Backhoes: The Path To Self Employment

Self employment is a popular path for many people involved in the heavy equipment industry and the machinery of choice are backhoes. There is a good reason for this, of course. Backhoes are versatile and can be used in a wide range of earth moving jobs. If an operator can acquire a backhoe and a set of attachments at a reasonable price, there is plenty of work available.

The downside to self employment is that backhoe operators need to become business savvy. Operators need to advertise their services, be savvy enough to know how long a job will take, how much they should charge and what sort of competition there is in their area. They also need to be aware of what sort of reputation, prices and availability that competition enjoys. For example, an operator with a good reputation may be able to charge more since their equipment is heavily booked. On the other hand, you may have a good reputation and be heavily booked so you can afford to set your prices a little higher than the competition. This is where business sense comes into play.

Like all careers, there is a starting point and for backhoes that entails training, experience and acquiring the funds to purchase your equipment. You will never gain any tangible experience unless you undertake a recognized training program. Employers are not going to risk their reputation, or their equipment, on graduates who don’t come from a recognized training program.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are well recognized within the industry for providing well trained and ready to work heavy equipment graduates. Graduates from ATS find little difficulty in finding secure employment if they display the right attitudes during their training and through their job seeking processes.

It takes time. In fact, it may well take several years before you are ready to become a self employed backhoe operator. The opportunities are there for those that are willing to learn everything there is to know about operating backhoes and the associated attachments. Just remember, if you want to become self employed as a backhoe operator, it all starts with a recognized heavy equipment training program – from there, the sky’s the limit.