I've been a professional heavy equipment operator for 7 years. Anyone that is thinking about getting into this as a career, its amazing. Such high demand for anyone with experience, almost anywhere in the country, great money, and you can take the winters off. I live comfortable and only work 6-9 months a year, making between 50-70k yearly. Could easily make over 100k if I worked year round but I like to enjoy life. Its a great career, and you get to be the guy in a comfy air ride seat with heat/ac/radio while everyone else stands out in the rain.

I started working for a small landscaping company in my town when I was 16 I was making 13 an hour. I’m by far the youngest so of course just like you said I was a labourer. Never had a ton of interest in machines either but in my second year I was put on a skid steer a couple times and was given a raise as I started to learn more things and became more reliable. Im now 19 and in my 3rd year. 2 out of 3 operators at the company just left so I was the next man up. I’ve been in machines everyday for the past month now and last week I was given a pretty decent pay raise. This is the way

This guy perfectly explained how to become an operator. You will start as a grunt, but you have to, because you first need to know how to work around moving equipment, and support an operator. From there it is all uphill.

Some unions give construction courses which is an even better route.

Listen buddy..... to run equipment is by feel!!! You don’t get that by anything else then experience. Good luck

Different experiences I guess, but I got a job at a scrap yard in an administrative role. Got a bachelors degree for $12k (50k for a 2 year school as he said in the video is CRAZY). Got promoted to supervisor. Learned to operate massive material handlers (Leibherr LH80s, etc) while just messing around or being short handed by loading/unloading trucks and barges.

My dads been a professional machine operator for more then 22 years and i want to hopefully start my own construction business doing machine operations

Try working for a basement waterproofing company and run the mini excavator. Once you can do that You can try getting a job with excavating company

haha step one have super human long arms 😂

I just saw stuff for a paid apprenticeship for the union here for an operating engineer, I sent the email in they ask for expressing interest and all that. I am a 26 year old mail courier but I really get along better with people in construction, and I want to make better money and work those big ass machines lol. I was a forklift operator for a couple years and I was pretty boss at that in a really busy warehouse with alot of people moving around and tight corners and moving wrapping machines and such, lifting really heavy stuff up and down off of the racks and organizing large stacks of pallets and such. So I feel like I would be good at it. We will see what happens, thanks for the video

Im starting a heavy machinery course in the next couple weeks. Im Native so the course is being paid for. 6 machines in 6 weeks.

I have a 55000 dollar electronics engineering degree. I drive a semi truck..... first job offer after school was for $9.50per hr with prior experience before school... bs how things work. good luck man you have the right idea.

British Columbia doesnt need a license. I live in Ontario but go back and forth to Bc. But , being Native i have dual citizenship so I can work anywhere in North America.

Learn what the equipment can do , start to learn from the mistake others do, watch others how they do the work.

Currently 18 years old. I’ve been a laborer with an excavating company for 8 months now and have been on equipment as often as they can get me on equipment. I’ve been getting pretty good on skid steers and dozers and hope to get in everyone’s dream machine (excavator) here soon. He is 100% right. This way will suck for a little bit but will get better when you get into equipment

Would getting your heavy equipment operator and cdl be the best method for companies looking to hire?

Keep it up man!! More truck videos would be awesome

I’m almost out of high school I am a senior and I’m 50% sure I want to be a heavy equipment operator like my dad but the thing that is stopping me is that I’m scared that I won’t be able to learn i know this job gets you good money because my dad is one

I agree with having to start at the shovel but I think 3-5 years is just a ridiculous amount of time to wait to get into a machine. If the job you’re at is wasting your time and wont give you the opportunity, either quit and go somewhere else. Apprenticeships are also an option as well, theres no way you should go to a company and “hope” you’ll get seat time. If you want it that bad YOU WILL FIND A WAY.

Present moment I've been at the same company 10 years working 60-80 hours a week 9 months a year @$33/hr so you do the math at time and a half over 40 hrs. In the winter months I draw unemployment @$400-$600+ a week all winter while I ice fish. I've been in excavation for 20 years. Started by being in the ditch and am now a GPS machine head in my company, anyone in my company that has troubles calls me. As a long time operator I look poorly on guys that come out of the machine operator schools as they think they know everything and don't take in real world teaching and suggestion. We would rather see a farm kid walk in and say I'd like to run equipment... Earn a lower wage $17+ for a couple years then after you get into a skiddie, loader, or backhoe, the skies The limit. Long story short, start with a smaller company, a teaching company with numerous demands and not enough people to fill every seat, start at the bottom but keep a keen eye on others running machines and analyze why that are doing a task the way they are and learn, outside looking in and when you get the chance utilize your observations.

Out of high school I let the Air Force train me as an operator. Lots of great experience in 4 years. Civilian military employees gave us a lot of on the job training also.

