Road graders have long been a bastion of male dominance. While women have found their way into truck driving and bulldozer operations, they haven’t shown much interest in graders. That, however, seems to be changing quite quickly. In fact, women are looking at all forms of heavy equipment now and the technical challenge of graders is becoming appealing.

Are employers ready to take on female grader operators? It appears so. Of course, equal opportunity is playing a big role, but skills are still the determining factor. These days it doesn’t matter who you are or what your background is, if you can demonstrate the skills required then you have an equal chance of landing that job. Modern machinery is one of the biggest factors in helping nontraditional workers enter the heavy equipment field.

Today’s heavy equipment relies less on the strength of the operator and more on their ability to coordinate their feet and hands. Power steering, for example, has made the operation of this equipment fingertip easy. Controls on many units of heavy equipment are similar to joysticks found with computer gaming machines – just a little heavier and more intuitive.

A sure sign that industry is more accepting of women in their ranks is to look at some of the heavy equipment training schools. In the past, you may have found one or two women attending these schools each year. Now you can often find one or two attending each time a course is conducted. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools doesn’t discriminate in any fashion. If you have what it takes to become a grader operator, or any other unit of heavy equipment, then we are there ready to train you and to help you gain a start in your new career.

While operating a grader is not quite child’s play, it’s certainly achievable for most adults no matter what gender or background. If you want to find out more about heavy equipment careers, contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss your training options.

Self employment is a popular path for many people involved in the heavy equipment industry and the machinery of choice are backhoes. There is a good reason for this, of course. Backhoes are versatile and can be used in a wide range of earth moving jobs. If an operator can acquire a backhoe and a set of attachments at a reasonable price, there is plenty of work available.

The downside to self employment is that backhoe operators need to become business savvy. Operators need to advertise their services, be savvy enough to know how long a job will take, how much they should charge and what sort of competition there is in their area. They also need to be aware of what sort of reputation, prices and availability that competition enjoys. For example, an operator with a good reputation may be able to charge more since their equipment is heavily booked. On the other hand, you may have a good reputation and be heavily booked so you can afford to set your prices a little higher than the competition. This is where business sense comes into play.

Like all careers, there is a starting point and for backhoes that entails training, experience and acquiring the funds to purchase your equipment. You will never gain any tangible experience unless you undertake a recognized training program. Employers are not going to risk their reputation, or their equipment, on graduates who don’t come from a recognized training program.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are well recognized within the industry for providing well trained and ready to work heavy equipment graduates. Graduates from ATS find little difficulty in finding secure employment if they display the right attitudes during their training and through their job seeking processes.

It takes time. In fact, it may well take several years before you are ready to become a self employed backhoe operator. The opportunities are there for those that are willing to learn everything there is to know about operating backhoes and the associated attachments. Just remember, if you want to become self employed as a backhoe operator, it all starts with a recognized heavy equipment training program – from there, the sky’s the limit.

Loaders are not all the same although in most cases, the operating principles are the same. All loaders perform similar actions – they have a scoop style bucket at the front and it is used to scoop up material, move it to another location, and dump it. A loader can also be used like a bulldozer to spread material like dirt, sand or gravel over an area. That concept remains the same with most loaders with the exception of some of the smaller loaders that can have various attachments added to do other types of work.

It can be disconcerting for a loader operator that is used to operating a larger wheeled loader to suddenly find themselves in the seat of a small skid steer loader, for example. Rather than the bucket arms being placed at the side and forward of the operator, now they are placed behind and over the operator. The steering is also different with skid steer loaders relying on tracks which are independently controlled using foot pedals.

Training on a variety of equipment like loaders, bulldozers and backhoes can help to familiarize operators on these different types of controls. Of course, that training needs to be hands on in-the-cab training, not just a walk around and a demonstration by a trainer. When looking for a training program involving heavy equipment, ask the training organization what equipment they have and which equipment will you be receiving hands on experience with. Don’t assume that all heavy equipment training programs are the same.

Don’t forget to include ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools on your list of possible training school options. We provide training across a range of heavy equipment including loaders, bulldozers, graders and backhoes. If you’re interested in a heavy equipment career, talk to us about where your closest school is and what equipment they have available at that location.

