Category Archives: heavy equipment

Job Prospects and Career Guidelines of becoming A Paving Machine Operator

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Want to become a paving machine operator. Read this article carefully to know more about the career opportunities and professional outlook in this field.

Education and Training required for Paving Machine Operators

Most paving machine operators start as apprentice or a trainee and work under an experienced operator. Training can also be taken from vocational schools. The best institution is The International Union of Operating Engineers which offers training to an apprentice and to those who are interested to make a career in this field. The duration of the course is up to 4 years.

Proficiency Required

An operator should possess good communication skills, as he have to take and give directions while operating the machine.

They should easily deal with large and complicated heavy equipment and also have comprehensive knowledge about them so that the machines can be maintained and repaired well and quickly.

Career Prospects

The career prospects in this sector are lucrative, bright and full of optimism. There are 54,460 posts available to the operators in a research conducted by the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2012.This sector will witness a employment growth of 20 percent by the end of the year 2022 according to the BLS.

Other Career Options Available

Apart from driving a paving machine an operator can also find jobs as Material Moving Machine Operator and Heavy Tractor Driver.

Material Moving Machine Operator

A material moving machine operator makes application of heavy construction equipment such as cranes or conveyor belts to move thing from one site to another. They can find work in different industries, or in places like a storehouse, mine or sea harbour and ports. There are no proper education qualification for becoming material moving machine operator , but a high school diploma and experience in the construction industry will stand you in a good stead as many industries prefer it.; You can start as an apprentice and there are scopes for growth. However in order to be a crane operator you will need special license for operating it.

In future the job opportunities of  material moving machine operators is  believed to remain  unaltered starting   from the year  2012-2022, with job  growth  approximately at 1%.

Heavy Tractor Driver

Becoming heavy tractor driver is another option available to the operators. A heavy tractor driver is a professional driver who complies with the rules laid by the federal regulations. A proper commercial driver’s licence is a prerequisite, as you need to drive the machines carrying hazardous materials and other perilous cargoes. The tractors are heavy and can weigh up to 26000 pounds. The operator also needs to keep in touch with the dispatcher for solving various tractor related problems. They are also responsible for maintaining mileage and also plan the long distance routes.

To sum up paving machine operation is a specialised job and the operators have to undergo extensive training to develop and gain good skills and comprehensive knowledge to operate them. They also need practical experience and exposure to drive such large and complicated equipment.

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Guide to start a business of heavy equipment

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The industry of repossession is growing continuously. It offers a lot of business contingencies to the people who want to start their own business of heavy equipment. This kind of business has lot of growth opportunities. It is because this constructional heavy equipment are used for forestry, construction, mining and transportation purposes. But, to start a business, it is very important to have a strong business plan so that you can easily take your business to the top. You only have to do a little hard work and calculations to build up your successful business strategy. You don’t have to search over the internet to make your business plan. Just follow the simple steps given below and you will definitely rock.

Business plan for heavy equipment

  • The first thing which matters is the budget. You should plan your budget in such a way that you won’t face any financial crisis afterwards. Create a list of all the equipment that you are planning to get. If you have a low budget, then go for buying used equipment. Your budget should include all the money that you have to pay to the marketers as well as to the employees.
  • Now, choose a proper name of your business. Then you have to file all the exact information of DBA with the local government. After that, try to get the license of your business as soon as possible.
  • Your driver’s license should contain the appropriate classification for hauling heavy equipment. Get the license checked by the motor vehicle’s local department of the state. If you are planning for driver hiring, then check their driver license too.
  • Purchase or rent a space for commercial office. The space should have large storage yard so that you can keep big and heavy equipment in that.
  • You can also employ contractors who work independently. By doing this, you can save a lot from your budget. But, the independent contractors should have a proper insurance.
  • Lease or purchase the equipment for your company. The equipment should bear the necessary info of your company like name, address, logo and contact details.
  • Develop strong marketing strategy. Contact with the companies who are involved in financing the constructional equipment purchases. Meet them face to face and try to give them every information of your company which will help you to explore your business.
  • Now, one of the most important steps towards marketing is developing a website with proper logo and company’s name. Your website should have an attractive design to draw more traffic to the website.
  • You should join the industrial agencies such as American Recovery Association. It will help you to apprize with local and national news of business referrals.

