When acquiring jobs, contractors want to provide quality services while cutting back on their labor and operational costs. You may also have field operations where you need to use heavy equipment to perform a specific task.

Sometimes, the contractor won’t have the laborer on staff who has the knowledge and experience to operate the heavy machine. Instead, they will personally jump into the driver’s seat. The job may only take a few hours or days to complete as the contractor believes operating the equipment himself will save on time without having to pay an operator an hourly wage.

However, machine operations aren’t easy DIY projects. There are several risks that a contractor takes on when doing the work themselves, especially when they don’t have the equipment training needed to complete construction tasks.

Unscheduled Project Downtimes

A contractor who doesn’t hire the professional excavator operator, front end loader operator or dump truck driver may experience higher than normal project downtimes. When a contractor doesn’t know about the full operation of equipment, they can easily miss the signs of failure or malfunction that may appear. Instead of immediately getting the machine repaired when the issue is small and the costs are minimal, they will keep pushing the equipment until it completely fails. This circumstance can disrupt construction deadlines.

Potential Accidents and Lawsuits

When performing any type of demolition or construction work in Vancouver, BC, a contractor can be held liable for accidents that could have been prevented. If the contractor never obtained training to become a backhoe operator or an operator for any type of heavy equipment, they can open themselves up to potential lawsuits if they cause an accident that damages property, or if they hurt or kill other workers and pedestrians. They also can be fined if a WorkSafeBC inspection discovers that the contractor has an unsafe construction environment because they violated Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

Benefits to Hiring a Professional Equipment Operator

A professional equipment operator provides numerous benefits to a contractor and the construction job. The mini excavator operator, dump truck driver or skid steer operator can help reduce project costs while providing efficient work. An operator knows how to use the controls at the most optimal level, reducing cycle times and improving work accuracy.

An experienced operator also knows the importance of performing inspections before the equipment is put into use and after the job is completed. They can visually inspect the equipment, spot potential problems and perform quick repairs at lower costs. Once they minimize heavy machine problems, the operator can lessen the likelihood of workplace accidents as they know how to run the equipment in the safest manner possible.

Lastly, an equipment operator can reduce fuel costs. They can get the best performance throughout the day while increasing work output speeding up project deadlines.

Get The Most Productivity Out of Equipment Rentals

When it comes to operating heavy equipment, it is always advisable to leave the operations to the experts. A professional operator has the training to use the machinery for the benefit of the construction project. Contractors who rely on experienced equipment operators for Vancouver field operations ensure that the project will be completed safely and with the highest quality. They can impress their residential and commercial customers with the quality of their work as their customers will be eager to hire them again for additional projects.

Rent1 offers heavy equipment rentals and trained equipment operators to contractors and companies in a variety of industries. When you need to get the job completed and don’t have the operator on staff, let our equipment operators efficiently get all the work done to your specified deadlines.