Step into the cab of a modern grader and you will wonder if it is a piece of heavy equipment, or a well designed office. Compare modern graders from those of twenty years ago. The outside working components have only changed marginally. But in the cab – let’s just say that twenty years ago most graders didn’t have cabs; all they had were roll bars.

The modern cab on a grader has wrap-around windows and air conditioning. It’s no longer a hot (or cold) and dusty (or muddy) job. When I say air conditioning, I mean climate control – the full system with dust exclusion filters and all. Add to this two-way radios for communication, CD players for entertainment and you start to get the picture – and you haven’t even started the motor yet.

Operating has now been simplified with some manufacturers moving from levers to joy-stick type controls. Add to this computer-aided settings for the blades, often connected to a GPS system, and suddenly the grader is a huge machine capable of completing jobs to finest measurements. It really is amazing how much change has gone into a machine as complex as a grader.

Despite all these changes, the operations of a grader are still pretty much the same. A blade is set to a specific height and angle and the grader then carves the surface to a finish dictated by engineers and plans. Learning to operate a grader can be undertaken in as little as three weeks with operators then ready to enter the work force. Interested in grader operator training? Contact ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools for more information.

In an age where everyone is becoming environmentally conscious, moves are afoot to reclaim land and return it to its former natural glory. While bulldozers may have been a part of the original stripping of the land, they are now an integral part of the teams trying to re-vegetate these areas. Little has changed for the bulldozer. They still go in and strip the land bare again – only this time, rather than farming, building or open spaces, that stripped land is being planted out with vegetation that is native to that area.

I say little has changed for the bulldozer and to a point that is correct. However, for a re-vegetation program to be effective, all of the old unwanted vegetation has to be removed – roots and all. The area often needs working several times to ensure that no viable seeds remain that will contaminate the natural vegetation. Bulldozer operators are also required to sculpt the land so that it can become a natural area again.

Heavy equipment in general is now playing a huge role in environmental issues. In fact, new heavy equipment coming in to the marketplace are themselves environmentally friendly. They comply with low emissions and some of this equipment is also running on alternative fuels, bulldozers included.

If you want to be a part of the new greening movement, yet have a hankering to operate heavy equipment like bulldozers, the two are no longer incompatible. In fact, as we move forward into the future the two will become closely allied. You can do both – you just need to undertake the best heavy equipment training around and to then find the right employers.

If I was asked which careers offered the best long term opportunities I would have to point to the transport sector. No matter how tough times are, we still eat and we still consume and that requires transport. The alternative is that we all learn to grow our own food – and, realistically, most people wouldn’t know where to start so we have farmers do it for us. With transport comes the second requirement – road and rail. So where do dump trucks come in?

Although roads are one of the mainstays of the transport system, when times are really tough, new construction slows a little. Instead, we repair what’s already in place. If you take the time to watch repair crews, they always consist of one or more dump trucks, even if it’s just to carry the mix used to repair roads. In fact, if you look around you, dump trucks always seem to be on our roads either carting material away or bringing in materials.

Dump truck training is a little more specialized than just truck driver training. Reversing a large dump truck can be difficult, especially if you have a pit or pit face that you have to tip your load over. A foot too far and the whole truck’s in the pit – a foot too far away and you’re dumping the load on the edge and not over the edge. Dump truck drivers also have to learn the art of slowly dumping material while driving – this helps to spread the load rather than dumping it all in the one spot and relying on another vehicle to do the spreading.

If you’re after a career that is always in demand, consider a career as a dump truck driver. You will always be busy – and the pay checks are not too bad either.

We live in a world where there seems to be an ever increasing rate of government interference in the work place. While taxes and the like often make the news, other areas such as workplace safety rarely do until there is an accident – then it’s front page. Work sites that go 200-300 days without an incident are rarely reported – yet that is often the norm. Government regulations now have fairly explicit safety requirements – and one of these requirements involves training.

Heavy equipment safety training covers a broad range of workplace activities. Training generally includes safety inspections of the equipment prior to use; awareness of others and property around the area to be worked in; awareness of objects such as power lines; and safe working procedures. Personal areas looked at may include drug and alcohol use and workplaces and working attitudes. Gone are the days when wild mavericks could roar into a work site, almost shoulder everyone aside as they completed their work, then roar out again. Working as a team is now an important issue as is working to plans – accurately.

