The different types of heavy equipment training are usually divided into two categories: tracked vehicles and rubber-tired vehicles. The majority of this type of heavy equipment training is done with tracked vehicles like bulldozers, cranes, and excavators. Cranes, earthmovers, and end loaders with rubber tires are commonly used in rubber tire training. Dump trucks, graders, and scrapers are among the other rubber-tired vehicles that make up the rubber-tire section of heavy equipment training. Truck driver training is commonly included in the types of heavy equipment training offered by training centers.
Because most heavy equipment runs on diesel fuel, learning the fundamentals of diesel mechanics is an important part of any heavy equipment training. Trainees are frequently required to take a basic course in diesel mechanics, with the goal of educating an operator on basic maintenance and troubleshooting procedures in the event of a problem with the equipment. This knowledge often saves a mechanic from being called out in the middle of the night to fix a piece of machinery that only needs some engine oil. Learning diesel mechanics for heavy equipment is a separate education, and most heavy equipment general training coursebooks do not include extensive training.
The best heavy equipment training courses combine classroom instruction with hands-on machine operation to give students the most comprehensive training possible. Upon completion of most courses, students will receive a heavy equipment certification as well as a diploma. The vast majority of training is focused on safety, but programs involving overhead lifting, such as crane school, also include hand signals and radio transmitting and receiving courses. Because many crane operators lift and place pallets and equipment that they cannot see, this is critical. An operator receives hand signals from a ground member for the majority of crane operations.
Heavy equipment colleges have opened in some areas, specializing in the training of heavy equipment operators. The military provides much of the heavy equipment training, with former military instructors teaching the courses in a civilian training course. Some heavy equipment training schools own and operate gravel quarries, and students receive hands-on training in a real quarry. Other programs rent space in a working quarry and provide free labor to the quarry while the students operate the machinery.