If you’ve ever considered working with heavy machinery, enrolling in a training program has probably crossed your mind. When you attend classes at an accredited heavy equipment training school such as West Coast Training, you ensure that you’re well prepared to start your new career. You’ll also be able to start your career feeling comfortable using large and complex equipment and being certified to do so.
There are many types of training courses you can enroll in. Some are specific to certain machinery, such as a mobile crane operator course. Others, such as a heavy equipment operator course like ours at West Coast Training, will give you well-rounded experience using lots of different equipment and allow you to receive National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) credentials. Our course, which is taught by NCCER-certified craft instructors, provides students with 400 hours of quality instruction, credentials, certifications, and hands-on practice. With this kind of heavy equipment education, you’ll be eligible to work with many types of machines in job positions all over the world.
Our Heavy Equipment Operator course will give you the hands-on machinery experience that you need. Here are just some of the machines you can learn to run when you enroll in an NCEER heavy equipment training class.
1. Loaders
Loaders are an important machine at construction jobsites and one that you’ll become fully trained to use at West Coast Training. The job of someone operating a loader is usually to move large material, such as pieces of earth, from one place to another. It’s also used to move pieces of equipment from places that other heavy machinery can’t access due to their size. Instead of carrying most material around, professionals will usually load it onto the loader and then drive it to the destination.
Aside from moving useful material around, loaders are also helpful when it comes to cleanup after a construction job is almost finished. As workers are completing their tasks, it’s not unusual for debris to fall on the ground, creating piles of waste that can’t stay there after the job is done. Loaders, with their accessible arms, can easily scrape the ground to pick up this debris and help to leave the job site in good condition.
2. Graders
Grader machines are predominantly used for road construction sites or jobs that need ground leveling. If that’s something you’re interested in, NCCER heavy equipment training will be a good choice for you. To repair or replace concrete roads, the surface needs to be as flat as possible before any layers are put down. This is where the grader steps in, as it’s able to prepare that surface by using a special blade. The blade, which is located beneath the frame, can be up to 24 feet wide and is perfect for making sure the ground is even so that it’s ready for the permanent material placed on top of it.
3. Dozers
Bulldozers are a well-known machine on construction sites, but there are actually a few different types of bulldozers, and each is useful for a different reason. A mini bulldozer, for instance, is able to get into small spaces where a typical bulldozer can’t fit and can usually handle just as much work. On the other hand, wheel bulldozers are much larger in size and have large wheels on their base instead of a track system. They are preferred over bulldozers with tracks because their wheels are easier on softer ground.
Lastly, a crawler bulldozer is perfect for clearing land and terrain in preparation for building. The tracks make it perfect for traveling through tough terrain. You’ll obtain experience with different types of dozers during your time at West Coast Training and be ready to work with them out on the field when you’re finished.
4. Excavators
Excavators are another machine that has a variety of types. Some have tracks underneath, some have legs, and some even wheels. Excavators are predominantly used to move earth from one place to another but are able to use many attachments that allow them to do things like break up concrete. The attachments that excavators use make them one of the most versatile pieces of machinery on a construction site.
Excavators are perfect for demolition sites, utility work, or mining. They can move earth by digging into the surface and transporting the earth to a different location so that workers are better able to work with the land or material that they need underneath. When you’re trained to use an excavator, you are sure to be a useful employee on any jobsite.
5. Scrapers
Scrappers aren’t as popular as some of the other machinery used, but they are essential to construction sites because of their unique capability. Scrappers are large machines that have a cab near the front and a large wagon section that it pulls behind it. The wagon holds a blade that excavates material and then stores that material in the wagon until it becomes full. This makes it a useful machine on a construction site because it essentially cleans up after itself. Having a scrapper on-site eliminates the need to follow the machine with other equipment to clean up after it, making the work much faster to complete. Being knowledgeable on how to use a scrapper can be an asset to construction sites and put you ahead of the crowd when looking for employment.
During the eight-week Heavy Equipment Operator course, eight Fridays will be completely devoted to being in the training field, receiving hands-on, supervised instruction with these types of machines. Once you complete the course, you’ll be prepared for an entry-level career in many industries, including industrial, surface mining, construction, forestry, and recycling. If you think this type of schooling is a good fit for you, learn more about becoming a student. And if you’re unsure about if this career is right for you, try taking this HEO Career Training Readiness quiz for a second opinion.
