When looking at recent job vacancies for heavy equipment operators, one can’t help noticing that employers are looking for operators who can operate a wide range of equipment. It’s impossible to be trained on every piece of equipment in use; for example, how do you learn to operate a snow plow in the middle of summer? I guess you could go to Alaska.

In fact, no one expects operators to have had basic training on every piece of equipment. Rather, being trained to operate the basic equipment in use is what is important. You need to learn how to dig a trench (excavators, backhoes), how to move dirt (bulldozer, grader), and how to load trucks (loaders, backhoes). More importantly, and this is the real key to a successful career as a heavy equipment operator, to build confidence in your ability to handle that basic machinery.

Why? Almost every piece of heavy equipment in use is simply an offspring of one of those units. Back to the snow plow – it’s really a cross between a loader, grader and bulldozer (depending on the type of snow plow). If you have confidence operating that machinery, it’s a piece of cake hopping into another piece of machinery and becoming proficient in its use. You will most likely require a quick how-to on that new machinery, however, since the levers, pedals and controls are similar, you will pick it up quickly.

The moral here is simple. When undertaking heavy equipment training, don’t go to a training school where you are trained on only one piece of equipment. Attend a heavy equipment training school where you’ll be trained on a variety of heavy equipment. Your aim is to become a confident as possible on as many machines as possible. This will set you up for that successful career as a heavy equipment operator.

It used to be said that when it came to heavy equipment operators bulldozer operators where a dime a dozen. These days, the opposite is almost true with most new operators looking at the more technical equipment such as excavators and road graders. There are still a lot of good bulldozer operators out there, and their ranks are slowly growing as new operators join them. Great operators are harder to come by these days, especially as our older operators start to retire. So if there are good operators around, what makes a great operator?

There is really only one way to become a great operator – and that’s through experience. However, experience alone will not suffice unless that experience has been one long learning curve. And that really is what makes a great operator – someone who treats every job as a learning experience. Every piece of dirt reacts differently. There are buried rocks, tree stumps, and all sorts of odds and ends. A recent story was more than interesting – a bulldozer unearthed a buried car, and yes, it had been stolen ten years earlier and buried – that was certainly a learning experience for that operator.

It’s true of most heavy equipment now. Every job has the potential for a new experience and that alone offers the opportunity to learn something new. A good bulldozer operator starts by laying a good skills foundation. This can only be achieved by completing a good quality heavy equipment training program. Follow that up with relevant work that allows you to build on that training and you’re well on the way to becoming a good bulldozer operator.

If you can continue to learn, rather than just turning up each day to do a day’s work, then you’ll quickly become a great operator – someone who can work on a variety of different surfaces, under a variety of different conditions, using different bulldozers each time. That’s experience that’s been put to good use – and a great operator in the making.

Heavy equipment is a field that involves a wide range of equipment. To be successful, operators need experience on more than one type of machine. With some equipment, the types of operations are very similar, it’s just the type of equipment that is different. The easiest machinery to see this in the backhoe and the loader and excavator.

It has often been said that if you can operate a backhoe successfully, you will have no trouble operating a loader or an excavator. In truth, each of these machines is decidedly different. However, they have enough similarities that if you were trained in each you would have no trouble swapping between them at a moment’s notice.

To say that a backhoe works in the same manner as an excavator is not quite right. Sure, knowledge of dirt and the way it reacts when working with either machine is the same, and the process of digging a trench is very similar. Backhoes are generally wheeled vehicles while excavators are normally driven on tracks (also known as continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks). Maneuvering each is very different, and often stabilizing is also different.

Loaders, too, are different compared to backhoes. While the process of moving dirt is very similar, loaders are often articulated while backhoes are normally one solid unit. Articulated requires different driving skills and maneuvering can be tricky if you haven’t had any experience.

While loaders and excavators are different than backhoes, the actual work involved is often very similar. Some employers prefer to use backhoes whilst other prefer two separate machines. What is important is to have heavy equipment training that exposes you to, and gives you, in-the-seat practice in all three machinery types. That will prepare you for a career where you can operate any one of those machines with confidence, and with skill.

I am, perhaps, exaggerating a little when I compare modern heavy equipment technology with an Xbox – but only a little. The technology that is found in modern heavy equipment is certainly of Xbox quality with computer microchips controlling many of the operations. It has also been said that those who regularly play computer games are already half way to becoming heavy equipment operators since they have excellent hand-eye coordination.

