Heavy Equipment Industry News Updates

Training Is Important Throughout The Construction Industry

In an industry like construction, where techniques, materials, equipment, and regulations are constantly changing, continuous training is vital to maximizing work force productivity, work quality and leader development...

...The most traditional training providers have been the state's 16 technical colleges. They continue to be a primary source of training for construction and industrial workers, offering education in skilled trades ranging from construction labor, bricklaying, masonry, carpentry, electrician, welding, HVAC technician, and plumbing, to equipment technician, surveying, drafting, and architectural design...

...Another source of training is contractors themselves, many of whom hold their own training programs about safety, productivity, quality, specific skills, and other topics important to their employees and company.

Training is also available from manufacturers and dealers, who offer courses about using and maintaining the products they sell...


Ingersoll-Rand Agrees to Buy Trane for $9.95 Billion

Dec. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Ingersoll-Rand Co., the world's largest maker of truck-refrigeration units, agreed to buy Trane Inc. for about $9.95 billion in cash and stock to add air- conditioning systems, more than tripling climate-control sales.

Many heavy equipment and construction companies will hire on the spot since the demand is so great for heavy equipment operators. None the less, this is a chance for you to meet the team/company and a chance for the prospective employer to meet you. Being well-prepared for the interview and its questions can arm you with getting the best offer you are worth. Below are some tips and sample questions that have accumulated specifically to heavy equipment operators. The day of the interview, wear nice dress slacks with a nice shirt, tie optional.

5 General Tips to Always Remember During the Interview:

1. Never Lie. Always tell the truth. Make sure your resume does not include lies either. They want to know why they should hire you and how you can benefit their operations.
2. Be Confident and Positive. The interviewer will not be confident in you unless you exhibit confidence in yourself. They want to see positive can-do attitudes.
3. Sit up and Stand Straight. Don’t slouch or seem unnaturally stiff. Just sit straight up with good posture.
4. Smile. Smiling will relieve some of the stress and allow you to be more personable with the interviewer.
5. Be Respectful and Courteous. The interviewer may be viewing your every move as generally they are signs of your behavior and attitude. Since you have already gained an interview opportunity, they have already expressed interest in your capabilities and experiences/education.

*They are not allowed to ask personal privacy rights questions. Most interviewers are aware of this. They can not discriminate or ask about age, gender, or race. Do not get too personal, and remember to be positive.

Questions that Seem to Come Up during a Heavy Equipment Operator Interview
Common in the construction industry, interviewers will ask behavioral type questions such as the following:

What is your greatest personal achievement?
Where do you see yourself in five/ten years?
What is your favorite color?
What is your worst quality?
What are your strengths/weaknesses?
Do you have any questions for us? Always answer this. Do not say you don’t have any questions. Ask about the company history, the size of the company, who you are replacing, anything about the position. Basically you want to show them that you are equally interested.

Remember you want to show that you are positive and will be a great asset to their operations. Always lead back to this and you should do fine. Be confident and well-prepared and you will soon be part of a team. Have fun with the monster toys!

Here's a great interview with a Heavy Equipment Operator:

Any advice for those seeking a career as a Heavy Equipment Operator?

Start out at the bottom, learn to check grade for operators and laboring. Watch closely what the veteran operators do, I learned most of what I know just from watching. Be prepared for long hours, long periods of isolation from others, extreme heat and dust in the summers and the joy of zero degree temperatures in the winter; it is definitely not for everyone.

Career as a Heavy Equipment Operator

Heavy equipment operator training is an essential educational prerequisite for any potential candidate looking to enter a stable and rewarding career in operating heavy equipment. With a rise in construction projects around the world, heavy equipment operators are in demand. The Department of Labor states that the career outlook for heavy equipment operating is on the rise and very good. Heavy equipment operators require specialized training in order to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to obtain and keep a job utilizing heavy equipment. Although experience will be accumulated with on-the-job hours, it is absolutely necessary that a potential operator receive proper training prior to entering the field.

Heavy equipment is the tool vital to nearly every business or individual in the construction industry. Heavy equipment operator training is essential for the proper and effective use of equipment such as backhoes, scrapers, excavators, motor graters, loaders, dump trucks, bulldozers, and other heavy vehicles.

