It is worth reminding yourself every once in a while that what has been learned about heavy equipment safety has come from the painful consequences of other peoples’ mistakes. There was a time that construction was an extremely dangerous occupation. The dangers have not diminished; we have just developed better safety procedures to protect us from them. Heavy equipment safety is one area that has improved dramatically, but mistakes are still made and lessons are still being learned. Take the following example which is from a public safety report that was published on the University of Iowa Website:

In the bottom of an 8-foot hole was a concrete casing around an existing pipe that the men were trying to remove. An iron trench box, measuring approximately 20’ long, 8’ tall, and 8’ wide, was in the hole. The victim was standing in the trench box giving hand signals to the excavator operator above him. He was positioned between the excavator bucket and the inside wall of the trench box (see diagram). The men were trying to carefully remove the casing without damaging the pipe. In the process of prying off the casing, the bucket teeth slipped off the edge of the concrete, and the bucket and arm of the excavator snapped toward the victim, crushing him against the wall of the trench box, causing chest and abdominal injuries.

This accident resulted in the death of the victim, which is sad because it was avoidable. Neither the victim or the operator of the excavator was at fault. They were unaware of the dangers that were involved, as is so often the case. The fact is that many unskilled laborers have no training regarding heavy equipment safety.

Reading the report one is struck by the inherent dangers of the situation, but when you are on a job, you tend to be thinking about the job, you grow accustomed to the dangers and you take risks. Complacent is something that you never want to become. Be paranoid about heavy equipment safety and you will see far fewer accidents. In the case above, workers from the company did later succeed in removing the casing. They did so with jackhammers, which though less powerful and a lot slower would have been the better choice from the very beginning. Sure an excavator could have gotten the job done a lot faster, but the environment was not safe for an excavator, end of story. If there are unacceptable heavy equipment safety risks involved in an operation, you need to reevaluate your game plan.

Why is job placement such an important part of the training process? Job placement is where you take the skills that we teach you here at Associated Training Services and put them to use in the workplace for the first time. Just as there is a learning curve, there is a forgetting curve and the longer that you spend between training and working, the more you will forget and the harder it will be to start. We want to help you get to work right away and for this reason we offer job placement.

But haven’t I already learned everything by the time I finish my course? You will have learned many things by the time you finish your Associated Training Services certification, but you will not have learned everything. So much about heavy equipment is picked up on the job. At our schools, you will be around other students and professional instructors. It is in a sense an artificial environment. Everyone at the school does or tries to do the right thing. We don’t get too many problems with heavy equipment safety, and hopefully, everyone on the job site is confident. People encourage each other and in general the experience is positive. On a real job site though, that is not always the case. There will be unskilled workers that know very little about heavy equipment safety, in a sense you will have greater responsibilities and there will be a whole host of distractions that you are going to have to learn to ignore. In addition you will be polishing your skills, which will likely not be perfect by the time that you complete your certification. There is still a lot to learn and job placement is where many people pick it up.

We are able to offer job placement at Associated Training Services because we have connections to many different companies around the country. These companies recognize the caliber of our graduates and are pleased to offer a helping hand. If you already have a job, you might not need to worry about job placement, but if you don’t why not take us up on it. Contact us at Associated Training Services if you have any questions about job placement or any other aspect of our heavy equipment training programs.

Once anyone has spent a few years without certification as an unskilled laborer they tend to think that life is as good as it gets. While many unskilled labor jobs can be enjoyable, you can make great friends, meet people and have a pleasant working environment; you will almost certainly be lacking in job security and financial stability. Certification gives you these things, but what should you be certified for? What is involved in obtaining certification? Is certification expensive? How long does it take to get certified? These are all questions that many people who are considering getting certification want to ask and rightly so.

While there are many types of certification that one might get, we are going to talk about the type of certification that we are familiar with. Heavy equipment certification, truck driving certification and carpentry certification are all offered by us here at Associated Training Services. If you are already in construction or a related industry, you might have wondered how the heavy equipment operators got to where they are. There are essentially two ways that you can go about obtaining your heavy equipment certification, one you can hope that someone up top in your company will see your potential and train you. That is unlikely but for some heavy equipment operators it did happen. The alternative is to take matters into your own hands and get certification at one of our schools. Whether you are interested in heavy equipment, truck driving or carpentry, the process is much the same.

The length of time that it takes to obtain your certification will depend on your schedule. It is a relatively quick process that can be done over a short period of time if you train full time. It takes a little longer to get certification on a part time schedule, but then training is set up so that you can work and train at the same time. If you are interested in finding how long it will take for a particular type of certification, please feel free to contact us at Associated Training Services and ask about the specific course that you are interested in.

