Who doesn’t want to increase their income and make more money? It’s the American dream in action on the job site. You apply for a job, get hired, and negotiate your salary. In time, you should see your income go up. But there’s more than one way to skin that cat.

Here are 4 ways to ensure your income from operating heavy equipment goes up, not down:

1. Get promoted – The most obvious way to see your income go up as a heavy equipment operator is to get a promotion. Once you enter management, you’ll get a substantial raise and likely an increase in benefits, too. Get promoted into a supervisory role as soon as you can.
2. Establish seniority – Another way to ensure your income goes up is to stay employed with the same employer for a while. Longevity produces cost-of-living income increases. Plus, many employers reward excellent employees with pay raises, safety bonuses, and other monetary perks.
3. Multiple certifications – You can increase your income just by obtaining additional certifications. Get your CDL, mobile crane operators certification, or riggers certification and you’ll instantly be in more demand. You can then ask for more money for your skills.
4. Freelance – You’ll make a lot more money if you work for yourself. If you can afford to buy your own equipment, you can hire yourself as a freelance heavy equipment operator. This is the best way to earn top dollar, but you will be responsible for your own insurance, marketing, and ongoing training.

What ways can you think of to increase your income as a heavy equipment operator?

If you’ve been working as a heavy equipment operator and are looking for ways to increase your income, have I some ideas for you. The surest way to increase your income is to specialize in a particular skill. Here are 5 particular heavy equipment skills you can specialize in to increase your work income.

1. Mobile crane – Become a mobile crane operator and you’ll immediately be in demand. That’s because this special skill requires additional education. Get the training to become a mobile crane operator and you’ll see your pay increase.
2. Rigging – Riggers are highly sought after on the construction site. Their job is to ensure safety and to come up with the best ways to lift heavy loads. Riggers can specialize in a particular type of equipment or loads, or they can work in construction at the general level. The higher your specialization the more likely you are in demand for the big bucks.
3. Truck Driving – Truck drivers are highly paid on the construction site, as well. That’s because it’s a special skill with a special license requirement.
4. Get a CDL – Just by holding a commercial drivers license, you make yourself more employable and can demand a higher salary. It’s good that you know how to drive a dump truck. It’s better if you have a CDL to prove it.
5. Become A Certified Signalperson – OSHA has very strict requirements for signalpersons. If you can get your certification, you’ll demand higher pay right off the bat.

There is no substitute for skills and certification. Whether you seek a license or certification, if you specialize in a heavy equipment skill, then you’ll demand higher pay.

There are heavy equipment training centers scattered throughout the country and whilst they may not be ‘at your back door’, there is always going to be one fairly close to you. Besides, who wants noisy heavy equipment operating all day at their backdoor?

Associated Training Services (ATS) has training centers in a variety of locations offering a wide range of training. Whether it is truck driver training, grader training or training across the types of heavy equipment used in mining and construction, you are likely to find a training center to suit.

Training with ATS can be facilitated with assistance in finding temporary accommodation close to a training center if your residence is too far for the daily commute. Add to this the assistance to find payment terms to suit your situation; time, money and distance can all be removed as barriers to commencing training.

Training centers located in:

• Sun Prairie, WI
• Columbus, OH
• Brentwood, NH
• Rapidan, VA
• Pelzer, SC
• Lecanto, FL
• Wills Point, TX
• Watkins, CO
• Victorville, CA, and
• Eldorado Hills, CA

As you can see, Associated Training Services have the national covered in both length and breadth and while there may not be a center in your state, you most likely have one just across the border.

The quality of our training is second to none so to find a training center close to your location, contact us on 1-800-383-7364 or via our contact page on our training site. Heavy equipment training is a lot closer than you think so there is no excuse for not considering a new career as a heavy equipment operator.