Monthly Archives: January 2017

Job opportunities for heavy equipment operator

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Construction sector is quite a widely spread industry which has lot of requirement of human resources. Right from the laborers to heavy equipment operators, all play a crucial role in this segment of business. It is somewhat simple to get construction workers but getting experienced operators is way too difficult and is one of the biggest challenges with the major construction houses. They are unable to work in full strength due to shortage of heavy equipment operators which is why a good chunk of machines are lying idle at the jobsite. It is not that heavy equipment operators have paid meagerly which is why they are less in numbers. It is simply the scarcity and hence the demand is huge.

This is the situation in most of the cities in US and as a matter of fact, the operators also have good demand in the overseas market which actually lures them to go out for few years and come back earning decent money. The job opportunities for heavy equipment operator starts right from the day they graduate from their institution. There are interviews held at the campuses of different institutions and the young guns are picked up from there. Since they are without any experience, they are nurtured and molded into fine operators and are allowed to work on machine under the guidance of an experienced operator. The experienced guy monitors their work and gives his report to the higher management. This is probably how the newbie are rated and they perhaps receive their hike on the basis of this report.

Well, once they spend a couple of years operating different kinds of heavy equipment and have a hands-on knowledge, most of them begin switching companies. They move to the next construction company probably a bigger one with the hope of a better package and gain more experience. The brand of the construction company that they will be joining also matters as it will decide what they can expect from the new company. Once they are 5-8 years old in this line of business they have set up a position in the industry. It means that they will not be turned down by any construction company as long as their conduct is good and are not engaged into any sort of unethical activity.

Other than working for a construction company, they can also work on contracts which mean that they are not employed by the company. However, they are paid more than what an operator who is employed with the company earns. Well, people who work on contracts are ideally very experienced people to whom the company can’t afford to keep throughout. Therefore, these people are hired and once the work is done they are paid their dues and they move on to the next company. They may use their own machines or can operate the ones provided by the company. Some are also hired to just teach the newbie and monitor their performance. Give them the feedback and nurture them into competent operators.

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Buying equipment overseas and shipping it to North America

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Just because the economy has opened up, it has led to doing business without much restriction all over the world. The world has shrunk to a larger extent when it comes to doing business internationally. This means a person located in Singapore can easily manage his daily business affairs that he has spread across several countries. Many small time businesses who were not able to grow in the domestic market suddenly became successful as they were allowed to trade overseas. The businesses that did not have many takers in the domestic market were able to benefit a lot once the overseas doors were open to them. Heavy equipment manufacturing companies that were founded in America have now spread their wings in many countries and are operating from there. So let’s say if you need a specific machine that is perhaps not manufactured in the US, it gets shipped from some other country and the order is met.

The reason why many heavy equipment companies have switched their manufacturing units from US to other countries is they get cheap labor and cheap facility as compared to US. Since they get everything so cheap and yet come out with supreme quality product is one of the prime reasons why they have moved their offices to other countries. It does not certainly means that they do not have any manufacturing units left in US. It is just that they are hedging their profits by having separate units all over the world. Other than that, they can also meet the demand of the construction industry of the country they are currently located in without having to spend more money in shipping the item from some other country. One more reason why it makes sense to produce heavy equipment in a country having cheap labor and ship it to US is the end product will cost far lesser than what it would have been if it was produced in the US.

Import and export restriction needs to be analyzed:-

Every country has some restrictions on the import and export of materials and so does US. All you need to do before you place an order outside US is contact the customs and inform them of the heavy equipment that you want to import. Check the restrictions that they have and what you can do to clear them by following the law of the land. The cleaning the quarantine department may pose some kind of problem to you as they will not want foreign germs and bacteria that is usually found in the soil and remains stuck to the tires of the machine. They might ask you to come along with certified heavy equipment cleaner who will clean the stuff and then you can take the machine.

Update yourself on taxes and duties:-

When you order heavy equipment from overseas, you are liable to pay certain tax and duties on the item. You need to update yourself on those duties. Get in touch with a professional customs dealer who will inform you about it and you can be prepared for your next move.