If you are considering a career as a heavy equipment operator, be sure your training includes, at the very least, the basic requirements for workplace safety. Employers don’t really want to employ an individual if the employment process includes having to train the new recruit in safety procedures. Employers now expect a certain level of knowledge before engaging heavy equipment operators. Are you work safe?

Bulldozer training – you can actually find bulldozer training facilities all over the place. Some training schools are better than others, but then that’s true of every industry across the nation. If you are looking to enter the heavy equipment industry there are several things to beware of.

Mavericks – check the credentials of anyone who offers to provide training on heavy equipment like bulldozers. Because of the popularity of the industry at present, operators and former operators often sell themselves as heavy equipment trainers. They can be expensive, especially if you have to hire the equipment to undertake training. Good training operators have their own range of equipment and properly set up training schools – not some out of the way empty paddock.

Bad Habits – poorly trained individuals often pick up bad habits from their trainers. Employers will soon spot those bad habits and, if short cuts and safety become issues, soon show you the door. Your training should be setting good habits from day one.

False Paperwork – it’s nothing short of fraud, but by the time you find out they have gone (and so has your money). Again, it comes back to checking on the credentials of your training school.

The easy solution is to find a heavy equipment training provider that has been around for a long time. They are recognized within the industry, have a proven track record that can easily be verified (just talk to potential employers), and provide you with recognized paper work at the conclusion of your training. Heavy equipment training is not ‘cheap’ – if it is there is something wrong with the training. There is a strong demand for bulldozer operators at present – be sure your training is delivered by a training school that will help you into the workplace, not one that will teach you bad habits and keep you out of the industry.

One of the things you will notice about graders is that they tend to work on their own. This can be a little misleading because graders are really just one part of a large team – a very integral part of that team. Road making, for example, is done in stages with different heavy equipment handling each stage. A grader cannot commence until a bulldozer has finished its work; likewise, the hot-mix machines cannot commence until the grader has completed its work.

As part of a team, you will often see that roads are built in sections. A bulldozer will work on section one and, once completed, move onto section two. In the meantime, the grader sets to work on section one. When completed, it too moves on to section two. In a well oiled and efficient team, each piece of equipment finishes its job just in time for the next unit to come. They are all working as a team and before you know it, a new highway has been constructed.

Heavy equipment training at ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools offers students experience on a range of equipment. This is useful knowledge going into a work place since operators know what each unit of equipment is capable of. It all helps a team knit together over time – a factor you can see in a well oiled team that seems to complete jobs on time and with few problems.

If you enjoy working as both an individual and a team player then working as a heavy equipment operator could be an option. A grader is only one of the many options available, yet it can be one of the most challenging and exacting options in the heavy equipment range. Interested? Then contact us for more information on training dates and for the closest ATS school to you.

Excavators are used in a wide variety of industries and the job prospects for each industry is varied. Although the majority of operators tend to work in construction, there are other industries that also rely on competent operators. Some of the industries and their prospects include:

• Government – government, particularly local government can be reliable employers. The demand for heavy equipment operators can be in season. Prospects are still strong in this sector.
• Highway and Heavy Construction – prospects remain strong in this area.
• Mining – prospects fluctuate and although mining is a year round activity, vacancies can be seasonal.
• Logging – prospects are fairly weak in this industry. Excavators are not widely used and the competition for the few vacancies can be strong.
• Quarries – this is another industry where vacancies are few and competition strong.
• Water Management – vacancies in water management are moderate, however, employers in this sector tend to target operators with a lot of experience.

When you first look at that sort of scenario, you may feel that working as an excavator operator could be risky. However, it should be remembered that the two biggest users of excavator operators are the construction (including roads, bridges and highways) and government where almost 80% of all operators work. The mining industry uses excavator operators although they are often upskilled to more powerful and larger machinery.

Generally speaking, if you are looking at a career as a heavy equipment operator and the role of an excavator operator appeals, look to the general construction field first. Most other sectors demand operators with two or more years experience across a range of activities. Sectors like the logging industry also want operators that are highly proficient in the use of excavator attachments. It’s an interesting career working as an excavator operator, and one that can be well paid as well. Heavy equipment training is the key to opening the door to this career.