Heavy Equipment Operations – Level I, II and Mobile Crane

From backhoe, skid steer, and wheel loader operation to safety, maintenance, and construction site fundamentals, this program equips you with what you need to dig into your future with confidence. In as little as three weeks, you can lay the groundwork for a future in heavy equipment operation through a powerful mix of hands-on training and classroom instruction.

HEC offers the curriculum and valuable combination of hands-on experience and classroom instruction that lead to well-rounded and capable entry-level professionals. We believe learning should be a great experience. That is why we are proud to offer courses that have been carefully constructed to give our students the opportunity to excel in their field.

In this program, you will learn the basics of working as a heavy equipment operator. This generally includes the basics of backhoes and wheel loaders, depending on location. This program gives you a solid foundation upon which to build your career.

We understand you have a busy life and you can’t afford to spend months, even years, to complete a training program. To help get you out of the classroom and into a position, this program can be finished in three weeks.

Earning the Certificate of Heavy Equipment Operations – Level I training will qualify you for the ADEPT (Adaptable Equipment Proficiency Testing) exam, a nationally-recognized heavy equipment operations certification.

Certification. Earning the Certificate of Heavy Equipment Operations – Level I training will qualify you for the ADEPT (Adaptable Equipment Proficiency Testing) exam, a nationally-recognized heavy equipment operations certification.

The San Bernardino campus. We’re here to do more than just teach skills – we’re helping you launch your career in the essential trades. As a National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) training and testing site and National Center for Construction and Education Research (NCCER) approved assessment center, our San Bernardino, California, campus gives students the chance to step into the trades with purpose, grit, and real-world training. Whether you’re just getting started or ready to take the next step, this is where you can turn potential into progress. Because your future isn’t handed to you – it’s earned right here.

Facility. Heavy Equipment Colleges of America’s main campus and field site are located at 1955 West 9th Street, San Bernardino, CA 92411 with an approved satellite classroom located at 1584 West Base Line Street, Ste. 106, San Bernardino, CA 92411. HEC’s programs utilize a variety of equipment including backhoe, bulldozer, excavator, wheel loader, skid steer, and mobile hydraulic cranes.

To qualify for enrollment, applicants must be able to read and write the English language and be at least 18 years of age. Applicants must possess a high school diploma or equivalent. Most employers require a drug test; therefore, it is recommended that students are able to pass a drug screening test.

Certain criteria may disqualify an applicant because they may prevent a graduate from obtaining employment; admission may still be granted if the Institution determines the applicant is capable of obtaining employment upon graduation. The Institution will make this determination on a case-by-case basis.

Length. Full Time – 9 Weeks; 360 total instructional clock hours. A clock hour is defined as 50 minutes of instruction in a 60-minute period.

Training hours. 6:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday – Thursday (Training Hours), weather and holidays permitted. All training hours will be offered but may be adjusted to accommodate weather conditions, holidays and other unforeseeable circumstances.

Class size. The number of students per class range from one to thirty students. Maximum student to instructor ratios is as follows: Classroom Instruction - 30:1, and field instruction - 12:1. The normal training day runs approximately ten hours with a lunch break.

Start dates. The catalog publishes 2- and 3-week program start dates only; contact the campus for the next start of this program.

22101: Orientation to the Trade. This course provides an overview of heavy equipment operation, operator responsibilities, and career opportunities. It covers basic principles of safety and engine operations.

22102: Heavy Equipment Safety. This course provides s a comprehensive overview of safety requirements on job sites, with emphasis on OSHA and NIOSH requirements. It presents basic requirements for personal protections, safely driving equipment, and HAZCOM.

22103: Identification of Heavy Equipment. This course introduces the ten most used pieces of heavy equipment such as dump trucks, backhoes, and bulldozers. It describes the functional operation and uses for each piece of equipment.

22104: Basic Operational Techniques. This course provides basic instruction for the safe operation and preventive maintenance of each type of equipment, including proper mounting, startup procedures, and basic movements of the machine and its attachments. The module is intended to provide the first hands-on experience with each type of machine. – December 31, 2027 17

22106: Grades Part I. This course introduces the concept of preparing graded surfaces using heavy equipment. It covers identification of construction stakes and interpretation of marks on each type of stake and describes process for grading slopes.

22205: Loader. This course presents an introduction to the use and maintenance of the loader, periodic maintenance, and SAFE operations. The different types of loaders are described along with the various attachments that loaders may utilize.

