NVSC Elects Non-Renewal Status with NCCER

On August 1, 2008 Nevada School of Construction (NVSC) elected to not renew its Accredited Training Sponsor and Accredited Training Unit status with the National Center on Construction Education and Research NCCER. In late August NVSC notified NCCER of its intended actions regarding election to not renew its training entity status with NCCER; however, the value of the NCCER sponsored training curriculum; i.e., Contren Learning Series will remain an integral part of the NVSC and all NAHETS member schools’ curriculum.

So You Think You’re a Backhoe Operator?

This guy is good!

Backhoe–From the ground to the top of a train!

LoJack Annual Theft Study Reports Growing Equipment Theft

On March 12, 2008, the LoJack Corporation released the results of its annual Construction Equipment Theft Study. The reports indicated that construction equipment theft is still a growing problem throughout the industry. Here is a summary from the report . . .

For 2007, LoJack’s report breaks down construction equipment theft into various categories:

Professional Theft Rings Continue to Plague the Industry

• In 2007 police discovered eight theft rings and chop shops with the LoJack system.
• These discoveries led police to find an addition $2.5 million in stolen assets that were not tracked with LoJack equipment.

Popular Equipment Make Popular Theft Targets

Newer equipment types are more popular theft targets because of higher resale value.

• Skid Steers
• Backhoe Loaders/Skip Loaders/Wheel Loaders/Track Loaders . . .

States with the Highest Theft Rates

• California
• Florida . . .

Construction Theft is a Local Issue

In 97% of cases, the stolen equipment was recovered in the same state that it was reported in . . .

LoJack’s Guide to Theft Protection

• Keep Good Records
• Focus on Physical Site Security
• Use Theft Deterrents and Proven Recovery Systems

About the Study

The 2007 LoJack Construction Equipment Theft Report is based on state theft statistics and equipment recoveries documented by LoJack in 26 states from January to December 2007 . . .
Please see the complete reports results at LoJack Annual Theft Study.

NAHETS would like to express thanks to the LoJack Corporation for its services in preventing and recovering heavy equipment theft. In addition to working with construction equipment, LoJack also specializes in securing automobiles, motorcycles, laptops, cargo, and more.

Please also visit the LoJack Theft Page.

Sources:

LoJack Corporation. (March 2008). “Local Annual Theft Study Reveals Construction Equipment Theft Continues to Plague Equipment Owners in 2007.” Retrieved March 25, 2008 from http://www.forconstructionpros.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=4&id=9670&pageNum=1.

New Corporate Website–NAHETS.org–Unveiled

The National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (NAHETS) launched its new corporate website–www.NAHETS.org–on February 28, 2008. Unique from the existing NAHETS sites, NAHETS.org is an information-based site that focuses solely on sharing relevant company information and industry news with an expanded audience–partners, industry companies and associations, and employers.

What is the purpose NAHETS.org?

Already with a universal site (www.NAHETS.com), a leading job placement site (www.yellowmetalusa.com), and program and curriculum-based sites (www.heavy-equipment-school.com & www.yellowmetalbootcamp.com), NAHETS discerned the need for a website that was filtered to the business relationships of the heavy equipment industry. NAHETS.org is unique because its primary purpose is to communicate to industry companies, partners, and employers, instead of primarily towards students as other NAHETS sites.

Central to NAHETS.org is that it avoids the heavy traffic from students while maintaining a credible reputation for the industry. Although the NAHETS.com site is a more “all-inclusive” site, its heavy focus on students can detract from the experience of those not looking to attend the schools; i.e., partners, employers, and industry associations. NAHETS.org maintains enough design and information to be useful to students, but mostly meets the demands of non-student visitors by focusing on relevant content for NAHETS and the heavy equipment and construction industries.

Where did it come from? Who was involved? How long did it take?

The concept of “employers vs. students,” or in other words, the idea of website communication to the business relations of NAHETS, in addition to students, has been a goal of Executive Director, Matt Klabacka, since he founded NAHETS in 2005. After various evolutions of the main NAHETS.com site, Klabacka realized that one site, by itself, was not enough to create the desired student and business relationships. After discussing the matter with NAHETS personnel, Klabacka launched the NAHETS.org undertaking.

With ideas coming from Klabacka and other personnel, including Mike Martens (Director of Operations), Rhett Nielson (Creative Director), and Brian Thornton (Technology and Marketing Director), Klabacka turned the creation of the site over to Mike Wille, Internet Manager. Wille spent months designing and testing the site before its February 2008 take off.

What are its features?

