Hello! I am new here, and I am looking for some advise. I am currently working as an office manager for my family's small excavation-oriented business, and I have recently been informed that they want me to take over the business in a couple-year's time. I know that, amongst other certifications, I will need to get my CDL and some sort of heavy equipment training. I will need to become proficient in running a small skid-steer loader and excavators of various sizes (the smallest being a 35 and the largest being a 225). My main question is, how do I go about learning how to operate this machinery? I have the ability to practice moving dirt at our yard (which I have done a few times now), but that doesn't really cover the sort of excavation/demolition that I would be doing, and I would really like to get some sort of certification. Does anyone have any experience with schools in WA that offer heavy equipment certifications? Thank you for your help!
First of all lets address the CDL. You will have to take a written test, get a learners permit, get a medical card and then practice driving with a CDL holder in the seat next to you. Then take a road test for CDL. I am not sure what you 35 excavator is and I am assuming the 225 is a Cat. In my opinion you have the best school right there at your finger tips. Learn from the people that work for you and with you. There is nothing better then getting on a machine to learn how to operate it. You have the equipment and the people that know how to run it right there. Use it and them. As far as certification goes to me this is a bunch of government intent on making your life miserable and extracting money from you. I am a journeyman operator myself. No certification required here where I live except for cranes which is national. I did a job in Oregon several years ago. I got busted by Oregon OSHA because myself or my guys which I brought with me were not "certified to work high iron" in the State of Oregon. Went round and round with them on my crane operator's paper work too which came from Alabama. OSHA man told me I should take some classes on machines out there to get certified while I was there. First question was who teaches the class. Naturally it was a certificated instructor. How do you become a certified instructor? Answer, take a class. Do you have to be journeyman operator or have specific experience to take the class to become certified instuctor? Nope, not required. Any chimpanzee could come take the class and become an instructor. So you could have someone teaching the class that knew less then you when you got to that point. If you don't need the certification stay away from it. If you must have it then take the quicky class after you have mastered the machine. Things covered in the class are pretty basic things and don't require much for ability to get certification.
I agree with greg 100% but........ I will tell you that if anything bad happens, the lawyers will jump all over your arse because you dont have any ' official' training on that piece of equipment. A person can have 20 years experience on a piece of equipment and a clean accident history, but it only takes one to have them all over you. Dont ask me how I know...... my blood pressure goes up just thinking of it!
I agree with both of you on this. The owner I would be taking over for does pretty much all our heavy machinery stuff (he does a damn fine job), and he never did any sort of certification program. However, when I take over that capacity, I want to be sure that my customers know that someone certified is doing the work, especially since I won't have had enough time to get 10 years of hands on experience before then. I want the company to be as squeaky clean as possible and not have any run-ins with OSHA/lawyers.