd hours as well if it is an urgent situation.

Learning to operate a backhoe is an interesting experience as it combines the skills of an excavator operator and those of a loader operator – fortunately not at the same time. Gaining employment as a backhoe operator is even more interesting since your versatility exposes you to such a wide range of tasks.

Becoming a backhoe operator is not as difficult as many would imagine. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can have you trained and ready to work in as little as three weeks. Forget training that takes three or six months – developing skills in areas that employers need is what is important, not developing a range of skills that you may never use.

If you are considering a career as a heavy equipment operator, particularly as a backhoe operator, then contact ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools and find where and when the next operator training course starts.

Technology is everywhere and over time it has developed to the point that mankind has almost become redundant. Where advances won’t take over from humans is in the area of heavy equipment technology. There are many reasons why this won’t occur – here are a few:

Reaction to changes in dirt – it takes more than a human eye to know when the dirt under the heavy equipment is changing. Operators will tell you it’s in the hands – really, it’s like a sixth sense – they feel the change in the hands and feet just like an experienced driver can feel the changes in a road’s surface. There is no way you can build that into technology without it consuming a lot of time as it senses the area before it digs.

Reaction to the environment – machines are not that good at avoiding anything that moves, especially if it moves unexpectedly. An operator can see a child, adult or animal that wanders too close. They can also see vehicles, buildings and intangibles like wind and the effect it has on the environment. Even if a robot had ‘eyes’ to see these changes, would it react as quickly as a human?

Experience – experience has shown that even in areas where robotic heavy equipment has been trialled – for example in mining, it is has still taken an operator somewhere to control that robot – so it is still not working on auto pilot.

A career as a heavy equipment operator is quite safe from any modern technology. Heavy equipment technology can do a lot to make the work environment safer, more comfortable and to work faster – but it will never replace a human at the controls. Heavy equipment operator training is still a worthwhile investment in your future – an investment that has a lot of rewards to offer.

It seems the next big trend in heavy equipment will be excavators and their attachments. More importantly, some of these attachments can do the work of other more specialized equipment. Using the attachment can reduce costs and reduce time. According to GradingAndExcavation.com – a trade magazine for graders and excavators:

The right crushing, breaking, and pulverizing attachment paired with an excavator or loader creates a powerful, portable, and profitable green machine that is ideal for demolition, in-place recycling, and reclamation.

An excavator that can dig up an old road then, by switching attachments, break up and crush that asphalt would be a huge plus to contractors. The crushed asphalt can then be reused as a base for the new road surface. Recycling at its best. Excavator operators that have skills using these attachments will be in high demand as more contractors realize the huge cost benefits of multi-tooling their excavators.

It is not just road construction that is starting to use this technology. Concrete breaking and crushing is another area which is becoming popular for onsite recycling. Perhaps the biggest impact will be felt on new housing estates. Here the material, including rock, that is dug out is crushed down to a suitable size to reuse on the site. This is removing the need to truck out this material and, in some situations, truck in replacement soil. There is a similar situation developing with demolition sites where the bricks and mortar are being crushed and reused on site.

Learning to operate an excavator is the first step and to do that, you need to undertake a heavy equipment operator training program. Once you are skilled at operating an excavator, you can look at many of the attachments that are available and start to gain some skills using them. Excavators and their attachments are becoming an important component in the recycling of building materials. Learn to use them effectively and your skills will be in high demand.

Heavy equipment careers are rewarding on many levels. The pay packet of course is one of the first that people look at and heavy equipment operators are fairly well payed when compared to other construction workers. One of the biggest rewards an operator gets is the feeling of power. When you climb into that cab, it feels like it is you and your machine against the world – you are in your own environment.

If you are really keen on moving into the field of heavy equipment operations then there are a few things that you can do that could give you a head start. The first and obvious area to research is heavy equipment training. Without training through an accredited training company, your chances of gaining employment will be greatly reduced. Be sure your training is accredited on a national level – this is one of the only means of determining the quality of the training company.

Training is the first step and gaining employment the last step. In between, there are a number of things you can try. The first is to look around at family and friends. Do any of them work in any area that uses heavy equipment? If so, find out if they can help to arrange a meeting with the person responsible for that heavy equipment. Whilst employment is important, what you need more than anything else is time behind the control. With this in mind, your request will be more along the lines of work experience rather than employment.

