Graders May Not Be The Prettiest Looking Machines – They Could Be The Smartest

Perhaps it’s true – you can’t have beauty and brains! I know some people would argue with me when I say that road graders are not exactly the prettiest of machines – I guess it is all in the eyes of the beholder. Pretty or not, road graders are becoming one of the most intelligent units of the heavy equipment family.

GPS and laser leveling are just two areas of technology that road graders incorporate. Some motor graders are now coming off production lines with complete computer systems. These systems constantly monitor areas like the angle and height of the blade and use GPS and laser leveling to constant fine tune these settings. This means a road grader can complete a job with less passes and that means less time. Compared to road graders of 20-30 years ago, today’s models can complete jobs in almost half the time of the older models.

For new operators coming through, it doesn’t mean that life gets easier – if anything, it gets a little harder – at least during the early stages. New operators need to learn skills involving GPS, laser and computer systems. Heavy equipment training has come a long way in recent years in order to meet this new technology. This is perhaps one area where ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools excel – we stay up to date with all the latest technology and deliver training to students that is relevant to today’s equipment, not equipment that was relevant 30 years ago.

Road grader operators are always in demand. Whether it is helping to build new roads in the summer or helping to clear snow laden roads in the winter, there is always a call for operators. If you’re interested in a career as a road grader operator, contact us today to discuss your training options and to find a training school close you.