Starting a business of heavy equipment is not so easy. You have to be very careful of every step that you are going to take. But, this thing shouldn’t demotivate you. Be brave enough to face the challenge and explore your heavy equipment business globally.

6 Myths About the Heavy Equipment Fleet Management Software That You Need To Know About

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There is no doubt about the fact that the entire construction industry heavily relies on the heavy equipment in order to finish off a construction project within the given deadline. As such, one really does not have to explain the importance that heavy equipment fleet management holds in the entire scheme of things. Though it has been shunned and criticised by a number of people, one cannot deny the fact that heavy equipment fleet management has enormous competitive advantage of its own.

Heavy Equipment Fleet Management- Myths That Need Busting

The heavy equipment fleet management software has been successful in giving rise to a number of preconceived notions in the market. Needless to say, these are quite untrue.

  • It is true that heavy equipment fleet management software allows you to have access to a number of data on the hardware of the equipment. However, if you expect the software to work of its own accord and give you returns on investments, then you are going about it in absolutely the wrong direction. You have to know the way of utilising the data s availed optimally so that you can receive huge profit.
  • People also feel that they can go for any fleet management software and the result will turn out to be the same. However, that is not the case. The heavy equipment fleet has its own set of concerns and therefore, the solution for the system, too, differs from one another. It is therefore, best to consider this aspect and go for fleet management software that caters to the individual requirements of the heavy equipment.
  • The heavy equipment fleet management software allows the concerned authorities to monitor the behaviour of the equipment operators and put a stop to misuse of the equipment along with tracking them. This allows them to cut down on fuel consumption, thereby, cutting down on the overall expense of the company. Hence, one could easily conclude that this heavy equipment fleet management software in no way intrudes on the privacy of the workers.
  • Contrary to the common preconceived notion, the heavy equipment fleet management software cannot be said to be an expensive deal in the long run. The initial purchase and installation charges might prove to be a pocket pinch, but the subsequent benefits more than makes up for it.
  • A lot of people consider operating the heavy equipment fleet management software to be an exhaustive procedure. On the contrary, operating the entire thing is quite easy only if the concerned authority have a commendable system administrator at their disposal.
  • A lot of smaller heavy equipment fleet management companies tend to think that they do not require fleet management software because of the small size of the company. However, this is a myth as small fleet management companies can make use of this system to improve things.

The heavy equipment fleet management software is quite a lucrative deal if one manages to get past the myths existing in the field.

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Becoming an expert mechanic of heavy equipment can ensure lucrative career

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It takes ages for a person to establish his career in any sector and top of it is abundantly painful as you have to strive for every inch that you make of yourself. In today’s time when time is money, it becomes difficult for people to wait this long. However, patience always bears fruit and thus the one who works harder can expect good returns. Same goes for becoming heavy equipment mechanic. A person who aspires for this profession as his career may have to go through lot of troubles and hardships and then he can expect to start getting some returns. Nevertheless, the one who is able to stick his foot to the ground and take all the struggle with a smile can make it to the top. Becoming an expert mechanic of heavy equipment is not a joke. One has to invest a lot of his time and energy studying about different kinds of machines, know the in and out of the machine and only after gaining enough experience can expect a lucrative career in this profession.

One thing is for sure that the guy who knows the most of a machine has huge demand in the construction sector and sky is definitely not a limit for him to grow. We will be discussing on few pointers that one should keep in mind if he has decided to make it big as a heavy equipment mechanic.

Getting basic education on heavy equipment is a must:-

Basic education on heavy equipment is a priority for any aspiring person. You need to know certain terminologies that can only be explained in a classroom session. Therefore a classroom training of approximately 1-2 years is essential. Once the classroom training is cleared, then the basic practical training begins and it is from here that one can pull it off.  Classroom training helps an individual to understand the basic principles which becomes very important when the person goes for practical training. He gets to know the jargons which otherwise is never taught in a practical class. There you are expected to know those jargons and if a person is not aware of it, he will have a hard time knowing things.

Always ask questions:-

Asking questions is something that we basically like to avoid. We get the feeling that our question is a stupid one and everyone knows what could be its answers. However, the reality is not many know the answer and you should not think if it is indeed a stupid one or a sensible one. A question is a question and if it has come to your mind, you need an answer for it.