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Rent Heavy Equipment Texas

Experiencing monetary crunch – Don’t buy heavy equipment. Rent it

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People who are from the construction business frequently experience the problem of unable to buy heavy equipment dues to shortage of finance. They may have got big projects to work but often find themselves short of heavy equipment and when they think of buying few machines they experiences huge shortage of finance. Heavy equipment are thousand dollar items and you will not get any at a dirt cheap rate as long as it is an outdated model and is being used by none. Those types of machines will be of no use to you. It is better that they are sold as scrap.

So what can you do when you are in the middle of signing few very important and life changing projects and at the back of your mind you know that you are highly short of heavy equipment and are in no position to buy new stuffs. Well, the better way to deal with this kind of a situation is to rent some machines for the time you think you will need them to complete the project. Though you have to spend some money each and every month as paying rent to its owner but still you will be able to get your work done. Later if you feel like you can buy one such equipment you can take the call but till the time you are having monetary issues, you should not be thinking about increasing them by intending to buy more machines.

One of the most appropriate ways to take heavy equipment on rent is to do it online. There you can find numerous machines posted by various owners; all wanting to either sell their machines or rent it out. Searching for heavy equipment online will give you good enough options. You also will be able to see the pictures of the machine, read the description and analyze if this is what you should be looking at. Few online portals also allow you to contact the owner of the machine so that you can speak to him and clear your doubts if you have any. You can also try to negotiate the price with the owner only if he is comfortable in doing so.

It is very important that you estimate the duration for which you need the heavy equipment. It is very much possible that you have to contact different owners and take machine on rent from them. You may not find one person renting all the different types of machines you need. Therefore knowing which equipment will be needed when is very crucial. It is also possible that one owner has lot of machines with him but has listed only a few. You can check with him if he has more stocks and if he wishes to rent them as well. You may get all the fruits in one basket.

Last but not the least; make proper rental agreement with all the terms and conditions stated explicitly in it. This will help you to safeguard your rights and you do not have to pay more for anything that’s not mentioned in the agreement.

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Top 5 motor graders on rent

Construction industry requires different types of heavy equipment. A motor grader is commonly used in construction industry and is referred to as road grader or a maintainer. It is a machine with a long blade used to create a flat surface during the grading process. It moves earth from one location to another and levels the soil by spreading it evenly. It is easy to operate in almost any terrain or weather condition. It can produce inclined surfaces for roads. Graders are the workhorses of construction industry, hence they are always needed on the worksite. Today they are highly in demand due to increase in construction activities. It is often observed that regular users buy them on rent or on lease, which is a cost-effective approach. Similarly, the first time users of this equipment try the rental option instead of purchasing new equipment.

Caterpillar, Komatsu, John Deere, Case, and Volvo, are the world’s topmost brands which manufacture different types of heavy equipment including motor graders. These brands are very popular and are trusted in construction industry. Thus, they are highly preferred for heavy construction activities due to the quality, durability and reliability. They sell or rent or lease their equipments. They provide new and used equipment on rental basis either directly or through their authorized dealerships.

The following are the reasons why topmost brands offer their equipment on rent.

  • Due to the increase in construction activities, there is huge demand for motor graders. Heavy equipment including graders are very expensive and it’s difficult for construction companies to purchase a new grader for multiple jobs on their work site. Further, there is an economic downfall, where a customer may not afford to buy brand new grader.
  • In case of short term projects, buying a new grader leads to waste of money since the grader is used for a particular duration after which it is not used.
  • When the current grader at a construction site is damaged and it needs to be repaired.
  • Due to the increased quantity of work on site, more number of graders are required.
  • The user wants to try a new model which is advanced technologically. However before purchasing a brand new one to be used for a long time and the option of buying on rent is helpful. The user also gets an idea of how the equipment performs and if it is suitable for his work.
  • Most buyers prefer for used graders which are rugged, reliable, easy to operate and maintain by local, low skilled crew, ready availability of spare parts and have high resale value. They do not want to work with grader equipped with highly sophisticated technologies and electronics in particular, since they lack operators with the required skill sets to operate and maintain the machine. Used equipment of Caterpillar and Komatsu are in demand.

 

Buying on rental basis becomes a feasible option, where one has to pay monthly rents the cost of which is affordable. In addition it has been observed that these both used and brand new equipment are maintained very well by the Rental service provider.

