Which category requires a front loader license?

Basic conditions for obtaining rights to an excavator

The main condition for training to operate a crawler excavator is that the person has the appropriate education, obtained after completing a full theoretical course on the operation of a self-propelled machine. In addition, this document must be certified by the state, as evidenced by legal admission.

If the necessary documents are available, a citizen can apply to a driving school. But it should be remembered that not all training institutions have a license to train machinists. Therefore, in order to obtain a license for an excavator, you need to look for a specialized institution, after which you will not have any further problems with the registration of the crust.

Excavator rights: conditions for obtaining

After we have found out what licenses are needed to operate an excavator, we will figure out where to get them. To do this, a citizen of the Russian Federation must undergo appropriate training and successfully pass exams. The rights to an excavator, loader, MTZ are issued by a specialized body - Gostekhnadzor. Examination tests are carried out at the territorial branch of the state inspection on a special site using rented and own equipment.

Category of rights to an excavator

When contacting a driving school, many drivers ask the same question - what category is needed for an excavator? The answer to this will depend on the characteristics of the selected self-propelled vehicle. After all, there are four classes of equipment, differing in load capacity and power:

What category of rights is required for an excavator?

Working with an excavator requires certain driving and operating skills, as well as basic knowledge of the equipment. This is necessary for accurate performance of work, minimizing production errors and eliminating accidents during operation. Not only drivers who meet all the requirements are allowed to operate excavator equipment, but only those who have completed a full course of training and received an excavator driver’s license.

What licenses are needed for an excavator?

For operators of special equipment, there is a special form of identification, similar in structure to a regular driver’s license. Only instead of a list of categories of road transport, it lists categories of off-road specialized vehicles, including excavators. Upon receipt of a certificate of this type, the category of tractor driver is assigned with the right to operate an excavator.

The specifics of operating an excavator imply that the driver must have perfect control skills of a particular model. In some regions of Russia, it is still customary to indicate almost the full name of the equipment that the driver will operate. Ideally, all general categories can be opened for the operation of special equipment of varying power and configuration. But in this case, training will take a long period of time and, accordingly, considerable costs.

The best option would be to choose a specific category that best matches the specifics of the work being performed or the direction of plans for future activities. To determine what category of rights an excavator driver needs, the following classification will help:

A1…A4 – gives the right to drive off-road motorcycles and vehicles of various tonnage and the presence of additional seats;
B – tracked or wheeled self-propelled vehicles with power characteristics of no more than 25.7 kW;
C – specialized wheeled vehicles with power characteristics from 25.7 to 110.3 kW;
D – wheeled vehicles for special purposes, with a power of over 110.3 kW;
E – gives the right to drive tracked vehicles with a power higher than 25.7 kW;
F – issued for work on certain types of specialized agricultural machines.

If a narrow direction is intended, then it is hardly worth opening all categories at once. It is enough to compare the characteristics of the equipment that the future excavator driver plans to operate with the existing categories of rights.

After this, training should begin directly if the student meets the necessary clearances.

Algorithm for obtaining rights to operate an excavator

Persons over 17 years of age are allowed to study to obtain an excavator driver's license. If you are to study for category D, then training can only begin at the age of 18. In addition, you will have to undergo a special medical examination, which will give an opinion on your suitability to operate specialized equipment.

An excavator driver's license is officially issued and registered with regional or local authorities of Gostekhnadzor. To finally qualify as a driver, you will have to go through the following path:

training in licensed courses with subsequent issuance of a certificate;
passing a qualification exam at Gostekhnadzor;
obtaining a state-issued certificate with the assignment of appropriate qualifications.

An excavator driver's license opens up many opportunities for its owner. When applying for a job in the public utilities sector, having the right to operate excavator equipment will be a huge plus for the candidate.

An excavator operator, whose categories of rights are as open as possible, is a full-fledged specialty, which in some cases is more paid than managerial positions of “white-collar” workers. And to obtain such a sought-after specialty, it is not necessary to have a higher education; it is enough just to undergo special training courses.

Training in operating excavator and specialized equipment

An organization providing training in operating an excavator or other special equipment must have a certain material and technical base for this, which includes:

special equipment for each of the categories on which training will be conducted;
platform for mastering management skills;
training license and government permits.