Work under an expert:-

If you ever get the opportunity to work under an expert heavy equipment mechanic, stick to him for as long as you have gathered enough knowledge from him. Please understand that everybody wants to have good mechanic who can get their machines fixed in no time. Therefore, working under an expert will give you all the knowledge that you require to establish yourself as an expert heavy equipment mechanic.

How to be successful salesman selling heavy equipment

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We all know to sell and as a matter of fact we do various things in our daily lives but some are good in selling things and some are simply great. It depends on what exactly you are trying to sell. Not everybody can sell everything except for few exceptions. Selling heavy equipment is quite a difficult job and the one who can sell heavy equipment can definitely see a bright career as a successful salesman in the heavy equipment industry. So if you are good in selling investment avenues, you may find it difficult to sell heavy equipment as they are not at all related to each other in any fashion. In order to become a successful salesman, one needs to understand few very basic principle of selling and then practice those principles on a daily basis. Slowly and steadily, he will find himself getting groomed into a better salesman and then sky is the limit for him.

Having thorough product knowledge:-

This is the first and one of the most important criteria one needs to possess in order to become a successful salesman. Firstly, you need to understand the kind of heavy equipment you got to be selling and only after that you sharpen your skill by learning more about the product. Knowing the intricacies will always help you in dealing with a tough guy who knows almost everything about the machine. You will not see yourself walking out with your tail between your legs feeling embarrassed with your performance. Having good product knowledge is an essential criteria when it comes to becoming a successful salesman. It actually boosts your confidence as you know that you will be able to answer anything that’s put across to you.

Work on grooming up yourself:-

No one likes to talk to a lousy person. So if you are the guy who is least bothered about grooming yourself up, that will go against you. You may be quite knowledgeable about your stuff, confident enough to speak without fumbling or stammering but your personality speaks louder than you. If you are not able to carry a good personality and look like a lousy lad, things will not go your way. So wear formal when you go for the meeting. Make sure that your shirt in tucked in, shoes polished, hair properly combed and face clean shaved. Sport a good perfume and do not wear anything that is flashy.

Know about your competitor’s products:-

Just limiting your product knowledge to your company will not help. You also need to know the features of the products manufactured by your competitors. Do not criticize their products but you can definitely speak well about yours. So knowing a bit about them will always help you in the long run.

Understand the need of your customer:-

A good salesman is not the one who can sell anything to anybody but he is the one who sells his product after understanding the need of the customer and linking it with his product. So you got to hear him first, understand his requirements and then try to associate it with the product. This will convince the buyer and he may go for the stuff.

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Principal Questions to Be Asked When Financing Your Heavy Equipment

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Established contractors prefer to finance their bulky apparatus instead of procuring it with a huge amount of money. This financing technique brings the benefits of cash flow in their trades. If the contractors want their procured equipment to be disbursed for itself as it is being employed, then the process of financing can be a development engine for their businesses. When the suppliers desire to differentiate the asset purchase with the appointing of an employee, they crave for both so as to produce their keep at the end of the day. An excellent analogy assists the employers to get the salary of the entire year on first day.

If you take the direction of financing, it is necessary to know that all the apparatus finance contracts are applicable for agreeable tariff treatment according to the benefit of Section 179 hastened depreciation. In most of the cases, the contractors can deflate the total amount of the paraphernalia in a year as opposed to lettering it off over a five year term period. The sum of write off differs from time to time. Most of the weighty apparatus companies have more than one financial organisation to vend their equipments in profitable price. Here in the article, you will get to know the most important questions that usually determine the performance of your selected finance firm.

Is the funding company a key lender?

Many kinds of money mongers are available on the souk so it is important for you to know which type of lender is suitable for your business. Usually, brokers collect money from other loan companies to run their process of business deal. Their interest rates are higher and the contracts are unsecured. The publicly-traded and bank-possessed investment organisations are mostly preferred by the construction industry.

Current Rate in the Financial Heavy Equipment Market

Generally, every moneylender in the construction paraphernalia offers fairly same rates. Be cautious of the shortest rates because the money mongers may take other charges and fees to cover up this gap. It is essential for the contractors to find out those organisations that maintain a valuable relationship with their end clients.

To enquire about the disbursement options

It is good process to verify the authenticity of the financing concerns. The reputed funding organisations proffer flexible payment alternatives for instance 12, 24, 36, 48 or 60 months. It is sensible for the contractors to choose the long term so as to decrease the amount of monthly imbursement.