Certification is not cheap, especially if you are training in heavy equipment. We realize that it is tough for some people to afford and in order to help them with this we offer financial aid to qualified candidates. There is no way around it, working in machines that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars is always going to add up. Still our prices our affordable when you take a look at what is involved, the professionalism of our instructors and the extra earning potential that you will have once you have obtained certification.

If you are not certified, don’t put it off any longer. Certification has changed many lives for the better and it can do the same for you.

Have you ever considered a heavy equipment career? If you have, then you have come to the right place. Here at Associated Training Services, we specialize in helping people like you get into rewarding careers that can last a lifetime. A heavy equipment career is a great choice for many people for a lot of reasons.

You can earn great money in a heavy equipment career. While the amount that you earn may not be the be all and end all when it comes to choosing a career, being able to earn a decent wage is a big plus. If you are involved in unskilled labor, you will know that at times it can be hard to make ends meet. A heavy equipment career is a good way to ensure that you are earning enough to enjoy your life.

A heavy equipment career gives you long term prospects. Let’s face facts, unskilled workers are expendable. They are easy to come by and one worker is much the same as any other when it comes to profitability for a company. Getting your certification will strengthen your position in your company and is well worth the effort.

What are you waiting for? If you are looking for a change in life and are thinking that a heavy equipment career might be the right decision for you, contact usat Associated Training Services.

Why does driving dump trucks make such a good career choice? Why would you choose to drive dump trucks as opposed to say, semi-trailers? These are two questions that we are going to be looking at in today’s article. We think that dump trucks make a great career option and for some people, represent a better path than other forms of truck driving.

Driving dump trucks typically leaves you closer to home and gives you more regular hours than regular truck driving. If you ask many truck drivers what they would change about their job, the answer would be the hours. Don’t get me wrong, some people are cut out for truck driving, but it can take its toll if you are not prepared for long shifts behind the wheel and extended periods of time away from home. If you want to drive, but you don’t want to be away from home and don’t want to travel too far, then dump trucks make an excellent alternative.

Driving dump trucks is a less solitary existence. If you are a long haul trucker, you get used to being alone for long periods of time. Some people love it, others find it quite stressful. Driving dump trucks gives you a nice mix. You get time by yourself and you get to mingle with your co-workers when you get to the site that you are taking your load to. It is a more communicative existence, drivers of dump trucks need to be good with people.

There are plenty of great jobs for drivers of dump trucks as you can find them in all kinds of different industries. This means that if you ever want to, you can find a change of scenery. You will find dump trucks in mining, agriculture, landscaping, construction, forestry and many other industry sectors. If you want to be able to move around and have a career that you can take with you wherever you go, driving dump trucks is a great choice.

If you are interested in driving dump trucks and would like to learn more about how to obtain your certification, please feel free to contact us at Associated Training Services.

Loaders provide outstanding career opportunities for many people. What makes loaders special is the fact that they are so widely used. If you have your loaders certification, you can find work in construction, agriculture, mining, forestry and many other exciting lines of work. Loaders are a versatile type of heavy equipment that provides flexible career opportunities.

Operators of loaders enjoy great working conditions. Most loaders have a closed cabin and air conditioning, so drivers are out of the elements. You can work in comfort whether it is hot or cold. Beyond the obvious creature comforts of loaders, loader drivers also have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that they have a job that is reasonably low impact. Working in construction, especially if you are an unskilled laborer, you are exposed to risk on a daily basis. The work can be fun, but injuries do occur and they take their toll over time. Not everyone has the physical characteristics that allow them to perform such a demanding job for any great length of time. If you are working in loaders, the machinery does most of the hard work.

Loaders offer interesting challenges. There is a large range of attachments that can be fitted to loaders. They are used to perform all manner of tasks and providing that you get the training, you can find yourself enjoying a wide variety of jobs. If you are interested in learning more about loaders or obtaining loader certification, please contact us at Associated Training Services.

When you have been in this business a while you get to meet all kinds of interesting people looking for heavy equipment certification. Some of them come from very different walks of life, but their reasons for wanting heavy equipment certification tend to run along similar themes. I decided to put together a top ten list of things that certification can change for you. This list is by no means all inclusive and some people will order it differently, but here it is nonetheless.

Top 10 Reasons for Getting Certification

1. Make more money – This is not about being greedy, it is about making a living. The wages you earn with heavy equipment certification are much higher than you earn as an unskilled laborer.

2. Stable employment – Anyone who has worked as an unskilled laborer knows that such jobs are temporary, no matter how good at a job you are and no matter how hard you work.

3. Working conditions – Certification will give you work that has better working conditions.

4. Sustainability – When you are twenty-five, heavy labor can be a lot of fun. Try doing the same work at thirty-five, then try doing it at fifty. Some people can manage working like that without certification, but it takes its toll. With certification you are doing a job that you can keep doing at just about any age.

