We constantly focus on what ATS has to offer anyone looking at heavy equipment operations as a career. On the other side of the equation are the employers, so today I want to focus on the services that we offer you. ATS has a long and successful history of training heavy equipment operators, crane operators, and truck drivers. We have also built a strong network of employers who have successfully employed our graduates and helped them to achieve their goal of being successful operators or drivers.

For employers, we offer a number of services. As a training organization, our aim is to see our graduates successfully employed. To help us achieve that goal, we have a dedicated web site designed to connect employers with graduates from our schools. The-Job-Site.com is a website that lists all of our graduates since 1995. Graduates seeking employment have put together pre-application resumes that list their work history, experience and contact details. Employers can search through this database to find potential employees for their business. Businesses can also list job vacancies that graduates can apply for.

Our services to employers doesn’t end there. We also offer training programs that are customized to meet your needs. This training can be delivered in one of our schools or in the workplace using either our equipment or your own. There are many benefits to being trained on the equipment you are going to use, especially in situations where specialized skills are required.

ATS has a long and proud history when it comes to training truck drivers, crane operators, and heavy equipment operators. We have a steady stream of new graduates available for hire, all trained and eager to find the right employer. If you are looking for skilled operators, then feel free to check out what we have to offer for employers.

It’s a play on words I know, but a commercial drivers license does offer a degree of employment security no matter what the climate; political, economic, or atmospheric. Even in tough times, such as the one we have just been through, truck drivers were still in demand. It’s a basic need – we have to eat and our food arrives in the supermarkets on trucks. In fact, from farm gate to supermarkets, trucks are the one common factor.

Truck drivers can work in a variety of occupations. There are the long distance interstate drivers. They almost live in their cabs being away from home for days at a time. If long distance is not for you, there are the short haul drivers who drive, generally speaking, intrastate. They generally spend no more than one night away from home depending on which states they operate in and what types of loads they carry.

The most popular form of truck driver is the local driver. They work within a town or city and spend almost every night in their own beds. These are the truck drivers you see on our local roads every day. They deliver food items, building supplies and short haul products if the town is a major sea or rail hub.

Training for a commercial drivers license is not as arduous as many think. A truck driver training program takes around three weeks. This should include as much time as possible behind the wheel gaining driving skills. Once you have gained the skills required, it is simply a matter of undertaking a testing session through your state licensing authority. If you pass these tests, your commercial drivers license is issued and you are ready to seek work as a truck driver. No matter what the climate is – you’ll almost always find employment opportunities.

There is a lot of hidden talent in the US today with many former truck drivers either not working or working at non-driving jobs. Many of those drivers have let their commercial drivers license lapse as well so they have written off ever returning to the industry. Perhaps it’s time for a rethink. Times have changed, we have more trucks on the road now and there are some road rules and regulations that have also been updated or introduced.

If you’re a former truck driver then the bottom line is – your skills and knowledge are in demand. The way to resolve the issue is to undertake a short three week truck driver training program, resit your commercial drivers license tests and you’re ready to take to the highways again. You may think it’s a bore redoing the training, perhaps even unnecessary. You could be right but we can all use refresher courses occasionally and if you have been out of the cab for five years or more, then you really do need it.

The nation is now going through a period of rebuilding and this is putting a strain on the resources we currently have – including commercial drivers. Working conditions for truck drivers are much better these days and so too is the remuneration packages on offer. What can you offer the industry? A lot! You know the score. You know the highways and you know the routine when it comes to loading and unloading. It may be several years old, but that knowledge still places you ahead of green drivers coming through with no experience.

If you have a yearning to return to the truck driving profession then give us a call. We can discuss your truck driver training options and the quickest path back to a commercial drivers license and employment.

Driving a dump truck can be a hot and dusty job – although at this time of the year it could also be a cold, damp and muddy job. It’s not all hard work, however. There are times when the dump trucks and their drivers relax a little and have some fun. Christmas is one such occasion, especially when they help out Santa.

I am sure you have seen Christmas parades, or perhaps had Santa visit a workplace Christmas party that has been put together for the families. We don’t see them quite as often as we used to. Thirty or forty years ago every workplace had a family Christmas function of some description. The star of the function was always the arrival of Santa.

For many workplaces, Santa arrived in a dressed up dump truck. He still does today. The dump truck is cleaned out, lined with all the Christmas trappings that befits a Santa. A large chair is placed on a few pallets to give him some height, and the dump truck is ready for Santa.

It’s not just Christmas. There are many street parades each year that feature characters dressed up to please the children. They drive down the street on the back of a dump truck. For other characters, the back of a flat bed truck is used.

What shouldn’t surprise you is that despite all the fun and pageantry that accompanies these events, the dump truck driver’s responsibility still revolves around safety – probably more so given the number of children pressing in trying to get a closer look. It takes a lot of skill and concentration to drive a truck at such slow speeds, skills that have been picked up through dump truck driver training and through practical hands on experience. Of course, our kids don’t care – they just want to see Santa.

Truck drivers have had a bad reputation over the years. I am not sure why when you consider the training, the skills and road knowledge that is required to obtain a commercial drivers license (CDL). The image hasn’t been good but it is built more on perception than fact.

I know what it’s like to be driving down a highway, late at night, only to have a big tractor trailer come bearing down on you from behind. It can be a scary feeling. If you ever get the opportunity, you should climb into the passenger’s seat of one of these big rigs and go for a drive. You will come to realize fairly quickly that every thing is different. The driver does have control and although they do come thundering up behind another car, the truck driver has a great view of the road ahead. He does know what he is doing.

In fact, if you are the truck driver, there is nothing like the view, the power of the engine under you, and the feel of the road in front of you. Even after 40 years, I know drivers who fret to get back out on the road after a long weekend away.

Truck driving can be an awesome job. The hours are long, but the pay is pretty good. When you climb into the cab, you are in charge – you’re the boss. Sure, you do have a supervisor somewhere who is watching to ensure you arrive and leave on time – but they are not in the cab with you, or leaning over your shoulder.

Obtaining a commercial driver license requires knowledge of road rules, the ability to drive a truck, and knowledge of safety procedures. Training for a commercial drivers license can be done in as little as three weeks. In fact, within a month of starting you training program, you could be on the road, driving for a living.