Most jobs in construction are seasonal, and that goes for backhoe operators
too. The creative ones, however, can find ways to work year-round.
Craig Marshall is a backhoe operator who makes the most out of his winters.
He operates an excavating business where winters are long, in Littleton, Colorado.
There's not much to do with a backhoe when the ground is frozen -- except
clear snow. So he offers snow clearing specials during the winter, advertising
them on his website.
In the summer, the backhoe is used for other work.
"I put in septic systems," says Marshall. "I use a backhoe and Bobcat to
put trenches in."
Marshall has one full-time employee to help him with his business. He hired
him right out of high school and started training him on how to use the equipment.
"Both of us can do everything. Whatever job needs to be done, we do it,"
Marshall says proudly.
Marshall says he's been interested in construction work since he was in
high school. His uncle was a builder and Marshall worked for him some summers.
"It's something I enjoyed. I liked to be around that stuff," he recalls.
Marshall finished high school and completed an undergraduate degree in engineering
physics. He found work as a blaster, laying dynamite to blow away rock for
pipelines. He went back to school to get a master's degree in applied physics.
When he graduated, Marshall decided to work for himself.
"It's a good career, one of the few jobs where you can stay small and make
a living. I like that."
The area where he lives is mountainous, so Marshall often has to blast
away rock to lay in septic lines. Then he uses the backhoe to clear away the
rubble.
It's work he would recommend to anyone.
"It's not hard to get training on [the equipment]," he says. "Go hang around
construction yards and get someone to let you use one. Then just be careful
doing things you're not confident about."
It's important to realize that the work can be dangerous. Once he rolled
his backhoe while digging a test hole on a job site. He wasn't hurt and the
backhoe only needed minor repairs, but Marshall says he learned an important
lesson.
"It was a matter of being too busy and trying too much, too fast."
Brian Campos is the chief operating engineer for his family's construction
company in Rockford, Illinois.
"I don't think there is an individual who operates equipment who hasn't
been scared," he says. "I can recall when I was first starting. I got a load
up too high and the machine tipped forward. If you have 20 to 30 years of
experience you can still have accidents."
Campos says not paying attention when the job gets routine is a danger
for any big machine operator.
Excavation and heavy equipment operating is a field dominated by men, but
women are increasingly drawn to it. Ted Casey teaches a heavy equipment operators'
course at a community college. He says women represent only three percent
of his students, but that number has been increasing.
Marlene Vandale agrees. She is licensed to operate heavy trucks and has
experience working the backhoe. She's found that women are often the last
people to be called for a job. Sometimes, men seem to feel they have to babysit
a woman operator.
When it comes to running a business, all operators have to stay on their
toes, however.
The biggest worry for Marshall is the financial risk of running his own
business. Most of his work is for individual homeowners and landowners. He's
happy to leave big contracts to larger companies with more equipment. The
drawback is that homeowners only pay for work that is finished, while bigger
contracts generally pay something up front.
"The hardest part is getting people to pay on time," he confides. "It's
so expensive to run equipment and then you're waiting for people to pay; it's
hard to cover expenses sometimes."
Marshall has developed a sense that warns him that something is about to
go wrong. He can tell something isn't quite right when the homeowner is acting
strange. More than once, it has turned out the person was trying to sell the
house to get out of paying for the septic work.
"These days most of my work is by referral. A customer will refer me to
a friend, then I know them and they know where I'm coming from. A good reference
cuts down on the chance of that kind of thing."
Despite the financial pitfalls, Marshall says he likes excavation.
"I enjoy doing it, planning it, looking at the site, deciding which equipment
to use -- basically working out all the logistics."
Marshall hopes for a long career in excavating -- one in which he'll be
blasting and digging when he has grandchildren. "Hopefully they'll be here
to see what's going on."