Backhoes are one of the most in-demand machines when it comes to construction and general excavating work. Because they incorporate the digging system of an excavator and the loading ability of a front end loader, they can do the work of these two machines with less cost to a business. Backhoes together with bulldozers are often the first heavy equipment purchased by a new earth moving business because of the range of work they can perform.

How do you become an in-demand operator? It goes beyond operator skills, although they are important. In-demand operators are those that know their soil types well, can complete a job on time (or sooner) and according to the plans, and do so with the right attitude to safety and the employer. Operators that fit this description soon earn a reputation and it is that reputation that creates the demand. Operators that have a strong reputation can often demand good wages, good work conditions and are rarely out of work.

So how do you gain those skills? It doesn’t start with your training – it starts with your attitude. If you have a positive outgoing nature, get on well with people, and can work to a set of plans then you’re ready for training. If you’re the kind of person that is always right, and everyone else is wrong then perhaps you should reconsider you career plans – the backhoe may not be your best choice.

If you have the right attitude then you’re ready for training and that means getting your training through the best possible training school. Guess what – ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools is one of the best in the business. Our graduates are well respected by employers and often find employment soon after graduating. If you take that positive attitude into our heavy equipment training program, and can acquire the skills quickly, you will become one of those skilled and in-demand backhoe operators.

Associated Training Services has been delivering training since 1966 – that’s almost forty-five years of training. Not only is it over forty-five years of training, it is more than 50,000 students passing through our training facilities. Over the years we have delivered training in carpentry, truck driving, heavy equipment operations, crane operations, and GPS technology. We have ten training centers located in:

Wisconsin (1963),
Florida (2002),
New Hampshire (2004),
Ohio (2003),
Virginia (2005),
Colorado (2006),
South Carolina (2006),
Southern California (2007),
Northern California (2008), and
Texas (2008).

If you want to see Associated Training Services in action, I suggest you head on over to the ATS Training Channel on YouTube. We have eleven videos available that proudly display our training over the years. In fact, check out this video an you can see some of the machinery we currently use to train students. You should also make note of the range of ages and gender. Yes, women undertake training as well. Check out the ATS training video on YouTube.

Interested in a career in heavy equipment? I will assume you are since you are here reading this post. Visit our main site – there are a range of options available to you. You can:

Review training options,
Apply for training,
Sign up and take our free online training program,
Grab a free brochure and DVD,
Find more information on job placement, certification and accreditation,
Apply for financial assistance,
and much more

If you are serious about becoming a truck driver, crane operator or heavy equipment operator then check out the videos and visit our main site. There is plenty of work available for operators with good skills and the right attitude. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can provide you with the skills – do you have the right attitude?

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are all accredited by the National Center for Construction Education Research otherwise known as the NCCER. In today’s world, there are several areas in training that both students and employers need. These include standardization of training and portability and the two go hand in hand.

Standardization is fairly straightforward. The skills you learn training to operate heavy equipment in Florida should be the same set of skills you would learn if you were training in Texas, New England or any other state. Obviously, if everyone is trained to the same set of standards, it doesn’t matter where you did your training, your skills would still be recognized – that’s portability. You can work in any state and your training and skills are recognized.

Many years ago, if you were trained in one state the chances were those skills were not recognized in the next state, even though the border was only a mile away. To work in both states, you had to undertake training in both states. A little ridiculous really so industry has established minimum standards that all graduating students should achieve.

Because we are accredited through NCCER, our students can be Nationally Certified by NCCER and receive certifications and credentials from NCCER. Details of their accomplishment is recorded on a national registry. This reinforces the portability aspect of nationally accredited training.

ATS has been accredited for many years. In fact, we are one of the leaders when it comes to accredited heavy equipment training. We have a proud tradition of producing quality graduates, graduates that employers are often keen to hire. If you’re considering a career in heavy equipment, first ensure your training provider as national accreditation for their training programs. If you have any doubts, call us, we have training centers in over ten locations around the country. What does national heavy equipment certification really mean? Peace of mind for students, graduates and employers and the knowledge that training has been delivered to very specific standards.

If you’re interested in a career as a truck driver then your first move has to be to acquire a commercial drivers license or CDL. Without this license, you cannot legally drive a truck on a public road. Your next question is probably, “How long and how many hours of truck driving do I need”. The answer may well surprise you.

