Richard Smith, Heavy Equipment Operator

Important work

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"My work is important because we are working for the public and the public is paying our salary.

"If the roads are not cleared for the fire trucks, the bus, the school buses, who’s to blame?"

Where I work

I'm a Labourer Operator for Manitoba Transportation and Government Services, the provincial department responsible for building and taking care of the highways and northern ariports in Manitoba.

I operate heavy equipment and mainly work on maintaining secondary roads.

In the winter, we keep the roads clear of snow and in the summer we work on grading and keeping the roads clear of debris.

Maintaining equipment

Before I get on the road, my first responsibility is to check that the equipment is working. There are safety procedures to follow, like checking the blades and making sure the lights are all working.

In the winter, I can be called anytime to go out to clear the road so the equipment has to be ready to go at a moments notice.

Summer windrows

In summer, we set up windrows on the road. Windrows are made out of the gravel material that's put on the highway during construction.

We bring the material from one side to the other in order to correct the grade. Sometimes it's gravel, sometimes it's the material used to fix the humps in the road.

Clearing the road

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"My main task is ensuring the roads are safe and checking debris, ruts, everything else on the road.

"The main thing is to keep the road very safe."

My family

I'm married and have two boys left at home. Three of my children are grown up and I'm a grandfather of three boys and three girls. They live all over the place.

My wife is an Occupational Therapist, but she took time off recently to come and look after her elderly mother.

Country living

Living out in the country means there are always lots of things to do. I can be out in the lake or on the beach or out just driving.

In the winter I snowmobile every chance I get. We have a couple of ski-doos and my boy likes to go out snowmobiling too.

Favourite season

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"My favourite season I think is autumn, when the leaves are changing.

"And for some reason, when you are behind that machine, you want to change too, with the weather, with the material you're working with.

"Everything else seems to just come closer."

Growing up

I grew up in Hollow Water. I had five sisters and three brothers so my family was pretty large.

We were an extended family with parents and grandparents all together there so it was hard sometimes to keep track of all of them.

I left home when I was pretty young. I left Wanipigow School after I finished Grade 8.

My Grandchildren

I would do a lot more things in my time off if I had more time. In the last few years, I've wanted to spend time with my grandchildren.

But in the winter, it's hard for me to plan my time off. When I'm on call, I can't leave the area in case it starts snowing.

In the summer time, it's easier to go visit them, when the weather is better.

First things first

The first thing I do when I get to the shop with the half-ton, is do a pre-trip check on my machine. It should be filled up already, because I try to do that the day before. If I suspect something, like a broken light, I change it.

The blades have to be in good shape too. Everything has to work before I go out. I don't depend on anybody else to do that because I'm all alone there.

On call 24 hours

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"We have to be ready at all times. It's a 24-hour thing.

"If there is a snowfall, as soon as we get that call, we've got to go.

"And if you've got plans next day, you're going to shopping or whatever, you can't. You've got to let the supervisors know you're going to town for an hour and you're going to be back, because if it snows and you're not there..."

Lunch to go

When I'm working, I'm always on the go; I usually don't have time to stop and have coffee or to stop for lunch.

If I stop for ten or fifteen minutes, I may be losing that many kilometres of grading or ploughing, and time is very important on this job. So I do eat lunch, but often while I'm working.

Grading days

When I'm grading, the distance I'll cover in a day varies. If I've got a two-pass, meaning I have to go over the same stretch of road twice, I can do a longer stretch of road than if it needs a three-pass.

The distance I can work also depends on the weather. If it's cloudy or if it's going to rain, then I have to work with that. If I can get ten kilometres a day done, that's a good day.

Ploughing days

I may have to travel an hour and a half in order to get to where I can start putting my blade down and begin ploughing.

I get to my destination by highballing, which means travelling with the blade and the wing up. From there I go the end of the road that's assigned to me, taking the snow off as I go.

I have to be back in the yard by three o'clock to fill my machine up and put it away. I don't have time to check it out then, so I do that the next day.

Comfort important

The plough and grader cabs have to be comfortable to work in because I'm in them for long periods of time; up to six or eight hours a day.

In the big rig, the chair is adjustable three ways with three levers so I can make myself comfortable. There's a good heating system to keep me warm and in the winter. It's important to have to have enough heat to be relaxed and do the job properly.

In the summer time, with all the dust and heat, there is an air-conditioning to keep me cool.

Severe winters

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"In the wintertime it’s very severe, because we're out 24 hours. We're in Manitoba. Weather is very unpredictable.

"It’s so cold sometimes we have to wait to go out because we're just going to break machinery. We just have to wait and go with Mother Nature."

Balanced now

Early on I moved around quite a bit for different jobs, so I never had a chance to balance my work life and home life.

I was always moving from one hotel room to another or from one construction camp to another. Often I was gone for two or three months at a time.

Now I'm back working in my home community and near my family. I feel like now I have completed the circle and my work and home lives are balanced better.

