Truck drivers transport almost three-fourths of the country’s freight, and 80 percent of communities depend on trucks to deliver their essentials, including medicine, food, and building supplies.

The trucking industry has faced a driver shortage for more than a decade. That shortage of drivers has a major impact on the economy. According to the American Trucking Association (ATA), the trucking industry needs to add 1.1 million truckers within the next 10 years.

Because there will always be a need for services and products, there will always be a need for truck drivers. While there are many positions for over-the-road drivers, which can be gone for several days or even weeks at a time, however, there are driving opportunities that ensure weekends at home, or for the driver to be home every night.

The ATA estimates that the U.S. is currently short about 100,000 truck drivers. The average salary for a trucker falls between $45,900 and $59,190, which is a comfortable income. Usually, trucking companies offer full benefits packages, which include health insurance and other optional coverage, such as life insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, and so forth.

Diesel Truck Driver Training School was founded in 1959 near Madison, Wisconsin. Diesel Truck Driver Training School is associated with ATS since 1996, the values remained the same, and additional training programs were added.

If you would like to learn more about a truck driving career, call ATS. Financial aid is available for the school.

Now that Memorial Day is over, let’s have a frank talk about holidays and truck driving. If you think that you’ll be one of those rare truck drivers who are always home on every holiday, then you might rethink your plans to acquire truck driver training. Heavy equipment operators are another story.

Typically, heavy equipment operators work on a job site that is owned by a private company, public corporation, or government entity. Many of them get holidays off, but there is no guarantee. A truck driver, on the other hand, is more likely to work holidays for one simple reason – they deliver the goods that serve as the backbone of modern society.

Truck drivers transport everything from basic toiletries to lumber and automobiles. Anything that is sold in a store has to be transported from the manufacturer to the retail outlet where consumers purchase it. Also, raw materials are often transported by truck drivers so that manufacturers can build the products they sell over the retail counter. All of this means that holidays like Christmas and Easter are especially busy times for truck drivers. But other holidays might be busy times, as well.

If you deliver hardware and tools, for instance, you might be busier around Father’s Day than most other times of the year. If you deliver flowers and fabric, you might be busier around Mother’s Day. Deliver turkeys? Thanksgiving will likely be a peak season. If you deliver produce, you’ll be busy all year.

That’s not to say that you’ll be delivering ON Christmas Day. You may be on the road up to Christmas Day. Many retail stores will receive a new product on the morning of Christmas Eve, and if that is the case, you’ll likely be there with your truck. But if you are thousands of miles from home, you’ll be traveling on Christmas Day to get back to your family.

Most truck drivers understand this when they enter the profession. You have to be flexible if you want to make the big bucks as a truck driver.

When professionals in other industries have trouble finding work, heavy equipment workers and truck drivers can go online, search the Total Resources Network jobs database, and have plenty of options. This week, there aren’t many jobs listed, but the ones that are listed should have Class-A CDL truck drivers standing in line and waiting. Or picking up the phone to make an appointment with the hiring manager.

All four truck driving opportunities this week are from the state of Wisconsin, but that doesn’t mean all opportunities in other states have dried up. Stay tuned. You never know what you’ll see this time next week.

• GREEN BAY, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• MADISON, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• TOMAH, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• EVANSVILLE, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.

How to Ensure You Land a Truck Driving Job

There’s no guarantee that if you apply for a job, you’ll get it. Other people are likely applying for that job too. But you’ll increase your chances of being hired for any job if you take a few steps to increase your own likelihood of success. Here are some ways you can do that:

• Attend a truck driver training course
• Learn some interviewing skills
• Prepare a resume
• Practice your presentation
• Scour the jobs database for the latest jobs openings
• Dress for success
• Be diligent and arrive at your interview on time
• Keep a good attitude

Looking for work is hard, but going without work for a long period of time is harder. Keep your head up, keep searching for the best opportunities, and prove you really want to work. Learn to drive first, then show that you want to drive.

Now’s a good time to be a heavy equipment operator or a truck driver in the United States and Canada because the Baby Boomer generation is retiring and leaving open their jobs. Plus, if you are a veteran of the armed forces, you get special perks not available to everyone else.

All students of the Associated Training Services Heavy Equipment School, however, have access to our jobs database. Here are a few of the gems you’ll find there.

• PARKER, CO Hiring heavy equipment operators.
• DODGEVILLE, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• WAUKESHA, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• ROCKSBORO, NC Hiring mobile crane operators.
• MANITOWOC, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• WEST PALM BEACH, FL Hiring mobile crane operators.
• ST PAUL, MN Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• MOUNT CARMEL, IL Hiring mobile crane operators.
• ST JOSEPH, MN Hiring heavy equipment operators.
• LEANDER, TX Hiring mobile crane operators.
• MACOMB, IL Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• NEENAH, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• COLDWATER, MI Hiring heavy equipment operators.
• SPARTA, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• MADISON, WI Hiring mobile crane operators.
• LA CROSSE, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• MILWAUKEE, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.
• WINDSOR, WI Hiring Class-A CDL truck drivers.