Heavy equipment operator training programs usually range in duration from a little over a month to as long as 6 months. Most programs offer a good balance between in-classroom studies and out-of-classroom field training. Classroom courses cover important safety procedures, engineering, math, setup, maintenance and other fundamental topics. Field training consists of hands-on equipment training with emphasis on operations in a variety of situations and environments such as varying types of soil, slope, terrain, and climate conditions.

Upon graduation, a well-trained heavy equipment operator will be qualified to operate most common heavy equipment including backhoes, bulldozers, grader, loaders, excavators, and more. The heavy equipment operator trainee now enters the work force armed with the proper techniques and knowledge. The pay range of new candidates is around $13.00 to over $20.00/an hour dependent on the location, company, and scope of project. Many companies will not hire a candidate unless properly trained through accredited programs. Many heavy equipment operator training programs offer job-placement assistance upon graduation.

If you are already in the construction industry, or are looking to start a career in the industry, heavy equipment operating may be a great decision for you. To begin your career in heavy equipment operating, training is essential. The potential candidate should plan accordingly. Many government grants and scholarships are available to assist in obtaining proper certification and training.

Additional Heavy Equipment Training Resources:

Compact Excavator Training by Bobcat
Bobcat Training Resources

Excavator Training is essential to the construction industry as excavators are one of the most widely used heavy equipment on job sites. Excavator training is also a core concentration of training among most heavy equipment training certification programs. Proper training will help to insure safe and efficient operations of the vehicle in the field. Proper training will benefit both new and experienced operators of excavators by showing safe, efficient and productive applications along with various techniques to enhance or improve the safe operation of excavators.

An excavator is an extremely versatile engineering vehicle consisting of an articulated arm, bucket and cab. Ranging from the mini to a full blown near 200,000 pounder, excavators are used in many roles such as material handling, digging (trenches, holes, foundations, etc...), demolition, general grading/landscaping, heavy lifting (for example: lifting and placing of pipes), river dredging, mining, and more.

Excavator training begins by identifying the various parts and components of the machine. Maintenance concerns are covered in detail as well as pre-op inspection. Safety standards are also stressed during this phase of training. Safety is key and most fundamental to operating and training of any heavy equipment. Many training programs will cover both OSHA and industry safety standards.

Excavator training includes trench digging, trench servicing and backfilling, loading haul units, and benching and sloping. Training will also cover respective safety concerns during these processes.

Digging trenches is the most common work task expected of excavators. Proper training will cover common trenching procedures. Preparing the trenching job, operating techniques, trench sloping, grade checking, various digging techniques, and productive cycle times are covered when examining trench digging with excavators. Proper trench digging will insure successful utility installation.

Various bedding procedures that are common to utility installation are addressed during this phase of excavator training. Servicing trenches, bedding procedures, backfilling, compaction procedures, and changing/carrying buckets are covered. In addition safety concerns will be addressed.

Loading trucks is also a very common task that an excavator operator will face. Excavator training will properly cover techniques such as preparation of the loading area, positioning the machine, positioning the truck, positioning the material in the truck, excavator setup, efficient tactics, dealing with steep slopes, and damage prevention. Of course, safety concerns will also be addressed.

Benching is a cut and fill process that is fundamental for performing many basic excavator operations. It is used in attaining a proper excavator setup as well as pioneering roads. Topics covered include cut and fill operations, road building, maneuvering the machine, benching Techniques, sloping Techniques, grade checking, and finish grading.
Understanding the fundamental procedures for proper setup, maintenance, use, and safety of the excavator and its operators will ensure successful candidates to enter sites well prepared. The demand for heavy equipment operators, including excavator operators, is on the rise. Operators can make a great living after proper training and certification.

A little old news, but came across it today. Check out this cool simulator. The company received recognition for some of their former crane and excavator personal simulators. Operators can enhance their skills on one of these.

Simulators In Use at National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools

If you have a knack for using machinery and enjoy the operations, pursuing a career as 'heavy equipment operator' is worth considering. It would offer a rugged outdoor lifestyle with reasonably good payment and a chance to really enjoy what you do to earn your living.

