Part of my past, it's a great skill to learn and have. There is a lot to cover in regards to site work and operating excavation and similar equipment.
1.) Safety is your highest priority, whether it's just you on a dozer pushing off fill, or working with a person in the trench doing pipe, footings, etc., absolutely a must to know for every aspect of this work. You can run a person over and not know it, trenches can collapse, high voltage lines, underground utilities such as electric and gas, water mains, etc. etc. etc. all of these and so many other things are just imperative to learn about. Make sure the site has been checked by the One Call utility locator hotline, prior to work starting.
2.) Learn from an experienced operator if you can, and get seat time like loading trucks, or hogging out a pond or something, pushing off fill, repetition of easier tasks will help you immensely, especially when you want to get used to a specific piece of equipment or learn the ropes for that type of equipment, screening topsoil/gravel is a good one for getting time on a loader.
3.) Regardless of the age of any piece of equipment, if you are assigned to run it, learn and know it, check fluids, keep it greased properly, take notice of repairs that may be needed, leaks, cracks etc. and don't abuse it, you'll impress an owner if you take care of what you run like you own it. I do the same even when I rent, because they know I will take care of it, grease, and report any problems, in turn, they will deliver a machine to me without hesitation, this fosters a good relationship all around and is the right thing to do, so many people are just "hotdogs" in the seat, they do none of this, they don't own it. As an employee, you need that machine, no matter what age or condition, remember, no matter what they put you on, old or new it all pays the same, and you'll be appreciated as the guy who runs whatever is assigned. One company I worked for, they had you come in on a saturday, for a try out, passed that with flying colors, ok you are ready to work no problem, they put me on an old but nice 955 crawler loader, and had me doing all kinds of odd kinds of work, many times by myself, clearing easements, loading out trucks on smaller sites, taking out large trees, this one had a weather cab, but no R.O.P.S., in a short while I was demoing new D6's and Komatsu's, was photographed for Komatsu's promotional literature on one of their D65 PX LGP ( might not be the correct nomenclature of the model, I have a photo of it somewhere though ). We were handling large quantities of wet material, illustrating the capabilities of the LGP tractor. This was a lot of fun and they even wanted my opinion when it was time to buy. You don't ever want to get a big head, use, learn and hone those skills, you'll always find work with a level head, good skills and by being early to work.
4.) Learn to read blueprints, especially any site drawings, you need to learn lines, grades, elevations and how to do layout, additionally, get trained on how to use any lasers or GPS, for the type of work you do, one place I worked at, would buy breakfast for anyone who showed up on a saturday for training, which included mock pipe runs, foundation holes, dewatering a wet site, grading etc. I never missed one of these, was a great way to build good operators.
5.) Contractors you work for are on the job to make money, you have to make every push count, learn to be effective and productive, without sacrificing safety.
6.) CDL, it's a must, you should know and learn how to haul the equipment, as well as learning how to run a dump truck, it will make you more valuable and desirable to an employer, especially with a clean abstract, no DWI's etc.
7.) Learn the limitations of the equipment you run, don't ever exceed what it is designed to do, or where you can work, the stuff looks invincible, it's not, things break, they can get stuck but good in short order, ALWAYS think first, ask first, before you do something you are unsure of, after some seat time, these kinds of things will be easier to deal with, but for now, better always play it safe.
8.) Know how to keep a site well drained, fine grading comes with experience, you want to keep a site well drained at all costs if possible, so smooth out ruts, drain ponding areas, dress up your work area if near a stockpile, and be cognizant of run off, silt fences, adjacent areas, and where the work limit boundaries are.
9.) Track type machines, keep an eye on your undercarriage, report problems or if adjustments are needed, and be sure to clean those tracks in the winter as soon as the shift is over if you are in a cold climate, carrier rollers can be obstructed, jammed up and will oval out, the rest can freeze and be like concrete, all part of being a good operator.
10.) Large sites, you really have to pay attention, safety is important, lot of activity can be going on, so you have to coordinate with others, things can bottleneck easily and tempers can flare, you want to avoid these things.
There is just a ton of things to know, more than can be said here, but if you can get with an experienced operator with a good attitude, willing to teach, this is a great start, I was afforded that same opportunity, by someone I am still very thankful to, as well as having been around equipment since a kid, it worked out well, though I don't do it full time for many years now, you never lose what you learn, I still really enjoy renting and doing small jobs when possible, usually for friends or customers I know. Another fun thing is to own a dozer or backhoe for your farm or acreage, whether its real old and you have rebuilt it, or you can afford something field ready and use, you can practice or gain additional experience on your time, and know what it's like to own and repair this kind of equipment, which will help you respect it more than most.