Just remember, no matter where you live, there are truck driving and heavy equipment operator jobs nearby. So get your training and certifications done now, then you can enter the new year with a bang.

If there is one thing there isn’t in the heavy equipment world, it’s a shortage of jobs. In fact, baby boomers are retiring faster than young truck drivers can apply for jobs. You know what means? Driver shortage.

That’s just in truck driving. There are all sorts of heavy equipment jobs, as well. Here are a few to think about this week:

• AMHERST, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• ASHLAND, WI. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators with CDL
• BURNSVILLE, MN. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators
• BECKLEY, WV. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators
• CAMBRIDGE, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• REEDSBURG, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• BISMARK, ND. Hiring Mobile Crane Operators
• ARLINGTON, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• BEAVER DAM, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• MADISON, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• ANNANDALE, MN. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators
• ASBURY PARK, NJ. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators
• MINNEAPOLIS, MN. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators
• SOUTHAMPTON, NJ. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators
• BEAVER DAM, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• CHARLOTTE, NC. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators
• MARSHFIELD, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• NEENAH, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• DE PERE, WI. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators
• DALLAS, TX. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators
• IRVING, TX. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators with CDL
• ANN ARBOR, MI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• ADAMS, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• GREENLAND, NH. Hiring Mobile Crane Operators
• TOMAH, WI. Hiring CLASS-A CDL Truck Drivers
• EAGLE RIVER, WI. Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators

In ODESSA, TX, Saulsbury Industries recently hired ATS grad C.P. as a crane operator. If you thought heavy equipment training couldn’t lead to a job, think again. It’s happening every day.

Scenes on the news of a crane that was damaged by the high winds in New York this week are a timely warning to all heavy equipment operators. Weather is an important factor when operating heavy equipment, cranes, and even when driving large trucks. Strong winds can be a problem, however, what really causes damage is when that strong wind gusts. You may feel that operating a vehicle in 30 mph winds is okay – and it may be, however, wind can often gust to twice it’s speed, so that 30 mph suddenly becomes 60 mph, or more. The real damage being caused because it is unexpected.

It’s not just wind, rain and snow can also cause real problems. It may be quite safe to drive a bulldozer into a paddock to clear away trees and debris, however, a sudden downpour of rain could make a bulldozer’s escape a little difficult, perhaps even impossible, until the water has dispersed.

When thinking about heavy equipment safety, it’s easy to forget about weather, more so if you have had months (or years) of reasonable weather. The storms currently crossing our east coast are once every ten or twenty year storms – the kind of storms that most operators rarely get to see. This week’s storm is so severe it’s plain commonsense not to operate your equipment unless it’s an emergency. It’s the smaller storms that are a worry, the kind of storm where a heavy equipment operator may be tempted to risk it. You really need to ask yourself – is the risk worth it?

As heavy equipment operators, you have a responsibility to operate your equipment in a safe manner. It is your responsibility to ensure that people and objects are safe, that your equipment is safe, and ultimately, that you yourself are safe. If there is a risk to any of those areas, you shouldn’t be operating your equipment. Heavy equipment training can cover a lot of safety issues, however, it’s your job to assess the environment at the time.

As Spring and Summer approach, construction work in many states starts to kick up a notch or two. Many companies are now assessing their labor requirements for this increase in activity, and that invariably means new opportunities for trained heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and crane operators. It’s an interesting phenomena in this industry – job vacancies come in waves. This week the focus is on crane operators and truck drivers. Who knows that we’ll see next week -you’ll need to come back and see what jobs are listed then. In the meantime, if you need to add more skills to your repertoire, check out the latest training programs for heavy equipment operators, truck drivers and crane operators.

Boom Truck Operator
Fitchburg, WI
Employer is looking for boom truck operators.

Crane Operators
Williston, ND
Hiring crane operators now, MUST have CDL-A.

Excavator Operators
Bloomingdale, OH
Job vacancies for suitably trained Excavator operators.

Truck Drivers
Sun Prarie, WI
SWIFT is hiring drivers at Diesel Driving School in Sun Prairie, WI.

Truck Drivers
Madison, WI
Hiring local drivers, home every night and good benefits.

Heavy Equipment Operators
Various locations
Spring hiring for heavy equipment operators in southern and western states.

Crop Dusters
Various locations
Spring hiring for crop dusters in southern and western states.

You can find more information on these and other job listings at our dedicated job site. There are no fees to pay, and you never know, your next great job could be there waiting for you.

This week’s jobs listing is an interesting mix of heavy equipment and truck driving with jobs related to civil works, state parks amongst others. Once again the requirement that many employers are looking for is the ability to operate a wide range of equipment and trucks. Employers are also looking for individuals who are prepared to get out of their equipment and join in with any general laboring duties when required. The bottom line, employers want versatility from their workers. If you need to add skills, consider a short heavy equipment training course. You can broaden the range of equipment you can operate in just a few weeks.

