As we are so close to Christmas and New Year, many employers reduce their recruitment efforts preferring to wait until the new year when there are less distractions. That doesn’t mean that all employers stop recruiting – many are still hard at work, even on Christmas Day, and they have a constant need for operators. Our Job Site will continue to list any vacancies over this holiday period, so if you’re looking for work in the heavy equipment, truck driving or crane operations, check by regularly to see what’s on offer. A recap of recent opportunities include positions for:

Heavy Equipment Operator – Temple, TX
Highly motivated and skilled heavy equipment operator required. Various sizes and weights in loading, hauling and unloading of equipment, materials and supplies.

Equipment Operator II – Alexandria, VA
Operates one or more types of heavy automotive equipment.

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.

Heavy Equipment Operators – Cogan Station, PA
Operate heavy equipment and perform laborer duties as required.

State Park Equipment Operator – Weott, CA
This position transports and operates heavy equipment including but not limited to, backhoes, graders, excavators, tractors, patch trucks, water trucks,

Heavy Equipment Operator – Church Hill, TN
This job could require pushing, compacting, grading, loading or hauling waste or dirt and could require working alone or teaming with other heavy equipment.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and safe Christmas. As we approach 2012, it may be time to consider career changes. If heavy equipment operations, truck driving or crane operations are high on your list of options, then check out our training options – we can help you enter a new career in next to no time.

Christmas can be a lot of fun for many people, especially children. Heavy equipment operators, crane operators and truck drivers often get in on the act as well, playing their roll in bringing joy to tens of thousands. Every town seems to have a Christmas parade of some description, and truck drivers are often busy driving floats, for the lucky few, driving the truck that has Santa in his festive seat. Backhoes are interesting additions to many parades, their peculiar shape offering a lot of opportunities for those with a little imagination.

Backhoes are those machines you see in construction sites that look a little like a scorpion ready to strike. The ‘hoe’ part of the vehicle can often be dressed for a variety of effects while the loader at the front makes a great ‘mouth’, especially with a few well painted teeth added. Being wheeled vehicles, they operate over roads with ease and they are generally not as loud as other heavy equipment.

Of course, truck drivers and backhoes are not the only heavy equipment to make it into a Christmas parade. Front loaders are also popular – last year we witnessed a front loader following Santa’s truck, with the loader proudly carrying all the gifts that were to be handed out to children. It was certainly a different role to that normally undertaken by its operator.

Heavy equipment operators are only selected to appear in parades if they are well experienced and have safe working histories. Heavy equipment is dangerous, and parades are very dangerous areas, especially where excitable children are present – and after all, that’s normally why we have parades, to amuse the children (or the child in us).

In order to participate in a parade like those we see at Christmas, heavy equipment operators need to good skills, the kind of skills that are developed after a good heavy equipment training program. We can’t promise you’ll ever appear in a parade, but we can promise to deliver the best heavy equipment training in the country, and that’s a good start.

Short week this week for job listings, but that doesn’t mean the jobs we do have – or the job (singular) – isn’t important. Every job is important in the heavy equipment business.

This week, we’ve got a job from a respectable employer. It’s a trucking company with a national reputation and they offer great pay with benefits. Over the road.

If you like adventure, being away from home, seeing the country, and getting paid well for your efforts, then look up the ATS Heavy Equipment School and check out our heavy equipment job listings. We have a list of the best heavy equipment and truck driving jobs from the best employers in the industry.

There are tens of thousands of people sitting at home right now, all pondering a possible career change. Some are unemployed following the economic downturn that hit us all pretty hard while others are just bored or fed up with their current career and looking for a change. Associated Training Services (ATS) have, since 1959, helped thousands achieve new careers in either heavy equipment operations, truck driving, or crane operations – perhaps we can help you to build a new career.

The construction industry is one of the biggest employers of skilled operators of heavy equipment, cranes, and trucks, and while it too has its ups and downs, it is one of the first to recover from any recession. You only have to look at the billions of dollars the federal and state government have thrown into building new roads and bridges to see this. As the economy improves, factories, homes, and commercial centers are developed, all needing these skilled workers.

ATS prides itself on the reputation it has built over the last 50+ years. Quality is the key as our instructional staff, curriculum, equipment, and facilities all come together to deliver well-trained operators to industry. For students, we offer a variety of payment options, housing assistance for the duration of your training, and a well-trained career services department designed to help you find that all-important first job.

