Some of the best paid heavy equipment operators are those that work in the mining industry. One reason is the sheer isolation of many of these workplaces and, of course, for many there is the inherent danger that comes with mine work. While the equipment used in mines is often huge in comparison to those used on a construction site, often the operational principles are still the same.

The giant excavators used in open cut mines, often referred to as shovels, are still just a giant excavator. The basic operations are still the same, just on a much larger scale. The same could be said for the dump trucks – on some of the big units, one wheel is the same size as a small regular dump truck. Again, the basic operations are very similar.

Because mines use similar equipment, learning to operate regular construction size vehicles can still open doors to work in the mining industry. What is important is the initial training provided, and the experience an operator can gain in the workplace. Once you have had a reasonable amount of experience, you could find that many of the mines are willing to employ you.

Training is the key to any job – more so when it comes to heavy equipment. Employers are expecting you to be productive from day one – they don’t have time to teach what is required on the job. The general assumption is, since you have completed your training, you’re ready to go to work – not enter into more training.

At ATS, we believe in a similar principle. Having the skills and knowledge that makes you immediately employable is our main goal. Safety is also included and since it is set to national standards, the employer knows you are already compliant with safety standards knowledge. As for the mines, do your heavy equipment training, gain a little experience in the workplace, then start applying to those mining companies – you never know until you try.

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.

Becoming a skilled bulldozer operator is a career within itself. For the more adventurous, there is a lot on offer beyond the construction and road building industries. It all starts with heavy equipment operator training. Once you have the basic set of core skills, you can find employment. This gives you the opportunity to hone those skills and become a highly skilled operator. From there, the world is your oyster, as the saying goes.

As I mentioned, careers exist for skilled bulldozer operators outside simple construction and road building. A military career is one option – bulldozer operator recruits are often in high demand in the military and after basic training, you could find yourself anywhere in the world operating bulldozers.

The mining industry is possibly the third largest employer of skilled bulldozer operators. In some areas around the world, bulldozers are used under ground as well as on top of the ground. Bulldozer operators are also ideal for training for some of the more specialized equipment used in mining. Bulldozer operators are also employed for 8-9 month contracts on bases on Antarctica. Don’t get your hopes too high, these positions are few and far between and very competitive – but then, you never know what the future holds.

Other industries that use bulldozer operators include forestry, farming and some manufacturing sectors. There are also opportunities in other areas of the world, particularly third world countries. International operators are often called in to help with special projects whilst helping to train local operators.

The role of a bulldozer operator is not restricted to just local construction and road building. There is a broad range of opportunities for skilled operators – you just need a little research to uncover some of the opportunities. It all starts with your bulldozer operator training and as the nation’s oldest heavy equipment training organization, ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools is there to get you started. Are you ready to start?

Take on training to become an excavator operator and you have the potential to get into the control cab of one of the best machines around. Heavy equipment that is used in mining and construction come in many different configurations but nothing that beats the brute power of a giant excavator.

Most of the excavators you see working on building sites, on the side of the road excavating channels, or scarping a new road bed range in size of 5-60 tons. Their buckets can carry as much as a ton or two and their digging power is immense.

Take that image and multiply it a little – alright – multiply it a lot. Imagine a machine that weighs around 800 tons and the amount of material collected in a bucket is around the 75 ton mark. In fact, with those statistics, imagine a beast with a bucket and the strength to lift two or more of its little brothers.

Most excavator operators only get to dream of operating a huge monster like that. They do exist, though, predominantly in the mining industry, but also on some construction sites where excavating large holes is called for. A good example is where they include a multi-level underground car park. The excavator’s job is to dig that hole and it needs to be dug exactly to specifications.

One of the benefits of excavator operator training is that you are taught to operate a wide variety of machines. Once you have completed your training you can then go on to specialize on a particular type of machine ranging from backhoe to bulldozer and on to an excavator. Get a few years experience on an excavator and you can try to find your way through to one of those giants. Can you imagine the power that sits in that engine room? Many of those giants have not one, but two large diesel powered engines, each delivering as much as 2000HP – now that is what I call a monster machine.

The mining industry would not survive today if were not for the heavy equipment used. The world’s appetite for raw materials is such that no amount of human power could ever hope to satisfy it.

There are several different types of heavy equipment in use, particularly in open cut or surface mining. There are those that dig and gouge away at the material being mined, and there are those that push the mined material around. A third group are involved in the transportation of the mined materials.

Excavators do a lot of the actual digging. Some mines sites use explosives to loosen the material then bring in huge shovels that effectively take big bites of the loose material and dump it into equally large dump trucks.

Large bulldozers are used either to scrape up the loose material and work in conjunction with shovels. The bulldozer forms a large pile that shovel can then scoop up. Bulldozers are also used to rehabilitate areas once the raw materials have been mined out.

The trucks used to carry the material to a loading site are massive. Their wheels are the two or three times the height of a man, require large specifically built fork lifts to get the wheels on and off and use tires that can cost up $50,000 each – forget all four – that’s each.

The one thing these heavy equipment operators have in common is the basic training required before they can commence work. Training organizations such as ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can prepare you for a career in the mining industry. Inquire now for details on a course starting near you.