What do you guys think about a class that is 120 hours long 95% on machines. All instructors are former operators and small classes for $3500. Would that experience and training be worth the $3500 in the long run?

Great video I learned alot thanks for sharing

You start as a labor, and labor you are going to be for long time, what is going to be done, they don't want you use equipment, be smart, open your eyes, don't do too much talking!!

well around here in southwest ohio in the cincinnati area we have a career school that teaches equipment operating during you junior and senior years while you do common core clsses and it is very useful and helpful

You want to learn to become an operator, put yourself to watch hundred of video safety, you don't want to do the same mistake others did before

good advice.

A company in my city offers a 10-week program for $10,000. Then they give you a list of employers looking for help after you complete the course. Not sure if most people have this option, but if you do definitely look into it. You get experience operating excavators, skid steers, and backhoes. Gets you familiar with everything, and then you get more training on the job.

Thanks for your information bro.. It's the way i started.. I have work with different equipment for a while but I'm looking for to get my license as a equipment operator.. It's hard to find some information about that...

I'm a heavy equipment mechanic.. I couldn't sit in the same damn seat all day but I have my moments during rain and cold cold days I wish I was.. But I wouldn't have it any other way.. Just some advice for the new guys.. Don't try to tell the mechanic you know what the fuck your talking about, you might but most the time the issue has nothing to do with what you said.

i plan on joining the Marine Corps and becoming an operator. mos 1345

Go drive a rock truck or dump.truck and watch the excavator operators how they set themselves up to do a job it's a different view when your in the machine but if you study what they are doing from the outside even setting the machine level before digging a trench /foundation I started out driving dumptrucks then I started loading myself with the excavator then I jumped on mini excavators learning different jobs whilst labouring then I moved up to bigger machines now I'm a multiskilled operator with 15 years experience .I've been taken off a machine and shown how to do it properly told off yelled at by assholes who are too impatient for a kid that's learning take every experience and learn from it and when you do go wrong think about it and say IL go about this particular job and do it different next time it won't happen overnight but it will happen it's up to you whether it does or not

I'm glad that where I live, you join the union FIRST....I'm getting trained and getting paid.....I learned how to drive a forklift today. If I had to go find a job with a shovel in order to get in the union, I would've never done it.

I'm going through jobcorps for heavy equipment

What do you think about Heavy Equipment Collages of America? I’m thinking about attending that school. It’s $10,000 per course I reckon.

Is it too late for a guy in his 40s to get into this?

Hey I’m 18 and fresh out of highschool, well acouple months and looking to operate, I am willing to work my way up to one! I live in Michigan, hopefully I can find someone to work for and eventually up my way to my own business!

Thanks for the info Kyle. I am really interested in becoming a heavy equipment operator and have some good construction connections and also have been contemplating the schools. I have a question and it probably sounds kind of stupid but I have been talking to a bunch of backhoe and excavator operators and they keep bitching about their backs and kidney stones. Is this a super common thing or is it most likely propaganda. Thank you

love you video man great info helped me out alot awesome job i would love to learn from you

How does it work? Do I have to get licensed in each individual equipment? Does the pay differ for each individual type of equipment? Common sense tells me that a crane operator must be getting more money then someone on a skidsteer or whatever.... I'm just curious how it all works...

Im from Ohio and Pipelines are everywhere around where i live and still a lot of work being done and im 20 and i have really been thinking about doing Heavy Machinery i was going to go apply for Local 18 operating union thats near me. Is it a good move? i would be switching Unions from where i am now to that

how do you get most of your work. like getting leads and staying consistent?

heavy equipment operation trade/ Sacramento job corp would people think differently because of job corp?

I want to become a machinery operator for the union how much do they make a year

Is it true that in America you need to have a licence or diploma for excavator operator which it takes 9 weeks to pass it no matter the experience you have before. just to start working for any company?

im thinking of enlisting in the military as army 12n doing that 4 years coming out find pipeline company with 4 years experience running machine it will be easier and if i do for years i can use the gi bill to go to school

I'm 16 and I wanna be a operator but what if I dont have a high school diploma can I still do it

Blue collar work- I want to work in Wisconsin and I don’t want to keep jumping around spots for a good paying job in pipeline welding or construction and so on... what jobs are there that I can do YEAR ROUND in Wisconsin as a blue collar for good pay?? (I’m a sophomore in high school and want to figure out what I want to do before it’s to late!) - thank you.

I can't un see it

Does HCA in New Hampshire drug test ? (Operator school)

Hello Do we need any experience or not for becoming equipment operator??????

Grey Lynn I mean ***

There are several routes... 1) Union which has paid training, better pay, safety, etc. (International Union of Operating Engineers). 2) Military. 3) Non-union outfit. 4) Paid training courses which is actually the worst and a huge joke.

Send people to school!!!

Do you make 60k?

Geri Lynn u wanna get into this??? As a woman from there?????? Good luck