Motor vehicle technology has moved to heavy equipment with similar computer technology that controls a motor vehicle’s performance being used to ensure heavy equipment engine runs smoothly. Heavy equipment machinery like motor graders are starting to use computer technology to accurate set the positions of their blades – and using GPS and laser technology to continually fine tune those settings to deliver precise gradings. Computer technology is also being introduced to other machinery such as excavators to enable them to dig to precise measurements.

There are some training organizations that are incorporating computer controlled heavy equipment simulators in their training. While these simulators are helpful, they still don’t beat being outside in a real machine, working on real dirt. While technology is starting to playing a much bigger role in heavy equipment operations, the basics still remain the same. Bulldozers push dirt around, excavators dig holes, loaders still load dump trucks – the technology that is being incorporated is designed to get a job done using the smallest amount of fuel possible while in most cases producing very precise results. More importantly, new technology is making it easier for operators to complete tasks quickly while not affecting the quality of their work – and time is often a construction company’s biggest enemy.

For new operators coming into the work force, the difficulty is knowing what sort of training to undertake. Simulators, for example, usually train operators on heavy equipment that has all of the latest technology. In reality, the workplace is using a wide range of equipment, some of it is still 20-30 years old. The most effective training involves getting into the cab of a range of equipment, some new and some old. This gives students a feel for both the old and new technologies and delivers a better all around training experience. When considering a career as a heavy equipment operator, look for a training organization that is going to deliver training across a broad range of equipment.

If you’re under 30 and dreamed of one day operating a bulldozer, excavator or any other heavy equipment, then listen up – your country is calling. At least, employers are. We have a rapidly aging heavy equipment operator work force, many of whom will be retiring in the next five years. The average age of operators is now well into the mid-40s and the number of younger operators coming through is dropping each year.

Heavy equipment operations is best suited to mature and steady minds. However, that doesn’t mean that younger minds cannot succeed. In fact, by starting young, by the time you get to your mid-40s, you will be an expert at your trade, if not running your own heavy equipment business. While unemployment may be high, there is still plenty of demand for heavy equipment operators and this trend is expected to continue for at least the next ten years – unless of course we can recruit a lot of younger people to the industry.

If you’re interested in a heavy equipment career, then acting now will have you perfectly placed to take advantage of this demand. You can undertake heavy equipment training that will have you work ready in as little as three weeks – and this is across a range of equipment. You can also receive assistance to help you find your first job as a heavy equipment operator.

Being a heavy equipment operator may not be as flashy as some jobs sound, however, as a career it’s rewarding. You are not repeating the same job over and over again, and there’s plenty of room for growth.

Are you ready to step into the shoes of those about to retire? If so, find out more about your heavy equipment training options. Don’t dream the job – experience it.

While excavators continue to be used primarily for digging trenches, they still have a variety of uses, even in that task. Excavators can have a wide range of tools fitted and the tasks they can perform range from splitting concrete or rock to raising and lowering loads. As an operator, you need to learn how each of these tools are used if you are going to have a successful long term career.

Watching an excavator at work can be an interesting experience. They may start by lifting part of a concrete sidewalk to gain access to the dirt below. They then switch to a digging tool to start digging a trench. If they are being used to replace underground pipes, they will switch to another tool to help lift the old pipes out of the ground.

As an operator, you need to work with precision using the right size tool for each job. With pipe work, an operator will often lower the new pipe into the ground and then slowly refill the trench. Some of the newer smaller excavators also have bulldozer-like blades at the front. This can help to speed up the back filling process.

You can become an excavator operator by completing three weeks of heavy equipment operator training. This will prepare you for entry level employment in an industry that is often well paid and continually looking for more skilled workers. You will also be entering a profession where learning never stops – your heavy equipment training course is only the first step in a career long learning curve. Every new piece of ground has the potential to teach you something new.

Backhoes are one of the strangest looking vehicles in a construction yard. They always remind me a little of a scorpion, sitting there with a stinger folded back behind them. What a backhoe offers to an operator is the combined capabilities of a front-end loader and an excavator – all in the one vehicle.

For operators who have been trained in the right environment, there is a good chance they will be skilled in all three machines. This adds a broader range of machinery to their employment options and can make a difference between being in work and having days or weeks between jobs. Being multi-skilled can make a huge difference to an operator’s career.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools offer students experience in a variety of heavy equipment including backhoes, loaders, and excavators. When a student graduates, they can choose whichever path best suits their skills (and ideals) – or they can choose to follow the multi-skilled path operating a variety of equipment.

