A lot of people who want a career in heavy equipment ask if they need to be trained or if on-the-job training (OJT) is available for heavy equipment operators. The short answer is, yes, heavy equipment operations training would be beneficial to your career. The longer answer is a bit more nuanced.

There are still some employers who offer OJT for heavy equipment operators, but not all of them. If your goal is to become a forklift operator, there are plenty of small companies that will train you and certify you on their premises. However, long-term, your career would benefit by attending a training school that is certified and that meets OSHA’s standards for training and certification.

When it comes to large heavy equipment like mobile cranes and backhoes, you are much better off seeking a career training school with a solid reputation.

Even among employers who train on-site, a lot of them use training schools like Associated Training Services to administer the training and certification programs. In that case, you are getting your training through your employer, but it’s not necessarily by your employer. That’s still a recommended path. Large heavy equipment and industrial employers come out ahead by training and certifying many new hires at once rather than paying travel expenses, housing, and training costs for each one.

In short, the best heavy equipment training schools will take individual students and perform on-site training and certification for large employers. Either way, your career is in good hands. Take OJT training from a small employer and you may end up having to boost your career with your own training anyway.

There are times when I get asked why I need heavy equipment operator training through a school and not just on-the-job. In reality, you can. However your training wont be complete, wont be recognized nationally and can harm future job prospects. Here is an example of how most of the job descriptions are written when vacancies arise.

DUTIES

• Transports and operates a variety of heavy equipment including, but not limited to tractor trailer unit, lowboy, bulldozer, grader, crane skip loader, tandem drive axle rigs, service trucks, and backhoe/loaders
• Operates a backhoe for excavating utility trenches, placing pipe and backfilling

QUALIFICATIONS
Ability to:

• Operate a variety of heavy equipment including tractor trailer unit, lowboy, bulldozer, grader, crane skip loader, tandem drive axle rigs, service trucks, and backhoe/loaders.
• Adjust and perform preventive maintenance and make minor repairs on the vehicles and auxiliary equipment.
• Operate equipment in compliance with District, State, and Federal Safety Codes.
• Learn to operate and maintain newly acquired heavy equipment.
• Understand the operation of heavy equipment and report any variance from proper operation.

EDUCATION

• Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade supplemented by specialized training in heavy equipment operation.

EXPERIENCE

• One year of experience operating heavy equipment.

KNOWLEDGE

• Operation and maintenance requirements of a variety of heavy equipment.
• Practices, methods, and materials used in construction and maintenance work.
• Traffic laws, ordinances, and rules involved in truck and heavy equipment operations.
• Principles and practices of routine and preventive maintenance of light and heavy equipment.
• The use of hand tools and safety gear.
• Occupational hazards and standard safety practices.

Don’t let all of that put you off. Heavy equipment training schools cover most of those topics at some stage in their training. On-the-job training can provide you with some experience on one piece of equipment, however that limits your future employment to that piece of equipment.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can provide you with training to get started in the heavy equipment industry. We can also help you get your first job so you can gain that 12 months experience that many employers, particularly government related, require.

To become a heavy equipment operator does not necessarily require formal training through a training school. You can often be trained on the job and many years ago almost all operators were. These days however, there are a number of other factors that need to be considered.

The first and most important is the safety legislation that cover heavy equipment. If you are not trained to recognize safety situations and an accident occurs, you or your employer (or both) could be held responsible and sued, perhaps even facing criminal charges.

Some heavy equipment, for example trucks, require licenses to operate them. Not having a license again could lead to big fines or even criminal charges.

Operating heavy equipment is no longer a simple matter of moving knobs and levers. You are expected to know which attachements to use and how to fit them, how to do basic maintenance, and how to operate the new electronic devices such as GPS that comes with modern equipment.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can deliver the most up-to-date training available so you are ready to jump into the operators seat and start you career knowing you are fully trained and capable of doing the job.