If you are interested in looking a little closer at a career as a truck driver, crane operator or heavy equipment operator, then contact us for more information. You can also call to arrange a visit to one of our training schools to see first hand what is involved with the training and the career options available to you.

Have you ever dreamed of operating a bulldozer, perhaps a crane, or even driving a truck? There are many people who try to turn that dream into a reality. They attend training programs that are designed to teach them how to operate each of those vehicles, then leave to find employment within each of the industries.

If you have never been in the industry, the first problem is pretty simple – where do you start looking?

If you had access to dedicated career services personnel who knew all about your targeted industry, had possibly worked in that industry, and had developed a network of contacts in that industry, they would be an asset worth cultivating for your future career.

At Associated Training Schools, you don’t have to cultivate our career services personnel, they are there ready to help you achieve your goals from day one of your training.

You just cannot beat inside knowledge. Having a database of thousands of potential employees across a range of industries is just one areas where ATS can assist students in their quest for employment. Being able to link graduates with employers through a dedicated employment website helps to streamline your job search efforts. Just as importantly, being coached in how to approach employers, how to respond during employment interviews, and how to network with possible employers removes many of the barriers that new graduates face in any industry.

ATS have a history that goes back over forty years. Whether it’s a job as a crane operator, heavy equipment operator, or truck driver, ATS have the contacts and experience, and they freely share them with students and graduates of their training schools. As a graduate walks away following their last day of training, they don’t have to wonder “what now?” They already have the answer. In fact, for some, it’s more a question of “can I be ready to start work tomorrow?”

Does your training organization give you that head start?

In today’s busy world, undertaking training for a particular career is often not enough. Understandably, the first thing graduates from any training program want is employment – somewhere to prove their newfound skills, and somewhere where they can build upon those skills. There are many training providers that deliver training, some quite well, but then leave their graduates to fend for themselves once they have completed their training. Here at ATS we have a different philosophy. We are proud of our training so we are keen to showcase our graduates to the world – we want you working, and it’s a purely selfish motive – your success is our success.

Once you enter the workplace, you are a walking talking advertisement for our training. If you perform well, and we are sure you will, then our reputation will continue to grow, if that’s possible. After more than 40 years of successful service training truck drivers, heavy equipment operators and crane operators, our reputation is already well respected. But then, that too is to your advantage.

Employers have come to respect the level of training we provide, as an example, we have over 10,000 trucking companies in our database – I am sure we could find one ready to employ you if you choose a career as a truck driver. Our career services section is geared to doing as much as possible to helping you find a job. From week one, someone from career services will discuss with you possible employment options. We build a profile based on your needs and expectations and then provide you with a list of potential employers. We will also train you in some of the soft skills such as interview techniques required to find employment.

At ATS, we don’t believe in just training you and then sending you on your way. We have a dedicated career services section that will work with you to find that first job. From there, your career is in your hands.

Truck driving has been one of those careers that have remained relatively stable no matter what the economy is doing. There is one real fact about life – we need to eat, and because most of us know little about how to grow our own food, our supermarkets thrive. Truck drivers are the link between your supermarket and the producers of that food so the more we eat, the more truck drivers we need.

So how do you get a start as a truck driver? There are two basic requirements – a commercial drivers license (CDL) and truck driver training. In fact, you need the truck driver training to get a commercial drivers license. They are the basic requirements – however, both of those will never guarantee you a job since you lack the one component that most businesses require – experience. Of course, if you know someone who’s in the business, you maybe able to get them to help gain a foothold – you could always try.

What you may not know is that you already know someone who has the ear of the trucking industry. We do. We have a database of over 10,000 trucking companies from all around the nation. They know that we deliver thorough training and that graduates walk out of doors ready, willing, and very able to work in the transport industry. This is not a reputation that was built overnight, this is a reputation that has stood the test of almost 50 years – and that means we have sent a lot of drivers out into the workplace.

How do you get a start as a truck driver? Your first step is to call us to discuss your training options. From there we will do everything possible to get you licensed, and to then help you find that first job. Who are we? We’re Associated Training Services and we have have been training prospective truck drivers since 1963 – can we help you join that list of successful truck drivers?

