Excavator Training – Learning To Communicate

Part of any heavy equipment training program is learning how to communicate and that holds true for excavator training as well. A construction site is a hectic and generally very noisy environment. Operators often need to communicate with other members of their word team and simply yelling won’t cut it – no one will hear you.

Take the situation where an excavator is working to cut away a trench. As the excavator digs, the operator manipulates the bucket so that they can dump the load directly into the back of a dump truck. Easy you may think – and it is, if you know what you are doing and if the truck driver knows what you are doing.

The dump truck will need to reverse to the right position. When in position, the excavator operator signals the truck driver to stop using his horn. Likewise, once the truck is full, the excavator operator will again use his horn to tell the driver to leave. Does each press of the horn mean the same? Not always. There is generally a system in place where one, two or three presses of the horn button have different meanings. Likewise, a long press and a short press.

All heavy equipment operators learn to communicate. There are sounds using the horn and hand signals that may be used by those at ground level. These are all part of a work site’s safety regime that ensures that all operators can communicate where necessary despite all the noise around them.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can have you trained and ready to work as an excavator operator in as little as three weeks. Take the first step to becoming an excavator operator by contacting us for more information on your heavy equipment training options.