You’re looking at your future, trying to figure out where to go with your career, and it’s a lot to take in. While much of the advice and articles often focus on white-collar industries that require years of expensive college tuition, that may not be the right fit for you. Maybe you’re more active and want something hands-on.

If that’s the case, read on and learn about becoming a heavy equipment operator.

What is a Heavy Equipment Operator?

In many ways, the term “heavy equipment operator” is fairly self-explanatory. But there’s obviously more to it than that. Heavy equipment operators work in building and construction and are certified to drive, maneuver, and control the different kinds of heavy machinery that are used out in the field. Backhoes, bulldozers, cranes – you are trained in all the ins and outs of their operation, cleaning, and maintenance on an active construction job site. It’s a broad category that encompasses a lot of different opportunities.

What Kinds of Heavy Equipment Jobs Are There?

There are as many different kinds of jobs are there are kinds of field equipment. ZipRecruiter listed 10 of the highest-paying heavy equipment jobs in 2024, and they included careers like:

  • Belly Dump Driver
  • Tower Crane Operator
  • Gantry Crane Operator
  • Commercial Front Load Driver
  • Blade Operator
  • Hoist Operator
  • Crane Rigger

And that’s just scratching the surface. You can train in excavators, industrial trucks and tractors, forklifts and booms, paving and surfacing equipment, scrapers, graders – the list goes on and on, and every piece of equipment you learn expands the job opportunities available to you.

Where Would I Find Work as a Heavy Equipment Operator?

Almost anywhere in the country, quite honestly, because heavy equipment is used in many settings, including:

  • Construction – This is one of the biggest areas that need trained operators because heavy machinery is vital to efficiently, accurately, and safely completing building projects.
  • Infrastructure – Roads, bridges, paving and surfacing – our world doesn’t work without the vital infrastructure that supports it, and that infrastructure doesn’t get built, repaired, or maintained without heavy equipment.
  • Manufacturing – Certain types of manufacturing plants, especially industrial plants that deal with a lot of raw or bulk materials, leverage heavy machinery.
  • Mining – Oil and gas extraction companies utilize heavy equipment to unearth resources, lay pipelines, and more.

As a trained heavy equipment operator, there are a wide variety of job opportunities out there, depending on where you want to work and what industries are most interesting to you. And with the construction industry projected to add more than 25,000 new jobs over the coming decade, your future prospects are wide open.

How Do I Know if a Heavy Equipment Operator Career Is Right for Me?

There are, of course, no guarantees until you actually jump into the job, but here are a few signs that a job in heavy equipment operation might be a good fit:

  • You like to be active and outdoors. This is a career field for people who prefer moving and physically working as opposed to being trapped behind a desk all day.
  • You value safety and communication. On any job site, safety is of paramount importance, and clear, constant communication with your coworkers will be key.
  • You’ve got patience and a strong attention to detail. There are a lot of procedures, checks, steps, and protocols when it comes to driving heavy machinery, and you can’t cut rush or corners.
  • You’re open-minded and willing to learn. There’s no room for ego on a job site; too much pride and attitude can get someone hurt.

How Do I Get Qualified for Heavy Equipment Jobs?

Unlike other careers that require years of sitting in college classrooms and racking up tuition debt, training to become a heavy equipment operator can take you far less time and help you get ready for a new career in a matter of weeks. If you already have your high school diploma or equivalent, your next step is to enroll in a vocational training program that can give you a hands-on education in operating heavy machinery.

Training Programs

A good Heavy Equipment Operator program will teach you the necessary safety protocols and regulations while also prioritizing physical time in the seat to practice on real equipment. Before enrolling in a program, investigate who the instructors are (hint: it should be people with real-world operator experience) and what kinds of equipment you will use. For example, at ASC Technical Institute you get seat time in top-tier equipment brands like Caterpillar, Deere, and Volvo.

Certifications

Once you’ve graduated, you’ll need to have your OSHA certificate for safety, but you may already have that depending on which career training program you selected. At ASC Technical Institute, our students can take their OSHA certification exam once they’ve successfully completed the program.

Every state has its own standards for additional licenses you might need. In Texas, for example, you’re good to get hired with just your OSHA Certificate and formal training, but you could also consider the DOT TX Qualifying Exam, the National Center for Construction Education and Research certificate, and the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators certificate.

Steer Your Future With Career Training at ASC Technical Institute

Becoming a heavy equipment operator can open up a wide variety of opportunities to build a career in construction, manufacturing, and more, and ASC Technical Institute can help you get started. We offer three different Heavy Equipment Operator programs to choose from, all of which prioritize hands-on training, and our accelerated program can get you ready to work in under 4 weeks. If you’re interested in learning more, contact ASC Technical Institute in El Paso, TX, today.

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