For those diligent and able to grasp driving concepts quickly, you can complete your truck driver training program in as little as three weeks. Through ATS Truck Driving School we provide you with both the hands-on behind-the-wheel training as well as the classroom training in road rules and other relevant material. Once you have completed your training, you will be ready to pass your CDL tests and be qualified to drive trucks on the open roads.

We don’t miss anything with our training. Reversing in articulated vehicles can be difficult but we spend time training you on how to do it and then give you time to practice the maneuver. You also get time driving on the open road so you get a feel for what it is like having traffic around you. Driving tips like safe breaking are also part of your training.

At ATS we have a long a proud record for training truck drivers. Our drivers work in a wide range of industries including construction, excavation, road building, sand and gravel and the mining industry. In fact, if you can think of a truck driving job, I am sure there will be an ATS graduate somewhere driving a truck in that job. If you’re interested in a career as a truck driver, contact us for more information on how you can complete a truck driver training program in as little as three week.

A question that is frequently asked is how difficult is it to learn to operate loaders; or excavators, bulldozers and so on. The answer often surprises many people. Heavy equipment operator training doesn’t concentrate on just the one piece of machinery. Students at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are trained on a range of equipment that could include:

• backhoes
• wheel loaders
• scrapers
• excavators
• bulldozers
• road graders
• rock trucks
• Skid Steers
• All-Terrain Forklifts

Learning how to operate a range of heavy equipment provides the student with an understanding of how they operate and what sort of skills are required. While you may want to work as a loader operator, having excavator and backhoe skills gives you more options in the work place. That, however, is only part of the training. Knowing how to operate heavy equipment will not make you a good operator. There are others skills and knowledge that must be learned as well. For example, we also train our operators in:

• grade reading
• laser levels
• soils
• safety
• site layouts
• heavy equipment maintenance

Learning safety issues is now a requirement in all training. In fact, in most work sites you cannot be employed unless you have undertaken some safety training. One of the benefits of training through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools is that our training is nationally accredited. This means your training is recognized throughout the country providing you with work opportunities nationwide.

Loader operator training is just one component of a heavy equipment operator training program. Yet, you can complete your training in as little as three weeks. If you want to fast track your way into a loader operator’s job, give us a call at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools – we have over ten training centers spread across the nation.

It may be winter and the ground may be frozen solid, but if a trench is needed, the excavator is the machine for the job. Frozen ice may be too hard for the bucket, but excavators come with a range of tools that can used, including ground breaking picks. They say that backhoes are versatile, but so too are excavators.

Backhoes are versatile machines and often a lot easier to use when it comes to tight spaces. However, for every attachment that a backhoe has, an excavator has an equivalent. Where the excavator often excels is in in pure power. Size for size, the excavator can often exert a lot more grunt so when it comes to icy ground – call in the excavator, they are muscled up and ready.

Excavator operators are often multi-skilled as well. If you can operate an excavator then you should be able to transfer some of those skills to the backhoe. The reverse is true also. If your original training is undertaken through an accredited training company then there is a good chance you have been trained on both – and the loader as well.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools train their students across a range of heavy equipment that includes excavators and backhoes, loaders, bulldozers as well as graders. These are the main machines used in excavating, construction and mining, the major users of heavy equipment operators. For those looking to enter the field of heavy equipment, we have new heavy equipment training programs starting all the time so the wait for the next course is always minimal.

If you are looking for a job operating an excavator – you need the training first. Contact us and we can discuss your training options and what is needed to become qualified.

If you were to choose a career in heavy equipment, which machinery would you specialize in? There is a wide variety to choose from, one being the grader – or motor grader. Why should you select the motor grader instead of a bulldozer or excavator? They are both great machines, however, the motor grader has a couple of extras going for it. These include:

• Technology: Graders lead the way when it comes to technology. They use GPS, laser and on-board computers. Whenever there is a new technology being tested – you can almost guarantee that graders will be a part of that trial.
• Skills: Grader operators are amongst the most skilled when it comes to heavy equipment. They have to be, they are the finishers when it comes to many projects. Where bulldozers use brute force to move dirt, graders use fine controls, exacting angles and precision driving to achieve that finished result.
• Money: Money is always mentioned when it comes to comparing grader operators to other heavy equipment. But then, they are often paid more – need I say any more?
• Pride: While all operators take pride in their work, grader operators often take just a little more. The reason for that is because you can see their finished results. Using the bulldozer and road building as an example again, they carve out ground but then the grader comes in and reworks what the bulldozer has done. It is the grader operator that puts the final touch when it comes to evenness and slope and everything that goes into preparing a road for sealing.