Wille created the site using a modern design scheme, making it compatible with the appearance of related industry sites. NAHETS.org also incorporates the latest in website technology:

• Cold Fusion to power the website with the most current information and news from a database
• Video Streaming in the “Schools” and “Videos” sections
• RSS Feed from the company and video blogs to the “News” section of the website

Just the beginning

This release of NAHETS.org is just the beginning. The site is designed to continually grow with updated company and industry information and news. We invite everyone to come back and visit the site frequently, as well as pass the word along to family, friends, employers, etc.

JCB Unveils 60 MPH “World’s Fastest Backhoe Loader” to Assist U.S. Army

Help is on the way for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but not in its usual form. This time “help” is the “JCB High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE),” a.k.a. the “world’s fastest backhoe loader.” I like to think of it as the “Batmobile of Heavy Equipment.” Its speed, mobility, and design will improve the capabilities of field commanders in front patrols. See batmobile of heavy equipment for the original article. See website directly below for video and other multi-media HMEE resources.

A few highlights of the article:

Specs

• The HMEE travels up to 60 mph on paved roads and cross country surfaces
• Full suspension and ABS brakes
• Computer diagnostics
• Run-flat tires and roll-over protection
• 17.55 tons with armor and 15.75 tons without armor
• 6.7-liter diesel
• Lifts 2.2 tons, digs 13 ft deep

Purpose

• Provide battlefield commanders more capabilities in front patrols
• Increase Mobility and counter-mobility
• Provide water and supplies, build burms, lay electrical lines, etc.

JCB Construction Equipment is the creator of the HMEE. It was 4 years in the making and built specifically for the U.S. Military. JCB is the world’s largest privately owned construction business.

Here is a brief video about some other JCB military equipment.

Sources

http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6518489.html?rssid=112

http://www.jcb.com/hmee/

Nevada School of Construction and NCCCO Workshop in the News Months Later!

 

Back in May of this year, a member school of the National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (NAHETS), the Nevada School of Construction (NVSC), hosted the largest CCO Practical Examiner Accreditation workshop ever held by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO). An original press release in August was submitted on the front page of NCCCO.org. Just last week the press release was found again on the ThomasNet Industrial Newsroom site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The workshop stressed the importance of certification, standards, and safety in crane operating. This is significant because the demand for crane operators—professionally trained and certified—are high in demand in the United States. The affiliation of NCCCO and all NAHETS member schools, including the NVSC, is to satisfy this demand by providing highly trained and educated crane operators, as well as heavy equipment operators in general. Please see the above links to read the details of the workshop.

Nevada School of Construction Hosts NCCCO Workshop

PRESS RELEASE
From the NCCCO News Center:

August 2007 – The largest CCO Practical Examiner Accreditation workshop ever held by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) was hosted May 22-24 by the Nevada School of Construction (NSOC) in Las Vegas, NV.

A total of 30 candidates from 17 states attended the mobile crane workshop, which included first time student examiners, as well as refresher and re-accrediting examiners.

As sponsor of this event, NSOC provided the location, cranes and meals for the 3- day workshop. “Crane operators are in high demand,” said Debra Forbush, NSOC Campus President. “One national company has hired about 15 of our graduates and one of the largest national mining companies is also a client.”

NSOC, a member of the National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (NAHETS), has been operating in Las Vegas for the past three years preparing students for jobs in heavy construction, including crane operation. The school boasts over 250 years of collective experience among the instructors, and claims a national reputation for graduating operators in the construction industry.

Forbush said the crane operator training program had been a positive addition for the school and its students. “We stress safety, safety, safety!” she says, and claims safety and attitude are the two contributors to success—a belief reflected in a sign on her office wall which states, “Attitude is everything; pick a good one!”

Since January this year, Nevada has required crane operators to be certified. CCO certification is a part of the NSOC graduation requirements. Forbush noted that, with the new legislation in effect, emphasis on becoming certified had intensified. “Employers use our school as a resource to locate new talent, and our graduates use our school as a springboard to find employment nationwide,” stated Ms. Forbush.

The NSOC facility comprises a training site as well as classroom space. For hands-on training, NSOC has a Link Belt RTC-8030 mobile crane on site in addition to other heavy construction equipment. A small telescopic crane (boom truck) was rented for the Workshop so the students would have an opportunity to meet the small telescopic hydraulic crane type requirement.

Feedback from the NCCCO Workshop had been very positive, Forbush said, and she noted that she has already had several inquiries from potential examiner candidates for a repeat event.

The expanding Las Vegas skyline is currently dotted with a veritable forest of booms and jibs representing multiple crane types, working on the latest construction projects.

Forbush said NSOC was a good choice for the Workshop, since Las Vegas will clearly need more certified crane operators as growth continues and the demand for crane operators rises. “People stop on the freeway and take pictures of our city because of the unique construction scenes,” she noted.