Looking at all the toy stores this Christmas, it seems that bulldozers are still one of the favorites toys for youngsters. Mind you, I notice a newish toy on the market that has taken a lot of attention, and that’s a sit-on excavator that works very much like the real thing. What is good to see is that there is still an avid interest from our youngsters when it comes to heavy equipment.

Unfortunately, once they reach their teens, medicine, law, and many other professions seem to take precedence. But whenever there is heavy equipment at work, there are plenty of people who stop and watch – perhaps that’s the child in them coming out and remembering their toys. It’s amazing how many people reach that first career change challenge then turn to industries such as heavy equipment operations, truck driving, and crane operations. And what is the most popular unit of heavy equipment? The bulldozer.

Working as a bulldozer operator can be challenging. It is certainly rewarding in both job satisfaction and remuneration. Bulldozer operators get to do many of the jobs that, as children, they practiced in their back yards. And if you think it’s restricted to boys, think again. Girls love to play with bulldozers just as much as boys, and in the workplace they are proving to be just as skilled as their male counterparts.

We may not be attracting the youth into the profession, but we are attracting those a little later in life. Are you one of those going through a career reassessment phase? If you are, you should check out what a career in heavy equipment offers. Bulldozer operators are well-trained professional operators that are well rewarded for their efforts. There is always some demand for new operators, and this will certainly grow as winter starts to leave us. Will you be trained and ready for action when the demand for new operators climbs?

What are some of the most common reasons for a person to choose a particular profession? Interest is normally the starting point; that’s why you study in particular areas as you go through high school and college. Other factors include stability, income, community standing and family expectations. The latter is one of the most common reasons, and one that have so many people making career changes in their mid to late twenties – they finally break away from those family expectations. Here are eight good reasons to consider training for a Class A commercial drivers license (CDL):

• Well paid – truck drivers are well paid in comparison to many other jobs.
• In Demand – trucks are the life blood of our economy. For this reason, good drivers are always in demand.
• Stable employment – because good drivers are in demand, employers are not going to let you go.
• There are drivers around that have spent 30-40 years working for one employer.
• Work location – you can elect to just drive locally or you can elect to drive the big interstate rigs. The choice is up to you.
• Flexibility – one of the forgotten components to holding a CDL is that you’re not restricted to driving trucks. The CDL may make you employable as a heavy equipment operator, for example, (if you’re trained) simply because your license means you can cart the equipment out to a job yourself.
• Training – it only takes three weeks to learn to drive a truck. Pass your test and you’re ready to start.
• Variety – you never know what you’re going to cart from one day to the next. You may also find you are driving to different locations every day.
• Freedom – the biggest bonus of them all when it comes to truck driving. There’s nothing like the freedom of the open road.

A commercial drivers license opens a door to a career that’s busy and never boring. There are few careers that offer as many options as truck driving does so if you’re interested, contact ATS, the nation’s most experienced truck driver training organization in the country.

The most valuable employees in any business are the ones that can multi-skill. These days, when employers are forced to lay off workers, the last to go are generally those that are multi-skilled. It makes sense, of course. If you have a truck driver, a mobile crane operator, and bulldozer operator, but you only have enough work to keep these three operators busy for a short period each week, the easy way out is to sack those three operators and to employ an operator that can operate each piece of machinery.

However, if you are skilled in all three areas then you will be the last to be dismissed. The employer can use you wherever needed thus keeping you busy all the time. Gaining skills in all three areas may seem daunting, yet it isn’t. If you’re a truck driver then adding mobile crane operator training to your skill set is fairly easy. Likewise, if you are a heavy equipment operator then adding a commercial drivers license is not that difficult. That is the first step – that provides you with two skill sets that are important to employers.

Of course, if you are already a mobile crane operator then you will already have your CDL so it’s only a matter of adding heavy equipment training to your skills list. We are currently in an environment where multi-skilled workers are being held in high esteem. They are an important asset to any business. From the workers point of view, they have always got a range of options when it comes to seeking employment.

Associated Training Services has over forty years experience training truck drivers, heavy equipment operators, and mobile crane operators. We are in effect your one-stop shop when it comes to acquiring the range of skills that most employers find valuable. If you are involved in just one of those areas, consider up-skilling and improving your employment chances.