Yes, you read correctly. Dancing excavators. I write this post, not so much to highlight the fact that excavators can dance, but to highlight the precision of the excavator operators. In one video, whilst the excavators don’t appear to be that big, when you have an excavator bucket and broom traveling at speed, it will do some damage when it comes into contact with something.

Precision comes from experience. However, that experience is based on the initial training that an excavator operator receives. If the initial training is poor, then the on-the-job training skill development becomes so much harder. In fact, many new operators walk away from the profession because they cannot cope, and they reason they cannot cope is because they have had such poor training to begin with.

A well trained operator will be confident (without being cocky) when taking control of his/her equipment. The more time they spend using that piece of equipment, the more confident they become – in fact, an operator soon learns to trust instinct as much as anything else. That is a skill that does take time to develop.

Good quality training starts with the selection of a training organization. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools has a long history of providing quality excavator training that is relevant to today’s workplace. We pride ourselves on providing our students with a solid platform of skills and knowledge that enable them to quickly gain on-the-job work skills. In effect, our quality training helps an operator fast track their career.

If you are looking to develop the skills similar to those shown in the video, contact us at ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools and we can discuss what options are available in becoming a heavy equipment operator.

As follow up to yesterday’s post detailing the skills of a crane operator, today’s post details the skills required to apply for most truck driving jobs. The most important component to any truck driving job is the commercial drivers license that all truck drivers need to obtain.

Your commercial drivers license really only says that you are competent at driving a truck and that you know the road rules. The license says nothing about the other skills that truck drivers generally require. Here is a list of some of the skills that employers may be looking for when recruiting new drivers.

• Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles of the size required for the job. This could range from a dump truck to tractor-trailer combination.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stopping, and handling of materials.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Being able to maintain records such as drivers logs, mileage and fuel details, deliveries and any other associated documentation.

Does it sound daunting? It isn’t. With experience these tasks are done almost without thinking. Most of them are also covered to some extent in any training you undertake. Operating the truck is only one part of your job. At your destination you may be expected to unload, or at least help, to unload your vehicle. You will also have to supervise the loading to ensure there is a reasonable distribution of weight.

Truck driver training covers a lot of the skills mentioned in this post. Obviously, truck driver training focuses first on learning to drive a truck and knowledge of the road rules required to gain your CDL. Experience over time helps to fill in any of gaps. If you have a flair for any of those skills then why not consider a career as a truck driver?