Machines that matter the most in the construction domain

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Heavy equipments are considered as the most important element of the construction industry and each machine has its specific role to play. So whenever you go out to shop for heavy equipment, you must know which machine you need to buy. There are few heavy equipments that are mostly required irrespective of which sphere of the industry you are in. For instance, if you are into landscaping you may need a grader, an excavator and at times a dozer. However, if you are into building bridges, you may need more heavy equipments than for building a landscape.

So the genre of business you are in defines what kind of construction machines are needed by you. It is quite imperative for a construction business owner to understand the functions of heavy equipments in his business. He can’t go for every type of heavy equipment that is available under the sun. He needs to understand the role of the heavy equipments in his line of business and thereby make necessary purchases.

We will be discussing about some heavy equipment which are commonly used in almost every construction site.

Rollers:-

Rollers are ideally used to construct roads but they are not restricted to just road construction. They are used for leveling the paths on the construction site as well. One can understand how difficult it is to walk on crooked paths and that too when you are working in a perilous ambience. You need to have proper ways that are properly leveled and also smooth enough to move without any hindrance. This will allow people to move with comfort causing almost 0 injuries while walking on the site. In this way rollers also provide good deal of safety to the workers.

Excavators:-

Almost every construction site requires some amount of digging work and the most convenient and suitable construction machine that can be used for this purpose is an excavator. Its huge sharp claws can dig deep inside the ground and remove the mud out. You only need to change its attachment to make it multi-functional. This is perhaps the most sought after heavy equipment in the entire construction domain. You will hardly see any construction project without an excavator. Though there are now alternatives in place but the old players still want to work with this piece of metal.

Dozers:-

Let us now talk about the unbreakable or the one that has the potential to break anything. Well, a dozer is heavy duty equipment that is known for its capability to mow down the toughest structure. While bringing down a building, a wrecking ball is attached to the front of it and then the ball is moved in full force and it bangs the object. Doing this continuously brings the structure down. This form of equipment is used during the initial stage where a permanent structure needs to be pulled down and will be replaced by something new.

These are perhaps few construction machines that matter the most in the construction domain and have also earned its reputation for the right reasons.

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The importance of IT team in the construction sector

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The world that we live in is driven by computers and software and most of our businesses are completely dependent on the software. If anything goes wrong with any of the software then it can take a toll on our business and therefore it is a must to ensure that the computer related things are always in place. You name any industry on this planet and you will find them associated with technology and software. So when we are so dependent on such an important stuff, it becomes our prime responsibility to ensure that they do not go wrong at any time and just in case if the systems fail to perform the way it used to then we deploy people who can take charge of the situation and rectify the problems. This is where the Information Technology (IT) guys come into picture. They are the ones who perhaps develop the software and then also provide necessary support to it so that if it develops issues at any given point in time then they can fix it and make business run as usual.

The significance of the IT team is felt in all the industry and so it can’t be ruled out that the construction industry also needs them the most. There are big construction houses that have a permanent IT team who will help resolve any issue pertaining to the software or any technological problems that has occurred in the jobsite. These guys knows the best to resolve the problems as they have either developed the software or have probably studied about it and understands the intricacies of it through which they can easily identify the issue and can therefore resolve it.

Software has caught some bug:-

We all know how a bug or virus can prove to be lethal for the software and if care is not taken to uproot the issue then the entire system may collapse. This means that if you have the gate of the jobsite connected to some software which allows it to open automatically just with the press of a button, with the attack of the bug you will not be even able to open the gate. Virus can cause severe damage to the software which in result can become completely defunct. In this scenario, you need the IT team to take care of the situation. They will work things out for you by installing some kind of anti-virus and remove the bug that has harmed the system. Moreover they will keep the software updated which means that the chance of virus hitting the software is lessened.

Computers not working:-

Construction companies have teams who have to continuously monitor the stock of materials and also need to make sure that they never go out of stock. There have been situations when for some reason or the other their computers stop working. This is again handled by the IT department. People from the team attend to such issues and try to fix the problem. They can either replace the computer if that has stopped working or will replace the software if it is a software related problem.

