subject: What Kind Of License Is Required To Operate Heavy Equipments? [print this page] Heavy equipment for sale in Canada includes heavy trucks, construction equipment, agricultural tractors, trailers, crushers, bulldozers, semi trucks, power shovels and similar vehicles. Heavy equipment operators, also called HEOs drive and maintain loaders, excavators, backhoes and dozers which are prevalent in the construction, earth moving, forestry, mining and public civil works industry. HEOs are in high demand and must acquire the necessary skills to perform their jobs efficiently and successfully.
These skills include:
Good health and physical shape
Excellent vision
Measurement and calculation, numerical abilities
Communication
Quick reflexes
Problem solving skills
Decision making
Team spirit
Good hand-eye coordination
An inclination towards mechanical things
Patience
Willingness to persist working even when conditions are harsh
HEOs must be able to operate heavy equipment safely, perform preventive maintenance efficiently, diagnose problems with the vehicle, if any and follow hand signals and other directions.
Different types of heavy equipment operators
It is obvious from the variety of heavy equipment for sale in Canada that there is a wide range of jobs available. HEOs operate mobile machines as well as their attachments to dig, grade and landscape earth, or work in material and equipment handling. The most common vehicles operated by HEOs are:
Bulldozers these are crawler tractors with huge front blades to tackle tough terrains, moving dirt, sand, gravel and rock. These are especially used in construction and mining industry
Excavators These equipments have tyres or tracks and are used to dig trenches, move heavy materials, demolish rock, level slopes and fill ditches.
Power shovels these are front end loaders with rubber tyres or tracks. They are equipped with movable arms and tilting buckets to lift large and heavy quantities of earth, rock and other material.
Heavy duty trucks these are electric or diesel trucks used in mining and transportation.
Scrapers used to scrape, load and distribute earth, level the area of operation, carry soil in road constructions and mining sites
While some can handle more than one type of equipment, others prefer to focus on one type and specialize.
Heavy equipment operators - requirements
As an HEO, your job could depend on the industry in which you work. If you were in the mining industry, it could involve clearing land for construction, for laying pipelines, carry out maintenance activities and site reclamation. This requires a high school diploma, experience on the job and in the specific environment, which could be operating heavy equipment in industrial applications or driving heavy trucks and trailers on the highway. The starting position may be as a helper or truck driver depending on your qualification and experience before you can move on to large equipment.
Before starting on the job, you would need a Class 5 drivers license, besides clearing a medical examination, drug screening tests and aptitude tests.
Since it is a trade that involves apprenticeship, the operator of heavy equipment for sale in Canada must attend classroom as well as on the job training. Based on the specific type of equipment, you would need a valid Class 3 or Class 5 drivers licence. In most cases, the employer offering the training and apprenticeship sponsors the apprentice.
