Most people go into heavy equipment operator training programs with a set agenda. They may want to become bulldozer operators, or perhaps excavator operators. Some want to learn a range of equipment to make themselves more employable. For most people, life after training follows that agenda. There are, however, many other types of equipment in use, and the pathway to operating this equipment is often through the basic heavy equipment machinery.

So what equipment could you aspire to operate? This depends on the industry you want to enter. In road construction, there are wheeled rollers, heavy rollers and asphalt-laying machinery. In forestry, you could be operating specialist equipment that is used to handle fallen trees. There is a wide range of specialist equipment used in the mining industry, and even there you have a choice between above ground (open cut) and below ground mining. Other industries that make use of specialist equipment include ports (dockyards), general construction, and some manufacturing industries.

There is little in the way of specialist training for these fields, with employers often taking well-trained and experienced heavy equipment operators and providing on-the-job training on the machinery they use. In road construction, for example, it’s not unusual to start as a bulldozer operator or grader operator and to then progress onto other machinery within the company.

The path to this specialized equipment starts with quality heavy equipment operator training that is then backed up with experience in the workplace. In today’s workplace, one leads to another with employers preferring to hire new operators who have graduated from highly respected training schools. Heavy equipment operator training can open doors to more specialized equipment for those who are looking for something different.

There are many workplaces that have special requirements when it comes to employees and the equipment they use. Cranes and crane operator training is one very good example. There are many industries that use cranes in non-standard ways or in situations that are non-standard.

A good example of the use of a crane in a non-standard situation would be a crane on a boat or barge or a crane mounted on a train car. Whilst the operation of the crane itself is quite standard, the effects of the environment, in this case the rise and fall of the water, or the safety aspects of a train car, create work problems of their own.

Employers often find that the best way to recruit crane operators in these cases is to take on individuals who have good working knowledge of cranes, and then to provide them with specialist training, testing and certification. Specialist crane operator training centers around the task at the hand. A training program is developed along with testing to suit the long term aims of the employer.

If the training and testing meets certification guidelines then that process can be followed and a certificate issued. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools have specialist crane operator trainers who can come out to your workplace to deliver training. Specialist training can also be undertaken in one of our classrooms. Our aim is to ensure you have the right people trained to perform tasks that often unique to your business.

What do dump trucks, bulldozers and beaches have to do with each other? Every year our coastline is ravaged by storms. Some areas are hit harder than others resulting in tons of beach sand being washed out to sea. Our beaches are popular recreation areas and with no sand, these beaches looks fairly uninviting to say the least. Add to this the fact that many communities rely on the summer beach trade for their survival, you will understand why we do everything possible to prevent these occurrences, and when they do happen, we get in and fix them.

How do we fix them? There is only one way. Fleets of dump trucks ferry in tons of sand and the bulldozers get to work spreading that sand over the area that has been stripped. It can be an incredible site. One day there is wonderful playground – the sand, the sun and the surf. Along comes a storm and all you are left with is a barren strip of coastline that is rocky and totally unusable. Bring in the dump trucks and bulldozers, and before the weekend arrives, the beach is back to its glorious self.

There is a lot of job satisfaction in not only seeing the beach restored, but being able to once again use it. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen that frequently to the one beach. However, every year there is a beach somewhere that needs some form of restoration.

This is just one example of the type of work that dump trucks and bulldozers undertake. There is no special dump truck driver training required – it fits within the scope of normal everyday work. The same is true of the bulldozer operators – they don’t require any special bulldozer operator training – it fits within the normal duties of a bulldozer operator.

You may not need specialist training, but when it comes to a tired old empty beach that has been stripped of her glory, dump trucks and bulldozers certainly know how to give her a fresh new face! You can guarantee there are thousands of families that are glad she is wearing a new face.

There are times when companies find it necessary to employ crane operators in remote locations. This could be in the field of logging, mining or specialist constructions like road or dam building. There are other companies that have specialized positions involving crane operation in non-standard conditions. In these situations, specialist crane operator training is required, often on site rather than at a training school.

The facilitate these situations, ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools offer specialized crane operator training for employers. This training can take place at an ATS training location or at the employer’s location. If the training fulfills the requirements of the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) for certification then testing certifying is also available.

ATS also have crane operation instructors who are able to travel to remote locations for crane training, testing, and certification where appropriate. These specialized crane training programs can be customized to meet the employer’s time and cost requirements.

Being able to deliver training that is customized to a company’s need is important in today’s busy world. Customized training means that as an employer, you know your crane operators are skilled to perform all the task required within your organization. This is particularly important if you have work-specific cranes built to fulfill a dedicated role.

If you require more information on specialist crane operator training then contact one of our training schools or 1.800.678.8120 and we will be happy to discuss your training requirements, either on your site or at one of our training facilities.