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Care for the safety of heavy equipment

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We often consider safety as one of the most important factor irrespective of the nature of job that we are into. We do differentiate between jobs that are more risky and less risky but then at the same time we also take the riskiness seriously so that we do not harm ourselves. Similarly, we should also understand that the equipment that we use in our daily work also get exposed to certain risks and it is our duty to ensure that the equipment are safe and sound. Safety of equipment become more crucial when they are related to an important work assignment without which you will not be able to proceed with your work or when the equipment are too expensive that you can’t afford to go lousy on them. You have to take the extra care to ensure the safety of your expensive equipment.

When we talk about expensive equipment we certainly can’t miss talking about heavy equipment that plays such a crucial role in the construction sector. Heavy equipment are highly expensive machineries which cost thousands of dollars and at times it even goes in millions. Not many in the construction sector are ready to pay thousands and not take proper care of it. Therefore it becomes so important for the user to ensure that the machines are safe at all times and in order to maintain the required level of safety, the person in charge has to follow few safety parameters. These safety parameters need to be followed at all times.

Cleaning the heavy equipment:-

A construction jobsite is full of dirt and filth and heavy equipment are expected to work in this dirt. Other than that, at times the machines also have to work in treacherous conditions which make it more vulnerable to dirt. The dirt gets accumulated in the interiors of the machine and it gradually weakens the machine from the inside. The best way out is to clean the heavy equipment on timely basis. One can’t clean it every day but they should fix a couple of days in a week where they will spend good amount of time to clean the equipment. Now you can do this job yourself or take it to a workshop where the guy will spray water and get it cleaned. Doing it yourself will be appropriate than giving it to someone else.

Keep the equipment properly greased:-

Once you are done washing the machine, you also need to check if the machine is properly lubricated or has the grease being washed away with water. Grease does not ideally get washed away so easily but you got to maintain your checks and apply lubricants wherever you find it to be necessary.

Clean your engine by regularly changing the engine oil:-

The engine is considered to be the most vital organ of construction equipment. It is the engine that keeps your machine moving and therefore should be given due importance. Changing the engine oil at regular intervals is quite crucial as it keeps the overall health of the machine in order.

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A scraper can generate decent rental income

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If you have heavy equipment that are not in use and you do not know what you should do since you do not wish to sell it off, the best option you have is to rent it to people who need them for their construction business. There are many construction companies who are having a hard time to carry on with their business as they encounter unavailability of heavy equipment. They can’t afford to buy every kind of heavy equipment under the sun but still needs to continue with the project. This is where they need machines on rent. They understand that by taking the equipment on rent, they have to pay the rental money every month which is something that they can easily afford. Other than that, brand new heavy equipment are way too expensive and do not make sense to buy them for just one project. You never know if you will need them again for the next project as there is a possibility that you may have to use some other equipment.

A scraper has the potential to generate decent rental income. As a matter of fact, any heavy equipment has a lot of value attached and can be a good source of rental income to its owner. Therefore if you have a Scraper which is not in use and you expect to not use it for the next couple of months or years, you can let it out to someone who may have some use of it. Scraper is quite useful heavy equipment when it comes to moving dirt. Scraper is widely used in big construction as well as mining sites. You will get to see different types of scrapers in any mining site. Therefore it is never a liability when it is not in use. There are different types of scrapers and each type has its own specific purpose. There are these Coal Bowl Scrapers which are predominantly used in mining sites or the open Bowl scraper which is self-loading hauling system and it is used in almost every site.

A machine with so much use attached to it can fetch you good rental value. All you need to do is keep the machine in good working condition so that people are ready to pay the money just by having a look at the equipment. Keep the machine well maintained by servicing it at regular intervals. Replace any part that has gone faulty. Change the engine oil regularly and do everything possible to ensure that the equipment stays healthy and performs better at the jobsite.

You can list the scraper on any online portal that primarily deals with sale/rent of heavy equipment. They might charge you a bit for listing the item but that is worth the deal. You should mention about your machine in details in the description section and also add the intricacies like the rental amount and the period for which you wish to rent the stuff. Post some pictures of the item and put it on the listing. This will attract viewers who are more likely there to take scrapers on rent.