Is the financing organization proffers tax benefits?

The construction business contractors should examine that whether their desired funding organisations offer any tariff benefits or not. Most of the finance deals are based on balance sheets and depreciation. It is advisable to the suppliers to discuss the matter with the tax consultants so as to select the best financial company.

Financing is an extremely effectual method of attaining new heavy equipment while controlling the monetary budget and capital flow. Knowing, with which financial company you are working, enquiring the important queries and reassessing your contract will assist you to avert unpleasant bombshells in future.

Heavy Equipment Surplus Auction

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When we produce something in abundance and do not find many buyers to buy them. It is better that we get the stuff auctioned. It is not that people are not ready to take but it is just that they are not ready to take it at the price you are willing to sell. Ideally, people like to put a price to it. So if they know that you have the stuff in surplus and are still charging more for it, they might simply not show any interest for it but that does not mean they do not want it. They only want you to bring the price down. You either bring it down or you put it in auction so that people determine the price of it on their own and the one who makes the highest bid goes away with the item.

When we talk about heavy equipment, the heavy equipment manufacturing companies also produces machines in bulk and at times they find that there are not much takers. They do not mind reducing the price of the machines but if they still do not find any buyers, then the best option available with them is to auction the surplus heavy equipment. One should not see the heavy equipment that are there for auction as inferior piece of metal. They are as good as any other heavy equipment that is sold at high price.

One may simply wonder why heavy equipment manufacturing companies have to produce in abundant and then later sell it in auction. Well, they do not produce machines in surplus. They go as per the orders they receive from their clients. However, at times some orders go kaput and the clients back off from the order. They do not do this intentionally but they must have their own reasons behind doing this. Now, when there are no takers for the heavy equipment produced by the companies, they are compelled to sell it in an auction at a dirt cheap price. It is primarily these items that goes as surplus and have to be dealt with by getting them auctioned. In this way, the companies that produce machines get saved from booking huge losses and in the same way few lucky chaps get away with a good bargain.

Auctions can happen in many ways. They can put it up in a local newspaper so that people get to know about it or can just spread the word within their existing clients. They probably do not want to involve good chunk of people in the auction and want this to be a kind of hidden sale. They do this for 2 reasons. The first one is they do not want a large population to know that one of their client has backed off. This has have serious implication on their brand image and the second reason is they want their existing clients to have a good piece of the meat by auctioning the equipment at a much lesser price.

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No point in buying new equipment when one can get it on rent

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Construction industry falls in that category of industries that has huge requirement of finances for some reason or the other. They need money to take care of the operating and non-operating expenses, pay the workers their wages etc. They also have to check on the kind of heavy equipment available with them so that in case there is a need to get a new machine they should have the funds to go and get it. Heavy equipment are quite an expensive stuff and one got to be ready in advance and keep the funds available to ensure that the need of the business is fulfilled. Having said this, there is one point that the owner of a construction company can ponder. In case, if they can get the same machine that they are looking for on rent rather than having to buy them, it may save a lot of money of the company and simultaneously they can make use of the funds that were parked to buy the machines to take care of some other business needs.

There is however one very important point that you should keep into consideration before you rent a machine. Since you would be using somebody else’s equipment, you should ensure that the machine has all the features that you would be requiring for the project and the machine is in good shape. You should probably take an expert with you who will examine the machine before go ahead with the deal. You should not end up taking equipment for which you have to repent in the future.

Few other pointers that you should know before you sign on the dotted line.

A brief history of the machine:-

To know a few things about the machine will always be beneficial as it will help you to negotiate with the giver. For instance, if the machine has some cases of accidents then it puts you in a position from where you can demand for a deduction in the rentals. Negotiations like these are always open and the taker must be ready to take chances wherever and whenever it is applicable. Knowing the history of the machine will also give you the idea of how old the machine is and is it at par with the construction equipment that comes with the latest technology gadgets. This will help you to decide if you should be eventually going for the deal as it makes no point in renting something that is technologically backward.

Knowing the tentative duration of the project:-

You should at least be aware of how soon you can complete the project. On the basis of that, you would be renting the stuff. Always rent the machine for an additional 2 months from the tentative date of completion. You never know if things may get delayed and you have to prolong the use of the equipment. Often the giver rents the machine keeping into consideration that he may not need the machine for a specific time and if he rents it to you he may ask you to hand it over once the terms completes. So if the work is left incomplete and he asks you for the machine, you will be left in a murkier situation. To avoid this, you should rent it for 2 extra months and keep things in your control.