Longer term, the two most popular vehicles chosen by operators when starting their own business is the backhoe and the loader. Of course, cost plays a big role in this decision with these two vehicles often being the lowest price in the heavy equipment field. However, bulldozers come in a close third, and they are not exactly inexpensive to acquire.

Backhoes really do bring together the best of loaders and excavators. At the same time, backhoes have challenges of their own for operators to navigate. The next time you look at a backhoe, don’t look at it as being a cut down version of a loader and excavator. They are vehicles that have a real life of their own – and in today’s construction industry, a very important role.

You can go and learn to be a backhoe operator, or you can go and learn how to be a bulldozer operator, but what if I told you could learn to be both in one training program? In today’s world, being multi-skilled is a must. When it comes to heavy equipment, if you can operate a front end loader and an excavator, then you can most likely operate a backhoe as well.

What’s more important is that today’s world is changing quite quickly. Today, there may be a high demand for grader operators; next month, it could be excavator operators; in winter, the demand could be for bulldozer operators that can also handle a snow plow. What we do know is that demand for heavy equipment operators is growing – the demand for each type of machinery will depend largely on what direction new operators take. If you are a multi-skilled heavy equipment operator – you can follow the winds of change to what best suits you.

Rather than undertaking equipment-specific training, finding a training organization that delivers training across a range of heavy equipment makes logical long term sense. Your training provides the platform for you to become a general heavy equipment operator rather than the narrow single equipment operator.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools provide training on a range of equipment such as backhoes, graders, loaders, bulldozers, and excavators (just to name a few). Training includes both in-class theory and safety aspects along with in-the-cab actual operator experience of a range of equipment. This prepares you to either specialize in one area, if that’s your decision, or to become a general operator across a range of heavy equipment.

Heavy equipment – the term conjures up images of big bulldozers, excavators, and perhaps even backhoes or loaders. You need to be big, strong, and tough to operate this equipment, so women are going to struggle – right? Wrong, wrong, and wrong. You don’t need to be big; you don’t need to be tough; and women are certainly not going to struggle when it comes to operating this machinery.

The fact is, there are hundreds of women operating heavy equipment – perhaps more. If you include truck drivers, then you can certainly start to number them in the thousands. It’s still not enough. Women have proven to be very good operators, especially when it comes to tasks that require attention to detail. Heavy equipment used to be a man’s world, but today’s technology means that almost anyone can operate them.

Can a woman make a successful career as a heavy equipment operator? Many have and they thoroughly enjoy the work. Perhaps there’s a little something about stepping into that ‘men’s world’ that appeals. It could be that many of these women have been fascinated by heavy equipment since childhood. It doesn’t really matter. If you are a woman and you are looking for a challenging career, working outdoors, and controlling heavy equipment like bulldozers or excavators, then a heavy equipment career is right for you.

When it comes to gaining employment, your search starts by undertaking heavy equipment training. If you undertake your training through ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools, then you will not only receive well-recognized training, we’ll help you find that first job – a job that will start you on the path to a career as a heavy equipment operator. Don’t let anyone tell you a woman can’t do the job – they can, and are, successfully – and so can you.

Computers have been good for a number of things. Communication, storing information, and playing games. In fact, gamers probably make up about half of all computer use in homes around the world. Serious gamers develop a lot of skills, and some of those skills actually make them a perfect fit for heavy equipment operations. If you look at today’s heavy equipment technology, there are similarities to playing games – just on a bigger scale.

There is a lot of machinery today that operates using joysticks. However, one of the biggest advantages that gamers have when it comes to operating heavy equipment is the almost perfect hand-eye coordination that they have. Admittedly, the close-up screens are not the same as the window of an excavator or grader, for example, but hand-eye coordination is still very much the same. There are many gamers that can adapt from playing games on their PC or laptop to playing on a console using a television screen very easily.

Are you a computer gamer who’s looking for a change of career? If you’re one of these people whose parents said that gaming was a waste of time, perhaps you can prove them wrong by putting those well-ingrained skills to good use as a heavy equipment operator. You can receive training and be ready for employment in just a few weeks. Heavy equipment operators have an interesting, varied, and reasonably well-paid career.

Heavy equipment operators can choose from a variety of equipment to work on including excavators, bulldozers, graders, loaders, and backhoes just to name a few. Gamers have great hand-eye coordination, working to precise measurements, and using light fingertip controls are what is necessary today – not the brute strength that was required many years ago.