Other areas include heavy equipment hire companies. You may not get much experience using the earth moving side of things, but they may allow you some work experience time moving heavy equipment, performing visual inspections and basic maintenance.

Don’t be put off by refusals. Insurance is always an issue with heavy equipment owners. They also have a lot of money tied up in their equipment so they cannot afford any down time caused by accidents. They are going to be cautious at the best of times. However, every operator had to start somewhere and if you use that approach, someone will provide you with some experience. If you prove yourself to be a competent operator, who knows, they may recommend you to a job vacancy.

Good quality heavy equipment training followed by some hours behind the controls will provide you with the credentials to finding full time employment quite quickly. You just need to be proactive to help yourself if you want to a heavy equipment career.

There is a misconception that construction grinds to a halt in the middle of winter and that jobs like bulldozer operations dry up. The contrary is the case. Sure, there are some areas where construction cannot continue. Heavy snow is one example. However, where there is heavy snow there is a need for snow plow operators and bulldozer operators are perfect candidates for those jobs.

Snow, of course, is not the only problem that winter brings. Heavy rain can also cause problems and slow construction down. These problems are not, however, nationwide. Whilst one area may slow down because of winter, other areas keep working. In fact, a job as a bulldozer operator means you can literally follow the sun. You can work as far north as Alaska in the summer then move south as winter approaches.

Whilst construction may slow in some areas, mining keeps operating almost year round. Farms still require the services of bulldozer operators when clearing land and many developers use the winter period to clear and subdivide land ready for construction in the spring. In some areas, bulldozer operators are more in demand in winter than in spring or summer.

Completing a heavy equipment training program now makes sense if you’re interested in becoming a bulldozer operator. There is work around, much of it fairly basic, which is exactly what a new graduate needs to begin with. By starting with basic bulldozer jobs, you can gain the experience, and hours behind the controls, that many construction companies like to see before hiring bulldozer operators for more challenging roles. Contact ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools now for more information and start the new year with a new career on the way.

Part of any heavy equipment training program is learning how to communicate and that holds true for excavator training as well. A construction site is a hectic and generally very noisy environment. Operators often need to communicate with other members of their word team and simply yelling won’t cut it – no one will hear you.

Take the situation where an excavator is working to cut away a trench. As the excavator digs, the operator manipulates the bucket so that they can dump the load directly into the back of a dump truck. Easy you may think – and it is, if you know what you are doing and if the truck driver knows what you are doing.

The dump truck will need to reverse to the right position. When in position, the excavator operator signals the truck driver to stop using his horn. Likewise, once the truck is full, the excavator operator will again use his horn to tell the driver to leave. Does each press of the horn mean the same? Not always. There is generally a system in place where one, two or three presses of the horn button have different meanings. Likewise, a long press and a short press.

All heavy equipment operators learn to communicate. There are sounds using the horn and hand signals that may be used by those at ground level. These are all part of a work site’s safety regime that ensures that all operators can communicate where necessary despite all the noise around them.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can have you trained and ready to work as an excavator operator in as little as three weeks. Take the first step to becoming an excavator operator by contacting us for more information on your heavy equipment training options.

I could be glib and tell you to sign up for one of our heavy equipment training programs. Of course, becoming a bulldozer operator is not quite as easy as that. Mind you, it’s not all that difficult either. Let’s have a look at the steps required:

• Desire – you have to have a desire to work as a bulldozer operator. You’re here reading this so that is a start.
• Training – you will never get any job these days without some form of training. Completing a heavy equipment operator course only takes three weeks so the training commitment is not huge.
• Experience – experience has two components – in the cab and on the job. Your training provider should give you as much experience as possible inside the cab. On completion of your training you should look around to see what on the job experience you can get.
• Employment – once you have completed your training and gained some experience you can call yourself a bulldozer operator and gain employment wherever opportunities exist.