Heavy equipment Low-Boy Driver – Rochester, NY
Electric transmission right-of-way clearing, Commercial, D.O.T, Utility, Gas Pipeline, Clearing, Civil Work, Storm Response and Municipal Contracting and Vegetation Recycling.

Laborer with Heavy Equipment Experience – Cogan Station, PA
Heavy equipment operators needed for company specializing in mobile crushing operations. Required to operate heavy equipment and perform laborer duties as required. This is a year round operation that requires travel Monday thru Friday.

State Park Equipment Operator – Weott, CA
The incumbent will work throughout the district performing a full range of duties in the transportation and operation of all types of heavy equipment. This position transports and operates heavy equipment including but not limited to, backhoes, graders, excavators, tractors, patch trucks, water trucks,

Equipment Operator II – Alexandria, VA
An Equipment Operator II operates one or more types of heavy automotive equipment. This employee exercises considerable skill in manipulating heavy motor equipment while paying constant attention to safety of operation in order to prevent accidents.

Heavy Equipment Operator – Temple, TX
Federal contractor with multi-state construction operations is seeking a highly motivated and skilled heavy equipment operator. This position will operate a variety of contractor construction equipment. The equipment is of various sizes and weights in loading, hauling and unloading of equipment, materials and supplies.

Heavy Equipment Operator – Church Hill, TN
The purpose of the job is to operate heavy equipment safely, productively and efficiently. This job could require pushing, compacting, grading, loading or hauling waste or dirt and could require working alone or teaming with other heavy equipment. This job could also require operating around customer trucks and customers at the working area.

UPS DRIVERS WANTED!
Did you know @UPSjobs Driver picks up Driver Helper near where he/she lives? No driving required.

If you require more information on these jobs, or to keep up-to-date with the latest job vacancies, visit our dedicated job site. Jobs are posted regularly by employers – a tip, read the job requirements carefully, employers are often looking for more than one operator or driver, so check for hints such as plurals, for example, ‘drivers wanted’, generally means more than one.

The only way to build a career as a heavy equipment operator is by gaining employment that will continue to build on your initial training. There is work available for heavy equipment operators. In fact, we are now entering one of the busiest times for construction and that builds demand for operators. We also have an aging workforce with baby boomers now entering retirement age.

There are two essential requirements to developing heavy equipment careers – training and employment. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are masters at both. We have over forty years experience in training individuals for work as truck drivers, crane operators, and heavy equipment operators. What really works to kick start a career is our Career Services program.

When a student commences their training at ATS, a member of the Career Services department will work with that student to determine the field of work they are interested in, and the regional area they would prefer to work in. They are then provided with a career package that includes potential employers that match their requirements.

For students, the Career Services Coordinator is available each day to help with tasks such as applications, refining resumes, or providing advice on how to approach employers. Students are also provided with soft skills training in areas such as application procedures, interviewing techniques, and networking methods.

Current and former students also have access to a database of potential employers and a dedicated employment site at http://www.the-job-site.com/. Job seekers can leave their resume on this site while employers can list vacancies and peruse the resumes of suitable job seekers. ATS Heavy Equipment Training Services don’t just train students, we also offer as much assistance as possible to complete that all important second set – getting their first job in the industry.

Heavy equipment have long had a reputation for being gas-guzzling machinery that belched huge quantities of noxious black smoke into the air. That reputation is a little unfair in this day and age, especially when you consider emission controls that have been placed on all vehicles over the years. Manufacturers have gone further, making new heavy equipment more fuel efficient and capable of running on blended renewable fuels. The very latest equipment runs totally on renewable energies.

However, I said that heavy equipment is going green in more ways than one – and it is. Reducing carbon emissions is one half of the equation. The other half is rebuilding our landscape so that it can grow native vegetation – the lungs that help to clear our air of carbon and other pollutants. Heavy equipment, particularly equipment that is itself environmentally friendly, is being used more and more to help rebuild that landscape.

Add to this President Obama’s Green Job’s Initiative, an initiative designed to fund green projects in the construction industry, and you have a future career that’s going green. This green initiative will go beyond just heavy equipment – we are already starting to see environmentally friendly trucks being used in some green projects – this is opening the way for new truck drivers to enter the trade (which makes it a good time to investigate truck driver training).

Cranes, in particular mobile cranes, are also being used, both in green construction projections, and as part of clean-up crews – especially when old wrecked cars are found in environmentally sensitive locations. Cranes can lift heavy material out of these areas rather than dragging them through and creating more damage. Undertaking crane operator training, or the broader-based heavy equipment operator training provides graduates with the skills necessary to become a part of the greening of our country. So who wants a well-paid environmentally friendly job?