How John Bisig Got Started
When I was three years old, my father bought me a battery-operated bulldozer for Christmas, and taught me how to tow the coffee table around the living room (honest). As a child I was always in awe of the power and size of heavy construction equipment and would recreate what I saw on job sites with my Tonka toys. This interest only grew, and as I got older, I found out that it paid well, which served to seal my fate.
I was hired at sixteen years old as a laborer for an asphalt paving contractor. I was taught the duties of laborer on the job and introduced to operating paving equipment shortly thereafter. I had eight weeks of formal schooling while on active duty in the U.S. Navy, but 99 percent of what I know I learned in the held.
I got my current job because of my affiliation with the union. When a union contractor needs an equipment operator, he calls the operating engineers union hall and requests an operator according to the skills required for that particular position. The dispatcher reviews the out-of-work list, and picks the first qualified operator in line and dispatches him or her to that job. However, once an operator has worked for a particular contractor, that contractor may make a specific request for that operator, as was the case with me. ROC had a standing request for me."
What the Jobs Really Like
My job consists solely of operating heavy construction equipment in all the different phases and operations required for commercial site development. I have also worked in highway construction, pipeline, demolition, clearing, earthwork, landscaping, bridge building, quarry operation, paving, hazardous material remediation, and materials handling.
Learning all the different disciplines is not required; many operators are proficient in only one or two, which is sufficient to be on the same pay scale as I am. I work exclusively through the International Union of Operating Engineers-Local 825. By way of our collective bargaining agreement, we are paid the prevailing wage for the state of New Jersey. Journeymen rates range from $40 to $44 an hour, with a few variables of a dollar or two for long boom crane operators or lead engineers. We are also guaranteed forty hours a week minimum. Anything over eight hours in a day is at time and a half, all day Saturday is time and a half, and Sunday is double time. There are seven paid holidays. There is also a four-year apprentice program available that pays from 65 percent to 85 percent of the journeyman rate. Operators who work nonunion can expect to be paid from $12 to $18 an hour, depending on experience. However if they work on a tax-funded project, the law mandates they are to be paid the prevailing union wage scale.
My workday starts at 7:00 A.M. I operate a Caterpillar 350 series excavator, which is a digging machine weighing thirty-five metric tons. My duties are to separate, consolidate, and load onto off-road dump trucks excess materials that are on the forty-acre site we are developing. This is to establish a fairly level plane in preparation for excavation operations to begin.
As an operating engineer, it is my duty to check my machine before each day begins. I must check all oil levels and fuel level, grease all points and attachments, and inspect the general condition of the machine. During my shift I will monitor all gauges, and periodically inspect the condition of the machine's systems.
I am also responsible for operating the machine in a manner that ensures the safety of my coworkers, me, and the equipment.
I also control the loading operation itself. I must establish where I will position my machine and where the trucks will line up to be loaded, productivity and ease of operation being the determining factors. Once I establish this, I will load materials until I exhaust that pile, then move to the next one and repeat the procedure. The pace at which the operation moves is determined by how many trucks are being loaded and how far they must travel. Some days I have only one truck to load, which gives me a lull in between loads; other days I have several trucks, which keeps me loading one after another nonstop.
Loading trucks is only one of the many different operations I'll perform during the course of this project. Last week I was operating a Caterpillar D5H-LGP bulldozer, doing precision grading of the stone base in a 130,000-square-foot building, preparing for the masons to pour the concrete floor. This type of operation has a much greater degree of difficulty, and requires much more experience on the part of the operator. Only about 10 percent of the operators in the industry can perform this type of work productively.
The equipment used here is state-of-the-art, and the finish is checked by laser. Adding to the degree of difficulty is the fact that there are usually other trades-masons, ironworkers, carpenters-working in and around the building, making safety of paramount importance. There's much more to this craft than just climbing into a machine and pulling levers, which for me, keeps it interesting and ever-changing, besides being lots of fun. And who hasn't driven past a construction site and wondered what it would be like to operate one of those huge machines?
Some of the most rewarding aspects of my profession are the completions. I'm never in the same place for very long; we do the project from start to finish and then move to the next project, leaving in our path a succession of huge masterpieces that will stand for years to come.
As a highly experienced operator, I don't do the same thing day-in and day-out. I operate a wide variety of machines in a wide variety of operations, across a wide variety of disciplines. And, yes it is fun to operate those huge machines!
The downside to being an operator is exposure to inclement weather conditions, dust, noise, and the inherent danger- all of which can be minimized with proper gear and education, but never eliminated.
The other downside is that the amount of work in the industry is directly influenced by the state of the economy.
Expert Advice
Almost no contractor will hire an operator without any experience because of the danger involved. There are private trade schools for equipment operators, union apprenticeship programs, and the military as sources of formal training. Some companies may even train operators, depending on their need.
It takes thousands of hours of field experience to become a top-notch operator, and you must possess certain natural abilities such as, depth perception, ambidextrous coordination, mechanical aptitude, and a will to learn. A working knowledge of geometry helps, too.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For further information about apprenticeships or work opportunities for construction equipment operators, contact a local of the International Union of Operating Engineers; a local apprenticeship committee; or the nearest office of the state apprenticeship agency.
In addition, the local office of the state employment service may provide information about apprenticeship and other training programs.