There are many employers around who will let you gain your experience whilst employed as full-fledged bulldozer operators. There are other operators who may take you on for a trial period allowing you to gain some experience in the type of work they do. If you are up to it they will then take you on permanently.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have a good reputation for producing well trained heavy equipment operators. We also have a job placement service to help you find that first job. Becoming a bulldozer operator is not that difficult – you just need the desire and to then sign up for one of our heavy equipment training courses.

Are there job opportunities for graduates following crane operator training? The answer is a big yes. The construction industry has been riding the crest of a wave in recent months and whilst in some areas it has slowed due to wintery conditions, come spring it will kick back in with renewed vigor.

It is a pretty good time to be considering a career in heavy equipment operations and this includes crane operations. The economy is slowly recovering from the downturn experienced over the last two years. The Federal government’s cash boosts to construction programs has been like a huge protein shot to a recovering athlete – you can’t keep them still.

There are road building programs planned all around the country along with new schools, hospitals and other basic infrastructure programs. This has led to a mini shortage of operators which can only be addressed by recruiting and training new blood to the profession. Job vacancies are there, it’s simply a matter of targeting the right employers.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can help you target the right employers through their job placement program. They have a huge database of potential employers and many of them are requiring operators. Because of the reputation that ATS has developed over the years, graduates often get a head start when applying for a position.

The work is there. The economy is set to boom again which will put further demand on crane operator requirements. If you are considering a career change, and heavy equipment operations is on your list, consider seriously a career as a crane operator. They are well paid and the job delivers a lot in the way of personal satisfaction. Contact us for further information related to crane operator training.

Do you know what skills employers are looking for in excavator operators. Just as importantly, do you know what skills your excavator training organization is going to teach you? It makes sense, when looking at training programs for excavator operators, to find out who delivers training that provides graduates with the skills that employers are looking for.

Is there a basic set of skills that employers are looking for? It seems I have all the questions – do I have all the answers? I sure do.

When it comes to core skills, there are four that every heavy equipment operator needs to possess. These are:

• Soil knowledge. Can you differentiate between different soil types? This is an important part of any heavy equipment operator’s working day. Different soils can often require different approaches. Sandy soils, for example, may need support to prevent the sides constantly filling a trench.
• Safety. I think it is fairly obvious that safety issues would be up amongst the most important skills required by an operator. It is not just knowledge of safety that is important – it is the ability to work putting in place safety practices.
• Site layouts. Understanding blueprints and how to access sites under construction is also important. You cannot just barge in and start work. Often you have to navigate in and around other areas of the site to get to your part of the job.
• Heavy equipment maintenance. Like safety, heavy equipment maintenance is an important issue. Every hour of down time is an hour of lost income for an employer. If they are working to a tight schedule, the employer may be forced to hire in a replacement machine. Preventative maintenance is key area of any operator’s job.

Of course, those four core skills form the basis for other skills. The fifth skill that I haven’t mentioned is machine specific and that of course relates to actually operating an excavator. Can you actually use an excavator or can you just tell me how to operate one? Naturally, being able to competently operate an excavator is the important skill.

If you don’t have all of these skills, don’t worry. At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools we have you trained and ready for the workforce in next to no time. Furthermore, you will have all the skills that employers are looking for.

There are times when sending employees to a crane operator training school is simply not an option. There are any number of reasons for this including distance and work requirements. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have a specialized crane operator division that provides training under these circumstances.

We can organize training for your employees either at one of our training schools, at your workplace, or out on a work site. The training we provide can be in accordance with national guidelines or adapted to suit your specific circumstances. You would be surprised at how easy it can be to accommodate both, which gives your employees the added bonus of being able to receive certification as crane operators. We are approved by the NCCCO as a test site for both the NCCCO written and NCCCO practical exams for fixed and swing cab crane operators.

Specialized crane operator training is particularly useful if you have specific machinery that your operators need to be trained on, or specialized tasks that your employees need training to complete. We have a dedicated team of trainers who can sit down and discuss your needs and then translate them to a specifically written training program. They are able to travel to remote locations to deliver both the training and necessary assessments.

If you are a business owner that requires specialized heavy equipment training, including specialized crane operator training, then give us a call at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools. We can sit down and discuss with you the training options available and the best way to deliver that training with the smallest possible impact on your business.