A heavy equipment operator handles big heavy machines used in the construction, mining and agriculture industry. These machines are mostly hydro-mechanical equipment and require special knowledge and skills to operate and maintain and repair. Most machines are put to use for grading and landscaping, excavating earth and transporting men and material. The list of machines that fall within the definition of heavy equipment is quite big. However, the more common ones that can be seen functioning and operating on construction sites and mines etc are shovels, bulldozers, excavators, loaders, heavy-duty tipping trucks, graders, forklift trucks, cranes, drilling machines, motor graders, asphalt pavers, skid steer loaders, roadrollers, compactors, pile drivers, pipe layers etc.

Similar to any other career that needs possessing specialized skills, a career as a heavy equipment operator also needs specific technical education of a certain level to include modules covering preventive maintenance of equipment, basic safety, including specific modules on backhoes, loaders, graders, dump trucks and tractors etc. A heavy equipment operator not only operates equipment, but is also required to adjust, maintain and ensure timely small repairs to these huge machines that despite their size are delicate in many respects. They are extremely expensive and incorporate many sensitive and sophisticated high tech components that can easily get damaged if not handled with care. A bulldozer along with attachments can easily cost up to half a million dollars or even more. In such conditions, employers are becoming increasingly hesitant to employ unqualified operators to handle such machines.

Therefore, a qualified and skilled heavy equipment operator is more and more in demand. This demand is going to keep increasing over the years as billions of dollars are being spent on new projects by the government and private industries as well. You can see new dams, flood control projects, hydroelectric plants, and transmission facilities being built to cater to growing requirements. All this will involve huge numbers of heavy machines and qualified operators.

Sensing the growing need for qualified operators for heavy equipment, top equipment training schools came together to form NAHETS (The National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools) in order to promote higher technical standards and training required for operators of today's high-tech machines. NAHET schools have an advanced training curriculum that includes theoretical and hands-on operating and maintenance training on latest equipment.

Apart from NAHETS, The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) also offers certification leading to heavy equipment operator credentials. It is a not-for profit education foundation established by manufacturers, big contractors and national trade associations. NCCER certifications are highly valued by employers.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics data of 2005 indicates that heavy equipment operators were paid $17 an hour. However, qualified operators equipped with training and certification got $30 an hour. With numerous openings for employment, pursuing a career as an educated and certified heavy equipment operator can be a rewarding experience for anyone who prefers an outdoor work environment and physical work that includes working on machines.

Heavy Equipment Careers are well paying and in demand. Did you know you can finance your education? We are fully accredited by the DETC. Visit our website http://www.earthmoverschool.com/index.htm.

The heavy-equipment industry is looking for some young blood.

Being outside in the elements keeps a lot of workers away, said Doug Tait, president of W.C. Spratt Inc. He'd like young people to realize they can make good money--and offer useful skills--after learning a trade.


Scholarships geared toward construction

Heavy equipment simulator gives trainees a taste of on-the-job excitement. Driving a heavy equipment simulator is a bit like being a lead player in a video game located in a mine.

It's like playing video games in a mine

Building for the future: Students look at heavy equipment jobs

MASON - More than a dozen high school students from the Capital Area Career Center got a look at what it's like to be a heavy equipment operator Monday.

The students spent an hour with apprentices from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 324 Operators' Training Center at the Ingham County Fairgrounds watching the equipment in operation and talking with operators.

Heavy Equipment School Announces A Steady Increase In Enrollment

Orange Park, FL (PRWEB) October 27, 2007 -- The Florida based Heavy Equipment School providing operator training, National Heavy Equipment Operator School (earthmoverschool.com) announces that their enrollment numbers are steadily increasing as workers clamor for proper certification and training. The increase in training enrollment is not expected to decline anytime soon due in part to a report released by the "1000 Friends of Florida" predicting the future growth of Florida.

The outlook for Florida in the next fifty years according to the "1000 Friends of Florida," is a doubling of development and population from coast to coast. This expansion is expected to continue through to the year 2060. The population is estimated to grow to a considerable thirty-six million residents. The report also predicts explosive urban growth for central Florida and the expansion of Southwest and Southeast Florida as rural areas become more urban. The report also states that all vacant land in the Florida Keys is slated for possible development, including areas inaccessible by car.