Learning from Experience: Motor grader Operators Get Hands-on Training
Experience play a very important role in any field and construction industry is no different. Although today construction equipment like motor graders have become highly advanced and come equipped with intelligent features and smart machine controls so as to help the operators operate the equipment very efficiently and reduce their difficulties, yet these features cannot decrease the importance of an experienced motor grader operator. No matter, how advanced is the machine, if the motor grader is not that experienced or trained, you may not get the best results even from a machine that is highly advanced. Agreed that to some extent, with such advanced machines, even less-experienced operators can work easily and achieve grade characteristics similar to those with more field experience, however, such operators cannot give best results and compete with those who have very good experience gained through hands-on training. Thus, it always makes sense to have an operator that is well-trained and has years of experience to bank upon. Simply put, merely having theoretical knowledge or having awareness about the equipment is not enough, operators need to have practical or hand-on training so as to excel in the field and give their best results. Why it is important for motor graders operators to get hands-on training? 1. To operate the machine independently, safely and responsibly. 2. To make the best of the equipment and give best results. 3. To know about various functions and use of the equipment and its various attachments. 4. To know about maintaining, troubleshooting and storing the equipment. 5. To know about the workplace safety requirements and procedures very well. 6. To ensure safety of the equipment as well as others at the jobsite. 7. To understand the work ethics clearly. 8. To develop good communication skills that can help them in communicating and directing their co-workers to perform the relevant tasks. 9. To know about the new technologies and trends. At a time, when new technologies are continuously coming up and introduced in the heavy machinery like motor graders, generally, the operators who have experience and hands-on training are abreast about such innovations and up-gradations in the field. Thus, it is very necessary for motor graders operators to learn through experience and get hands-on training. Experienced motor graders demand in India It is estimated that the demand of motor graders will increase by 15-20 per cent in the next 4-5 years. With the increase in demand for motor graders, the need for experienced motor graders is also slated to increase in the country. This is because of the reason that motor grades are very different from other construction equipment and also, they are one of the most difficult vehicles to operate. In fact, they are bit different from the others in terms of setting the controls such as the angle and height of the blade which requires certain skills, especially when setting them to obtain fine degree of result. Thus, experienced motor graders will be in great demand in the country. However, there are not many institutes in the country that provide practical training to operators of heavy equipment like motor graders. Even if there are few government-backed institutes, then the training that the students get at these institutes is inadequate to meet the standards of work and efficiency that the industry demands. Also, in these institutes, only theoretical training is given and practical training is lacking. MCE’s initiative for providing heavy equipment operating training to budding operators While the demand for construction equipment including motor graders is continuously growing in the country, there are not many experienced motor graders to operate the equipment. In fact, the country is facing major skills gap and it’s becoming harder for the contractors and construction companies to find skilled operators to operate their motor graders. Realising this growing need for experienced operators of heavy equipment like motor graders who have the required hands-on training, various private heavy construction equipment manufacturers in the country are establishing their own training centres in various parts of the country in addition to introducing various certification courses for operator training. One such manufacturing giant in India is Mahindra Construction Equipment (MCE). With its 6 regional training centres across the country, MCE imparts expertise and provides training on the below mentioned aspects to the budding heavy equipment operators... 1. Equipment operation 2. Daily, weekly and monthly equipment maintenance 3. Safety parameters Further, the curriculum is usually updated on a regular basis to stay relevant. Also, adequate practical training is provided by MCE to the students. Apart from this, if you buy motor grader from MCE, then as part of its post-sales services, the company offers few days’ dedicated training for the operators, in which they are personally trained on various features of the machines by professional trainers. In a nutshell The skills level of an operator, coupled with proper maintenance practice can go a long way in optimising performance and enhancing the life of a motor grader. Typically, a motor grader operator has to perform various tasks like... 1. Driving and controlling the equipment safely and as per schedule 2. Maintaining the equipment 3. Identifying defects and malfunctioning of the equipment So, given the technicalities involved in all the above mentioned tasks, employing an operator that is well-qualified, experienced and have hand-on experience is extremely important. Such a motor grader operator is surely a boon at the jobsite. Thus, simply put, an advanced equipment like the MCE’s RoadMaster G75 with intelligent features operated by an experienced motor grader can boost the productivity, accuracy, reduce downtime and increase life of the equipment without any doubt. However, to employ such operators, operator training in India need to be promoted well. For that, a massive-scale joint effort by the government and private players is required. There is no doubt that gradually, developments are taking place in that direction and efforts are being taken to provide more and more hands-on training to the motor grader operators.