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Be ready to pay heavy penalties if fail to protect the workers

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An employee joins a company expecting that the company will protect his interest and he will work in a safe and sound environment. But if the employer does not follow the safety norms and plays with the life of the employee, such employers are bound to pay heavy penalty for risking the lives of its employees and should also affect the license to conduct any further business. This law should be applicable to every industry and should not be industry specific.

Also, there should be a governing body which will regulate the laws and will work for the larger interests of the workers. The law of the land should also be stringent enough and the convicts must be dealt severely. Here in US, we have quite stringent laws when it comes to protecting the rights and interests of employees and if an employee meets an accident that happened due to employer’s negligence resulting to the injury or death of the employee, employer should be ready to face the brunt of the law.

Construction companies in US have to be particularly sure that they are providing all necessary safety accessories to the workers because if they fail to do so and if it results in an accident the company will have to pay the price for it. Construction sector is by all means is considered risky for its employees. Right from operators to engineers and welders to construction workers, none of them are safe as long as all the precautionary measures are followed by the construction company.

Penalties can lead to thousands of dollars:-

If there is an incident that occurs on the jobsite which results to grave injury or death can lead to severe penalty on the company. It will have to pay good sum of money that can be thousands of dollars to the victim of the accident. Therefore it becomes extremely crucial for the construction company to ensure that it provides safety accessories to one and all. No employee whether permanent or contractual will work without wearing proper safety accessories. The contractors need to ensure that the safety measures are followed and that no employee violates safety procedures. If an incident takes place, the company not only loses a valuable resource but also good sum of money.

License may get cancelled:-

A construction company also needs to keep a thorough check on the number of incidents that has happened on the site. There are chances that the company may lose its license if it fails to follow the safety norms and if the numbers of accidents are on the rise. The law of the land is quite strict when it comes to things like these and no one can play around with the lives of young men irrespective of the nature of job that they are in. One can understand the consequence of the license getting cancelled and the amount of loss the company will have to bear.

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Risks of not following safety instructions

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Till date, there have been a number of incidents where a sudden unexpected explosion or a fire takes place in a chemical factory, and leads to numerous deaths and heavy financial loss. Also on daily basis the machine operators meet with either minor or major accidents (where the worker loses his hand or even his life). This reason why such unfortunate incidents occur is due to failure to follow safety instructions at the work place. There are dangers associated while performing certain tasks. If appropriate care is not taken while performing these tasks, they turn out to be risky for life. Hence, care needs to be taken by following safety instructions. Safety instructions make a user/worker aware of risks in their work and guide them how to avoid injury while performing those tasks. Failure to follow the necessary instructions can cause serious injuries or even lead to death.

Manufacturing, construction, mining, production and warehousing represent a few examples of industries where a number of daily tasks are full of risks. For example, welding work generates fire of high temperature, drilling requires use of heavy equipments, use of heavy machinery to lift, load and unload and destruct things on construction site, working at heights and so forth. There is risk associated with most of the tasks, hence the worker needs to follow the safety instructions and use safeguards such as the use of safety glasses along with a protective shield, footwear, protective suit while entering the boiler cabin and hearing protection. Chemical industries use different types of chemicals. Some chemicals are marked with ‘X’ on them, indicating that they are poisonous and hazardous and safety instructions are written below them. The user is required to follow them while using these chemicals. Some chemicals are to be opened only in a chemical hood. Similarly every chemical has a specific storage condition. Failure to follow the safety instructions leads to permanent damage both to the user and others too.

Therefore, it is necessary that safety instructions should be documented at work place for risky procedures and implement training for hazardous tasks. While making these safety instructions they need to be reviewed by experienced workers. Proper implementation of safe procedures involves training and supervision. The workers should not just read it but also follow it. To ensure the same supervisors or managers will need to constantly instruct and monitor the workers. If the worker does not follow the safety instructions then he needs to be counselled and trained again. If the risk associated with a procedure can be minimized then it should be implemented. For example, if instead of manual drilling work, if mechanical lifting device can perform the same with safety, then it should be used. Similarly if less hazardous solvent serves the same purpose as the hazardous, then it should be purchased. Further the work procedures need to be reviewed periodically and modified.

Thus, safety instructions when followed, allow to perform the risky work with care and minimize accidents and lead to a safe work environment.

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