22212: Skid-Steer. This course presents an introduction to the use and maintenance of the skid steer, periodic maintenance, operation, and operator safety. The different types of skid- steers are described along with the various attachments they may utilize.

22302: Bulldozer. This course introduces the use and maintenance of the bulldozer, bulldozer operating techniques, and bulldozer attachments and their uses. Safer operation of the equipment is emphasized.

22303: Backhoe. This course presents types and designs of backhoe excavators, safer operating techniques of the backhoe and front bucket tractor and use of the backhoe for trenching and digging foundations. Setting up the backhoe safely is emphasized.

22304: Excavator. This course presents the use, safe operation, and maintenance of excavators; describes various operating techniques; explains and demonstrates the use of excavators in ditching, grading, and slope finishing operations.

LAB00011: Equipment Operation and Maintenance/Project Site Layout. Maintenance/Project Site Layout This lab is designed for trainees to put into action what they have learned in the classroom. Trainees will rotate between various pieces of equipment including the skid-steer, wheel loader, backhoe, bulldozer and excavator. Trainees will perform tasks with each of these machines, enhancing their skills and better preparing them for employment as an entry level operator. Trainees also will perform the necessary preventive maintenance required by these machines to keep them functioning properly. Trainees will be introduced to simple site work layouts. Trainees will model safe heavy equipment operating practices.

22201: Introduction to Earth Moving. This course provides a broad introduction to the process of planning and executing earth moving activities on various types of construction projects. The uses of heavy equipment such as bulldozers, scrapers, excavators, and loaders are explained.

22207: Excavation Math. This course covers formulas and methods used to compute cut and fill requirement on a job and illustrates techniques used to quickly estimate excavations. It also provides a brief overview of software used to compute excavation requirements.

22208: Grade Part II. This course presents proper practices for setting grades of benchmarks and describes methods for setting grades using various types of levels. The trainee is taught how to read and interpret construction plans to determine grading requirements and a review of grading operations.

22209: Civil Blueprint Reading. This course explains how to read site plans to obtain cut and fill information. It also identifies safety and legal issues, such as underground utilities and property lines that are of concern for heavy equipment operators.

22306: Advanced Operational Technique. – December 31, 2027 18 This course describes the elements of a safety program and the safety inspection process, focusing on the safety issues associated with trenching work. It includes coverage of equipment transporting and the procedures associated with working in or near water. The course describes machine cycles and their relationship to project cost and productivity.

22307: Finishing and Grading. This course describes the use of various types of heavy equipment to finish and trim grades and slopes of roads, pads, ditches, and other structures; and specifications used for grading, and procedures for checking the final grade.

22308: Soils. This course addresses problems associated with bridged areas and breakthroughs, as well as soil stabilization, presents the proper use of geotextile materials, reviews soil compaction requirements, and specific procedures for running moisture-density tests, and describes methods of fixing compaction problems.

LAB00021: Equipment Operation and Maintenance/Project Site Layout. Maintenance/Project Site Layout This lab is designed for trainees to put into action what they have learned in the classroom. Trainees will rotate between various pieces of equipment including the skid-steer, bulldozer, backhoe, excavator, and wheel loader. Trainees will perform tasks with each of these machines, enhancing their skills and better preparing them for employment as entry level equipment operators. Trainees will also perform the necessary preventive maintenance required by these machines to keep them functioning properly. Trainees will be introduced to more complex layouts with additional field time. Trainees will interpret simple civil drawings, figure areas and volumes, and then lay out the project using grade stakes. After laying out the project, trainees will calculate existing grade and then compute cuts and fills. Trainees will then use this information to estimate the amount of material needed for that project. Building on what they have learned, trainees will, in their 2nd week, lay out a class project and then build the project with the machines available. Trainees will also check grade for their machine to gauge the progress of the project.

21102: Basic Principles of Crane. This course offers students an introduction to mobile crane equipment with an in-depth discussion of terminology. It explains the basic scientific principles associated with mobile crane operations.

21103: Rigging Practices. This course offers the student an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of rigging. It discusses a variety of rigging gear, components and configurations, and their applications within the mobile crane industry. Students get hands on practice rigging loads to be lifted.

21104: Crane Safety. This course introduces the student to various safety aspects of mobile crane operation, including equipment inspection, site hazard identification, and required personal protective equipment. The course discusses how to work with site plans and specifications.

