How Heavy Equipment Technology Is Changing The Pace Of Construction

Mention technology these days and most people automatically think about computers. While they do have an important role to play, new heavy equipment technology involves far more. If you were to compare today’s machinery with those from twenty or more years ago, the changes, while not so obvious from the outside, are huge when you get ‘under the bonnet’.

Hydraulic systems are one area that has gone through considerable change. The hydraulics on today’s equipment are more efficient, quieter and less prone to break down compared to older equipment. The engines are now far more fuel efficient, expel far less in the way of pollutants and are quickly reaching a point of being labeled ‘environmentally friendly’. Twenty years ago, you could smell a bulldozer in operation a mile away, if you couldn’t smell it, you could often see the plume of black smoke coming out of its stack. You could most definitely hear it at work.

Computers are of course making themselves felt when it comes to heavy equipment technology. Adding GPS locators has meant that stolen equipment is now retrieved, often within hours of going missing for weeks or months. GPS is also being used to help operators complete tasks more accurately and faster than those units not using GPS.

Heavy equipment technology improves because operators are constantly looking at ways to get more work done in far less time. Construction companies are paid by the completed project, with most projects having penalties for finishing late and bonuses for early completion. Being able to complete a project means getting paid more, early, and being free to start the next project. New heavy equipment technology is helping construction companies achieve this.

Despite all these changes, the operating basics haven’t changed that much. If anything, learning to operate heavy equipment has become a lot easier. If I can operate a bulldozer then you can as well – if not a bulldozer then a grader, backhoe or excavator. Why don’t you consider a career as a heavy equipment operator – heavy equipment technology is making the task easier everyday.