Think fast

Summer weather is unpredictable too. I'll go so many kilometres and then a storm might come up. If there's thunder or a lightning strike, I can't just leave that windrow there. It needs to be completed as quickly as possible to get it out of the way.

You don't want people to come around the bend and hit a windrow because they're very hard. In this line of work, safety is a priority. So it means thinking fast on my feet.

Teamwork important

In construction, it's very important to work as a team. When one person is not working well with the others, then that's when accidents happen.

We have to be very careful. If one person doesn't show up, then you're one man short and it's going to be much harder to work safely.

Determination helped

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"Determination, I think, is what got me to where I am. When I started doing something, I was determined.

"A lot of times I felt I should have had more education. But in those days when I started with machinery and working, there was no education. All they wanted was experience. And that was hard."

Tried everything

I tried everything. I had my own business as a commercial fisherman. I didn't like that so I sold out and then I went into trucking. I didn't like that, so I moved on.

Then I went into logging and I didn't like that. And every time I moved back here, I just had another look and said, "I have to go back to operating heavy equipment." It just fits me the best.

Goal oriented

I was only about sixteen when I quit school and went out and tried working. Quitting school was the worst mistake I made.

When I went back to take my course, what kept me going was thinking that I didn't want to go back to where I was. I didn't want to be stuck in a rut. I became even more determined to succeed.

Always loved machinery

In my younger days, when I saw a truck or some other machinery go by, I'd wish I could get in there and operate it.

Then one day I decide to try it, and I got in one of them. I got addicted then to the smell of diesel, to the vibration of the machinery.

Racial barrier

Many times I heard people tell me that, as an Aboriginal, I couldn't do something. They'd say, "No. We'll do it; just watch and observe."

Although you know in your mind you can do it, there was often somebody pulling the reins and saying you're not good enough for it.

So in 1977, I took a course in Heavy Equipment. I only had my grade 8 from school, so this was not easy. But I was determined and I finished it.

Pride in my work

As long as the roads are there to be maintained and there are roads to be built, the outlook for this work is good and I will continue doing what I am doing.

I've spent too much time to get where I am and I don't want to throw that away.

I take a lot of pride in what I do, which is the most important thing as an operator.

In the future

I though of whether I'd like to become a foreman or a supervisor but there are a lot of headaches associated with that so I'm not sure I'd enjoy it.

For the moment I plan on sticking with operating because it's what I do best. It's what I love.

I think I'd also miss being outside and on the roads working. I'm not really interested in a desk job at this point.

More interests

I am thinking about taking more computer courses in my spare time.

I'd also like to take some welding courses as a hobby, just because that's another interest of mine.

I would also really like to reach out and encourage other people, to be an instructor.

A role model

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I want to use myself as a role model to encourage these young people. Don't drop out of school.

"You've got to build yourself your foundation first. And then if you have that foundation, then you've got something.

"That's the only way you're going to get someplace, and achieve your goal, no matter how hard it is."

Job market Info

The links below take you to federal and regional government information on employment, education, salary ranges and long range prospects for this career.

The official name for Richard's occupation is "Heavy Equipment Operator" and its *NOC code is 7421.

Manitoba Job Futures

Who Hires - Manitoba Labour Market Information

*Each occupation has an official name and unique number called the 'National Occupational Classification' code or 'NOC'.

Education

Useful High School Subjects*

- Mechanics
- Machine Shop
- Physics
- English

*Source: Job Futures.ca

After High School 

Below are links to various programs and courses that will put you on the path to a career in operating or working on heavy machinery.

Manitoba Heavy Construction Association

Heavy Equipment Operator Training

Manitoba Advanced Education and Training

Apprenticeship Training

Red River College

Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic 

Assiniboine Community College - Brandon

Heavy Duty Equipment Technician

University College of the North - The Pas/Thompson

All Programs (PDF)
Vocational Trades, page 101

Essential Skills

The most important Essential Skills* for Heavy Equipment Operators (except crane) are:

- Numeracy
- Problem solving
- Working with others

*For more information on Essential Skills and their importance to this occupation, go to: Essential Skills NOC 7421 .

Professional resources

Manitoba Heavy Construction Association
A non-profit organization promoting a safe workplace for industry employees

Operating Engineers of Manitoba, Local 987
Union representing types of equipment in this industry including cranes, backhoes, loaders, dozers, graders, scrapers, and many others 

Hollow Water First Nation
Part of the Southeast Tribal Council Community

Wanipigow School
Located on the Hollow Water Reserve and part of the Frontier School Division

Frontier School Division
Provides partnership with parents and community, high quality education for all students so that they can develop the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and character essential for successful participation in our changing society

Technical Vocational Initiative
Works with education partners, business, industry and labour to develop and recommend strategies that address the six "Action Pillars" that form the core of its mandate

Related careers

Public Works Maintenance Equipment Operators (NOC 7422)

Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews (NOC 7217)

Forklift and Industrial Truck Operators (NOC 7452)

Logging Machinery Operators (NOC 8241)

Crane Operators (NOC 7371)