The Doors That Heavy Equipment Operator Training Can Open

Most people go into heavy equipment operator training programs with a set agenda. They may want to become bulldozer operators, or perhaps excavator operators. Some want to learn a range of equipment to make themselves more employable. For most people, life after training follows that agenda. There are, however, many other types of equipment in use, and the pathway to operating this equipment is often through the basic heavy equipment machinery.

So what equipment could you aspire to operate? This depends on the industry you want to enter. In road construction, there are wheeled rollers, heavy rollers and asphalt-laying machinery. In forestry, you could be operating specialist equipment that is used to handle fallen trees. There is a wide range of specialist equipment used in the mining industry, and even there you have a choice between above ground (open cut) and below ground mining. Other industries that make use of specialist equipment include ports (dockyards), general construction, and some manufacturing industries.

There is little in the way of specialist training for these fields, with employers often taking well-trained and experienced heavy equipment operators and providing on-the-job training on the machinery they use. In road construction, for example, it’s not unusual to start as a bulldozer operator or grader operator and to then progress onto other machinery within the company.

The path to this specialized equipment starts with quality heavy equipment operator training that is then backed up with experience in the workplace. In today’s workplace, one leads to another with employers preferring to hire new operators who have graduated from highly respected training schools. Heavy equipment operator training can open doors to more specialized equipment for those who are looking for something different.