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Give utter priority to the safety of workers

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In any kind of industry, the workers play a huge role in shaping up the structure of the company. They are the ones who work hard all day and night and make the future of the company bright and in return it becomes the moral responsibility of the business owners to take due care of its employees. Employees working in corporate sector may not have to put their lives on risk but when it comes to the construction industry, the workers there work by keeping their lives on the edge. Construction industry is undoubtedly full of perils and one has to understand the risks he takes before he signs up for the job. Keeping into consideration the nature of the job and the risks involved, it becomes very important for the owners of the construction companies to ensure that their workers get all the safety gears that will help them to do their job with ease and also provide safety from unwanted perils.

We will be talking in length about what all an employer can do to ensure the safety of its workers.

Wearing of safety gears is a must:-

Employers of every construction companies should make it a mandate for their workers to wear all the necessary safety gears when they are at work. The most basic is a helmet. So when they are inside the construction site, they should have their helmets on them. Other than this, they should be wearing gloves and sport a dark glass when they are into wielding stuffs. They should make use of the lifts to carry the materials with them and not carry them on their back or shoulders. There are many other appliances available that can be used to give a level of protection which they so rightly deserve.

Train the workers on the importance of safety:-

Workers working in a construction site do understand the perils involved with their job. What they do not realize is that they can be safe by wearing few appliances that can bring down the severity of perils to a larger extent. This is where a proper training is required. They should be informed that by wearing those gears they can minimize the risks. They should also be trained on how to use those gears. Some may have seen the gears for the first time in their life and will not know to use them. These sorts of folks should be trained to use the gears for their own benefit.

Negligence to safety should be avoided:-

Most of the times, it has been found that workers are negligent to wear any safety gears as they feel that the work does not involve much risk. Well, this kind of negligence should be avoided. There should be a mandate for all the workers have to follow the safety parameters while they are at work. The most common form of negligence is not wearing helmets inside the construction site. If needed, there should be a person appointed to supervise if all the workers have their safety gears on and if not then they should be asked to wear it before getting their hands on the job.

Heavy Equipment EBook

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When you have the desire to learn something, you somehow manage to find the relevant resources and learn things up. Same goes with learning about heavy equipment. Knowing or learning about heavy equipment are no rocket science and one can easily understand the complexities involved in it. If you intend to learn about a specific type of equipment since you would be working with that type of machine, then you can find many books and materials available in stores that will help you to gather details about the equipment. However, the best way to learn about heavy equipment is to search it on the internet. There you will get good lot of information that you will find to be very helpful in your cause.

One of the most popular methods of learning about heavy equipment is to download an EBook from the internet. There you will every last information about the stuff you want to know and that will be absolutely free of cost. This means that you do not have to spend time looking for books in book stores or contacting anybody in particular who can deliver the details to you. All you have to do is download the stuff on your computer or tablet and whenever you desire to learn about the equipment, you got to switch on your computer and open the stuff from there. The advent of EBook has made things very simple for readers who are enthusiastic in learning things but do not have money to buy the necessary resources.

Ideally most of the EBooks available on websites are free but that does not mean that all are for free. There are few writers who do charge a nominal fee for the book. It could be because they have written the book and do not want to take the hassle of looking for a publisher who will be publishing it. So the most convenient option available with them is to upload it on their site as an EBook and try to list it on online shopping portals. In this way, they can earn few bucks just by sharing their knowledge with the people who are ready to take it from them. Alternatively, it also gives people the opportunity to read famous authors/writers who have ample knowledge about the subject they are writing on. Instead of paying more at bookstores, they can simply buy it online and can manage to keep the stuff with them as long as they want.

No fear of losing a page:-

When you have a book on heavy equipment, you got to take it with you to the construction site where you will be going through the book and operate the machine. This leaves you with high chances of tearing the pages and in this process it might become completely unreadable. On the other hand when you have an EBook, all you got to do is carry your laptop or tablet with you and go through the stuffs written on it while you are working with the machine.

Save paper:-

You save a lot of paper by not buying a book. You work your way out using the information from the EBook. In this process, you are doing your bit towards saving the environment.

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