Are Simulators Effective For Grader Operator Training?

If you watch enough television or go to the movies, you are bound to have seen airplane flight simulators, but what about grader operators and other heavy equipment? They are around in various stages of technical design. Some are reasonably good, some are just plain terrible. What they all lack is the fresh air and the dirt under your feet. Sure, I could get a simulator, throw a bucket of dirt on the floor and put on the air conditioner, but it still isn’t the same.

Nothing will ever beat actually getting into a grader and working it over real dirt. Simulators can copy the effects quite well, but they are, well, simulations. The real thing brings with it real time problems, real rocks, and real people working around you. Simulations can take the reality out of the learning and turn it into a game.

Here at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools we are proud to use real graders with real dirt. You learn to operate a grader with your hands on the controls, not you looking over an instructor’s shoulder as they do it all. You get to walk in the dirt and assess what type of soil it is, how hard packed it is, and how best to approach the job. Simulators can only go so far; you cannot bend down, pick up the dirt and look at it in a simulator.

If you’re interested in a career as a grader operator, or as an operator of heavy equipment in general, contact us at ATS and we will be happy to discuss what training options are available for you – using a real grader, not a simulator.