That’s four good reasons I can think of for selecting a career as a grader operator. Here’s a fifth. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are highly skilled at training heavy equipment operators, grader operators included. They can have you trained and ready to start work in as little as three weeks. Are you ready for an interesting career as a grader operator? If so, contact us at ATS for more information on our next training program.

Heavy equipment careers rise and fall in popularity on a regular basis and it is hard to assess any reasons for this swing. Demand is not really the factor. In fact, demand is created when heavy equipment careers seem to drop in popularity. Should you consider a career as a heavy equipment operator? Here are few key benefits to a career in heavy equipment:

• Wages – heavy equipment operators are amongst the best paid workers on a construction site. Away from construction, they still receive decent wage rates.
• Life time skills – operating heavy equipment is a little like driving a car or riding a bike. You never lose these skills. Sure, if you’re out of the business for a long time, you may take a couple of hours to reacquaint yourself – but the basics skills will return quickly.
• Travel – skilled operators are required everywhere. In fact, there is a world wide demand for operators so the opportunity exists for travel, either interstate or internationally. Gain you qualifications through a training company that offers nationally accredited training.
• Work hours – some consider this a minus. Generally speaking, an operator is up early and finishes early. There are some projects where the work is undertaken in shifts so you may find yourself working afternoons and evenings. You may also need to work on weekends. However, extra hours means extra pay.
• Respect – the community in general, along with fellow workers, all have a huge respect for competent operators. In fact, you will often be the envy of others.

A career as a heavy equipment operator is challenging, interesting and rewarding. Those that enter the field generally stay for many years. The current attrition rate in operators is not because they dislike the job; most of those leaving are doing so because they have reached retiring age. Like the sound of a heavy equipment career? Contact ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools for details on our next training program.

If you are from a non-English speaking background then you may feel that crane operator training is not for you. With a little patience, an open mind, and the willingness to learn, crane operator training and a career as a crane operator may be a perfect fit. Understanding English is important – don’t get me wrong. You do need to understand what is being asked of you when given a job to do. However, in most cases, once you have an understanding of what is involved with a particular task, the rest is easy.

Crane operators, whether they are operating a mobile crane or a massive tower crane, hardly speak a word whilst working. Instructions from those on the ground or around the actual lift are generally given through hand signals. These hand signals are the same in every language so whether you speak perfect English, or none at all, if you understand these signals there will not be a problem.

Where there may be a problem is in learning those hand signals. If you don’t have a clear understanding of the English language then you may struggle to get through your training. However, if you do have at least a basic understanding of the language then you should be able to get through the training.

The best option is to find a training organization that has the patience to work with students from non-English speaking backgrounds. ATS Crane Operator School is one such organization. No matter what your background, if you have a reasonable understanding of the English language then we can help you through your crane operator training and into a lucrative career. Contact us to see if your language skills are sufficient to successfully complete a crane operator training program.

There has been a growth in dump trucks in recent years although you may be surprised at where this growth is. Mention dump trucks and you are probably imagining a truck with a large bin on its back that can be tipped to empty. That’s the traditional dump truck also known as a rigid dump truck. However, the growth has been in what are known as articulated dump trucks.

As the name suggests, articulated dump trucks are in two parts with tray or bin separate to the tractor or drive component. Driving an articulated dump truck is similar to driving with a trailer, this means reversing can be tricky if you are not skilled in the art. Does one form of dump truck offer any benefits over the other? Generally speaking, no. However, where an articulated truck is superior is in off-road capabilities, particularly on slopes and in muddy conditions.

Since an articulated dump truck does not act in the same manner as a rigid dump truck, you would think that specialist training may be in order. If you are trained only in a rigid dump truck then extra training could be required. If you undertake your training through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools then further training shouldn’t be required.

ATS train truck drivers in both rigid and articulated vehicles. This provides students with skills to drive either a rigid truck like a dump truck, or articulated vehicles such as tractor-trailers and, of course, articulated dump trucks. Driving an articulated dump truck can be a challenging and rewarding job. If you’re interested in learning how to drive a dump truck – call us to discuss your dump truck training options.