21105: Operating a Crane. This course describes the basic functions of a crane as well as standard procedure for starting up and shutting down a crane. It provides the student with the opportunity to become familiar with the actual operation of a crane and the functions of its controls.

21203: Preventative Maintenance. This course covers preventative maintenance and compliance inspections on a crane. The trainee will gain an understanding of the safety considerations, procedures, and the equipment/materials required for these inspections

21204: Wire Rope. This course covers the components of wire rope and inspection requirements and procedures for wire rope, load blocks, and sheaves. It explains proper installation of wire rope, maintenance guidelines, and end terminations and preparations.

21206: Load Dynamics. This course covers leverage and stability, operational quadrants, submerged lifts, non-centered lifts, and other factors that affect stability.

21207: On Site Equipment Movement. – December 31, 2027 16 This course covers site hazards and restrictions that could hinder on-site crane movement, safety considerations involved in crane movement over unlevel ground, pick-and-carry operations, and power line contact. It addresses flotation capacity.

21301: Load Charts. This course will discuss the importance of load charts and charts that apply to different configurations. It includes on- rubber, on-outrigger, jib, and deduction charts as well as range diagrams and operational notes. This course also covers parts of line and capacity calculations.

21303: Advanced Operational Techniques. This course covers multi-crane lifts, critical lifts, blind lifts and demolition. It also includes sections on how to use magnet and vacuum lifting devices and how to operate a mobile crane in cold weather.

21304: Lift Planning. This course gives an in-depth discussion of lift plan implementation. It includes reference information, calculations, single and multiple-crane lifting, critical lifts, and engineering considerations.

21305: Hoisting Personnel. This course discusses ASME B30.23 and 29 CFR 1926.550(g) requirements while presenting advanced operation techniques for hoisting personnel.

21306: Lattice Boom. In this course students are provided a step-by-step look at short- and long-lattice boom assembly and disassembly.

21307: Emergency Procedures. This course includes information on accident prevention and investigation, the hazards of power line contact, and various failures that may occur during lifting operations.

LAB00041: Crane Operation and Maintenance. This lab is designed for trainees to put into action what they have learned in the classroom. Trainees will perform several basic lifts with the rough terrain crane. They will move and set up the unit in a stable area. Trainees will also perform the necessary preventive maintenance required by this machine to keep it functioning properly. Upon completion of this lab, students will be able to: 1) correctly perform pre- operational checks and preventive maintenance on the rough terrain crane; 2) properly start and warm up the rough terrain crane; 3) perform basic operations with the rough terrain crane; 4) properly cool down and shut down the rough terrain crane; 5) perform proper post-operation preventive maintenance on the rough terrain crane.

LAB00042: Communication and Rigging. – December 31, 2027 19 This course offers students an introduction to mobile crane equipment with an in-depth discussion of terminology. It explains the basic scientific principles associated with mobile crane operations.

Housing. Available but not required: $1,710 – double-occupancy.

Additional fees, if applicable. National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) Exam Fees (nccco.org).

Financial aid. Heavy Equipment Colleges of America does not participate in Title IV federal funding. HEC works with several sources of funding, including, but not limited to: Approved for VA Education; Vocational Rehabilitation; Federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Program; Workforce Innovations and Opportunity Act; In-house financing; Bureau of Indian Affairs; Students may also pay cash; Other financing options for those who qualify. HEC does accept WIOA funds provided an agreement between the Agency and HEC can be reached.

The demand for knowledgeable and skilled heavy equipment operators is expected to continue to increase over the next ten years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field of heavy equipment operation stands to grow as much as 4% from 2025 to 2035.

Career services. The Institution's job placement service is available to assist graduates with finding employment. Students will undergo a job placement entrance interview/orientation with HEC. HEC will then begin contacting employers within the same geographical area as the students’ zip code, including those zip codes of out-of-state students, post job openings and assist the student in contacting prospective employers. Upon a student's successful completion of the program, the Institution will give each graduate a list of employers who have hired graduates or requested to be on the Institution's list. The Institution does not guarantee any of its graduates that they will become employed as a result of the training.

Outcomes (California School Performance Fact Sheet). On-time completion rate, calendar years 2023 / 2024: 57% / 77%. Job placement rate, 2023 / 2024: 100% / 89%.

Training material. Required books and supplies are provided to students. A training book containing the program curriculum is checked-out to students upon enrollment and students return the training book at program completion.

Training environment. Training may take place in a variety of academic environments including but not limited to lecture, hands-on, field, site, and lab. Field training is structured where students are organized in groups.