The Rise Of The Mini Heavy Equipment Workforce

I doubt there will ever come a time when the brute force of a large bulldozer, or the finesse of a grader, or an excavator’s precision is no longer required. However, there is no doubt that mini heavy equipment is gaining in popularity. There are plenty of reasons for this – they are cheaper to buy so trained operators can become owner-operators quickly and with ease, and the smaller-sized equipment can squeeze into areas that the larger heavy equipment can’t.

While smaller equipment like bobcats and mini excavators have been popular with landscapers for many years, we are now seeing large construction companies including them in their workforce. Mini heavy equipment vehicles can be easily loaded and transported quickly, they can get in and get a job done reasonably quickly, and the amount of work they can do often belies their size. A mini excavator can have a rather large bucket fitted and lift a fair amount of dirt out of a trench for its size.

Mini loaders, while much smaller that their bigger relatives, can fill a truck quickly because of their nimble abilities. They can zip around quite quickly and still lift a fair amount of dirt with each load. So when it comes to a work-load-to-size comparison, mini heavy equipment is starting to come out in front, or at least give a bold showing.

This leaves new recruits to the industry in a quandary – do they specialize in mini heavy equipment or head towards the larger, more traditional vehicles? That’s a personal choice that is up to you. What is important is that you give yourself that choice. By undertaking your training through an accredited well respected heavy equipment training school, you will receive instruction and experience on a range of equipment. This will prepare you for the workplace and put you in a position to make a choice. If you attend a training school that only provides instruction and experience on a piece of machinery, your options will be limited to that piece of machinery.

When seeking a heavy equipment training school, make your first question count – ask them what equipment you are going to be trained on. If they don’t offer you are good range, walk away and find another heavy equipment training school.