5. Career opportunities – Certification will give you career opportunities that do not otherwise exist. Imagine, having an actual career, where you know that the job that you have today is the same job that you will have in six months.

6. Long-term prospects – With the security that you get from a career and from stable employment, you can start planning ahead and doing things. Wouldn’t it be great to get a home loan?

7. Employment opportunities – Sometimes we want a change. Heavy equipment operators are in demand and you can get work all over the country.
8. A change of lifestyle – Your certification will allow you to break into types of work that you might not have considered in the past. How about changing the pace and scenery and going into mining, doing landscaping, forestry or any other of a number of different jobs that you can do with your heavy equipment certification.

9. Something new – For many people getting their heavy equipment certification is a chance to do something new. They might not have even been in construction or any other related industries before. Heavy equipment is great because the certification is relatively easy to get and does not take a long time. After a short training process, you will be ready to begin your new career.

10. Job satisfaction – Your heavy equipment certification will have you doing jobs that are more interesting than merely providing labor.

If you are interested in obtaining your heavy equipment certification, please do not hesitate to contact us at Associated Training Services.

People find their way into a heavy equipment career for all kinds of reasons. The most common, however, is to come in through the construction industry. The typical heavy equipment career person begins as an unskilled laborer. They will work jobs at different construction sites and invariably notice that they are at the bottom of the food chain. Some people are happy there, others want for something better.

Other people find their way into a heavy equipment career because they want a change. There are not too many careers that people can jump into at just about any stage of life. It is possible to train for a heavy equipment career in a relatively short space of time and that makes it an attractive option for people that have another career but feel the need for change.

What do you get from a heavy equipment career? There are so many things that it is hard to know where to start.

• You get a reliable income. A heavy equipment career is a stable career. You don’t need to worry about whether you will have a job from one day to the next.
• You get a lifestyle. A heavy equipment career is a social career. You will work outdoors with other people, it is a great way to make new friends.
• You earn a decent wage. It can be hard to make a living as an unskilled laborer. Heavy equipment operators can take home some serious money.
• You get stability. A heavy equipment career is exactly that, a career. In a heavy equipment career, you can achieve long-term meaningful employment.

Contact us at Associated Training Services to learn more about how to kick start your heavy equipment career.

This is part three of our Truck Driving Tips to Save you Money series. Today we are going to look at a few little maintenance tricks that can improve the fuel economy of the truck that you are driving.

Tires Make a Difference

Tires play an important role in fuel economy in truck driving. Tire pressure is absolutely critical to performance. This subject was broached in an article on Equipment Today very recently and is worth repeating.

As tires deflate, rolling resistance increases. “As you start to lose tire pressure, your sidewalls start to sag,” Matsil explains. There is more rubber on the road. “You have more friction, so the rolling resistance increases. Consequently, the amount of energy required to move the vehicle down the road increases.”

Check your tire pressure at least once per week and make sure that you do so in the morning. Tire pressures will change with temperature, so make sure that you fill your tires cold for the most accurate results. Just how important is tire pressure? According to the same article, correct tire pressure and axle alignment can reduce your fuel consumption by up to 3-4%. That is a sizeable amount, especially over a year.

Change your Filters Regularly

Fuel filters that are full will cause a loss of power that might see you revving the engine harder than would otherwise be necessary. Keep an eye on your fuel filters and change them as required. Air filters can have a similar impact and if you are in a dusty environment, you are going to need to change them more often.

Do you have any tips and tricks related to truck driving? If you do or have any truck driving related questions, please feel free to contact us at Associated Training Services.

Many people who come to Associated Training Services are curious as to just what heavy equipment training involves. Our training programs are designed to prepare our students for a real workplace as much as possible and our heavy equipment training techniques are designed to get you there in a step-by-step process that is as efficient as possible.

We don’t want to waste your time or ours in your heavy equipment training, but we do want to be sure that you learn all of the components thoroughly. Your heavy equipment training will come in both theoretical and practical forms. Our theory lessons will give you a detailed knowledge of the heavy equipment that you are training to use. Our practical lessons will have you put that knowledge into practice as you would in a real workplace. As you gain more competence from your heavy equipment training, the difficulty of the practical lessons will progress. Our simulated work environments give you a real feel for what it is like to handle heavy equipment on the job.

If you have never done practical training before, it can be intense and even a little stressful. We are not naturally born with the skills that are required to run heavy equipment. They must be learned and then put into practice. It is our hope that you can go straight from our heavy equipment training into the workforce and our programs aim to prepare you to do just that. Heavy equipment training can be tough at times, but it is well worth the effort.

If you have any questions about our heavy equipment training programs, please do not hesitate to contact us at Associated Training Services.