Heavy Machinery Operator Schools – Construction projects have been delayed as companies struggle to attract and retain talent.

These include heavy equipment operators, technicians and truck drivers.

In a difficult and volatile economy, take advantage of this labor shortage with the best heavy equipment operator training courses for 2024.

Before you jump into school, let’s take a look at some career prospects such as: Heavy Equipment Operator, Heavy Equipment Technician, Truck Driver, and Truck Technician.

Heavy Machinery Operator Schools

Here are top 5 Heavy Machinery Operator Schools you should know!

Heavy Equipment Operator

The first Heavy Machinery Operator Schools is located near Madison, WIsconsin.

Associated Training Services (ATS) was established in 1996 as a subsidiary of Diesel Truck Driver Training School, established in 1963.

Located near Madison, Wisconsin.

Students outside commuting distance can remain on campus for three months to complete their program.

The school offers various programs such as:

Heavy equipment operation
Operating a mobile crane
Tower crane
Articulated jib crane
Lateral drilling
Commercial Truck Driver (CDL)
Rig/signal head

ATS is making a special effort to reach out to veterans, who can use their GI invoices to pay for their education.

The school provides all veterans with access to free housing and employment within the United States during training.

Over the past 25 years he has over 4,000 veterans enrolled in ATS.

Side note:

Veterans will benefit from Helmet-to-Helmet Support, a national non-profit program that “connects active duty transferees, veterans, National Guard and reservists with quality training and quality career opportunities in the construction industry” can receive.

Also Read: 2 Ways How To Get A Heavy Machinery License

International Union of Operating Engineers

The second Heavy Machinery Operator Schools named is International Union of Operatin Engineers.

The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) employs over 1,000 full-time and part-time trainers in local unions.

Each individual is an experienced and highly qualified travel-level operations engineer.

Their program is:

H&P construction
Pipeline
Safety and health
Petrochemistry
Fixed engineer

Students can study at any of its100+ IUOE campuses or at the International Training & Education Center (ITEC) near Houston, Texas.

The facility has a 265-acre campus, 8,120 square feet of meeting space that can accommodate up to 900 people, and 17 classrooms and laboratories.

It also has a crane field with over 15 pads, a simulator room, a heavy equipment workshop, a welding station, a central supply plant with training redundancy, a 227-room dormitory, a fitness center and a full dining facility. The union also offers an apprenticeship program designed for people with little or no knowledge of the trade.

The union helps them become travel-level industrial engineers in three to four years.

Field training takes place both onsite and offsite.

There are also places to coordinate volunteer service projects such as: B. Build a baseball diamond in your neighborhood that gives students both hands-on experience in the workplace and the richness of the community.

Also Read: How Much Do Heavy Machinery Operators Make Based on 3 Jobs

Heavy Equipment Colleges of America

Next Heavy Machinery Operator Schools use Adaptable Equipment Profiency Testing Program or ADEPT.

Heavy Equipment Colleges of America (HECA) trains students to operate heavy equipment and use the Adaptable Equipment Proficiency Testing (ADEPT) program.

This is a nationally recognized heavy equipment operating certification and is highly regarded by employers for testing and certifying students on all equipment except cranes.

The National Commission for Crane Operator Certification (NCCCO) has its own national certification program for crane operators.

Students will learn basic operations, safety and maintenance, site layout, floors, and hands-on math.

Also included are blueprint reading, general construction skills, staging and setup, proper execution and accuracy to maintain lines and depth. The Associate of Occupational Science in Heavy Equipment (AOS) course teaches students how to find and maintain jobs operating heavy equipment through online and classroom instruction.

Locations include San Bernardino, CA; Oklahoma City, OK; Atlanta, GA; and Washington, DC.

However, not all programs are offered in all locations. Washington DC is for veterans only.

Also Read: 8 Heavy Machinery Moving Equipment: Your Choice!

Heavy Equipment Operators School

The fourth Heavy Machinery Operator Schools offers 3 week course.

The organization has member schools in nearly every state.

This school offers a 3-week course that includes Heavy Equipment Operation Level 1, Heavy Equipment Operation Level 2, and Mobile Crane Operation 1.

The first two courses introduce students to backhoe loaders, wheel loaders, skid steer loaders, articulated dump trucks, bulldozers, motor graders, draglines, watercraft and utility tractors.

The Level 1 syllabus includes basic construction safety, OSHA and NIOSH requirements, an introduction to construction mathematics, an introduction to hand tools, and an introduction to blueprints.

Students also learn basic rigging, bottoms, grades, equipment operation, equipment preventative maintenance, and career opportunities.

The Heavy Equipment Operations Level 2 syllabus includes earthwork, safety enhancements, additional floors, and introduction of grades.

At Level 2, students operate more advanced equipment, motor graders, draglines, and watercraft.

The Mobile Crane Operator 1 program, also in three weeks, he said, “provides essential skills and knowledge in operating and assembling mobile hydraulic cranes and employment as an entry-level rigger or crane operator in the drilling and/or construction industry. It’s meant to be. Get it.”

Graduates of this program are nationally accredited and have taken the first step toward obtaining national accreditation through the NCCCO National Commission.

The curriculum includes crane terminology and nomenclature, basic scientific principles related to operating mobile cranes, rigging practices, crane operation and safety, lift planning, load dynamics and charts, computer aids, Including preventative maintenance.

Read Also: Heavy Machinery Movers Near Me Based on 6 Locations!

Forestry Works

The last Heavy Machinery Operator Schools is Forestry Works located in Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee.

A forestry office is a logging machine operator school that teaches students how to operate heavy machinery such as logging machines.

Three locations: Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee.

The School’s Equipment Operator Training School is designed to enable students with little or no experience of the skills, knowledge, safety certifications, and Professional Logging Manager (PLM) status to enter the workforce as logging equipment operators4. It’s a weekly program.

Classes begin at 7:00 am and the class curriculum includes safety, forestry dendrology (tree identification), afforestation, sustainability, corporate governance, communications, and the Professional Logging Manager (PLM).

In the afternoon, starting on Day 1, students go to the logging site and climb into the machines. Onsite training covers equipment safety, best practices, wood sales, basic equipment layout and maintenance.

Class sizes are limited to eight people, so there are plenty of one-on-one and hands-on opportunities.