The course program for training excavator operators includes:

basic information about the design and operating principles of excavator equipment of the required configuration;
safety precautions when working with excavator equipment and at production sites;
mastering practical skills in operating an excavator and working units;
theoretical information about the types of soils and rocks encountered and the specifics of working with them.

Taking courses and receiving a certificate of completion of a licensed program does not mean that this is enough to work on an excavator. The only legal body that issues an excavator driver’s license in the form established by law is Gostekhnadzor. They also assign certain qualifications during retraining.

Excavator driver retraining

Changing an existing rank or retraining is necessary to confirm an existing rank, or to become a higher level. To requalify, the driver must already have a license with at least one open category.

If an increase in rank is expected, this adds additional capabilities to the list of available capabilities of the excavator operator. For an excavator operator, there are from 4 to 8 categories, depending on whether the excavator operator only digs trenches or is ready to work in the mining industry.

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Where do they study to become a driver?

It was previously stated that an excavator driver’s license can only be obtained from an institution that has the appropriate license. On the territory of the Russian Federation this may be:

Specialized centers;
Driving schools that include loaders and tracked vehicles in their fleet.

On average, a theoretical course on the operation of self-propelled vehicles lasts about 45-60 days. But practice may take 3 months, since during this period drivers must learn to operate both the transport itself and its individual units. Upon completion of training, all drivers must pass an exam at Gostekhnadzor. Only after this will they be able to receive a rank and begin working at the enterprise.

Training in a driving school with excavator and specialized equipment

Regardless of what kind of license you need (for a loader or an excavator), the teaching methods at a driving school will not be different. It consists of the following stages:

Study of vehicle controls, the meaning of its sensors and indicators, familiarization with technical characteristics and possible breakdowns;
Studying safety rules when working with specialized equipment (both during operation and during maintenance);
Practical course on replacing basic consumables (performed on a mock-up or on real equipment);
Driving on a prepared site (carried out in a car of the appropriate category, under the supervision of a master).

Attention! For all the listed activities, the driver will have to pay about 2,000 rubles. Well, for those car enthusiasts who want to buy the rights to an excavator, this amount will at least double.

Retraining and upgrading

Having a Class B driver's license, sooner or later people think about increasing their current rank. And this is quite logical. After all, working in only one direction (digging trenches, collecting soil or clearing areas) you won’t earn much money. You can requalify as follows:

Take practical courses at a specialized driving school (in order to switch to more powerful and heavier equipment, a person needs to gain some skills in driving it);
Submit an application to Gostekhnadzor, attaching a new extract from the educational institution to the list of documents;
Take the re-exam on site.

It is important to know! If all of the above points are completed correctly, the driver will be issued a new backhoe loader license, with an additional category and expanded responsibilities indicated in special notes.

What licenses are needed for a backhoe loader?

To carry out various loading and unloading operations, it is necessary to complete a separate training course. If a cadet has to work on combined type machines (excavator + loader), he must learn two specialties at once.

The cadets learn the features of different types of forklifts and how to operate them. After completing the courses, drivers should know the rules of working with cargo and stacking methods, and especially when moving dangerous and fragile cargo. If students do not have a driver's license, they must additionally pass a traffic knowledge test.

The practice also takes place in two stages. The certificate must indicate the specialty, open the necessary categories and indicate the rank. Backhoe loader licenses are valid for 10 years.

Necessary documents for work

The rights of an excavator operator certainly give a person the opportunity to work in the relevant field. But in addition to this crust, he should acquire other necessary documents:

Insurance policy (when working at a sensitive facility, the chance of an accident is very high. Therefore, in order not to pay for possible material damage on their own, the excavator operator must register with OSAGO in advance);
State permit (issued by Gostekhnadzor employees. Without their permission, driving a self-propelled vehicle, even with a driver’s license, is prohibited);
Waybill (a paper giving clear instructions on the order for the day. It is received daily, upon leaving the vehicle depot);
PTS or power of attorney to operate an excavator (most often required when moving equipment on public roads);
Vehicle registration card (needed only if the vehicle is not registered to the driver.

Advice! The presence of the listed crusts is considered mandatory, since with their help both the driver and the employer will be protected by the law.

We learned how to get a license for a crawler excavator and how much you will have to pay for training. In conclusion, it is worth adding that all costs for the VA will be covered very quickly. After all, the specialty of a driver is quite in demand these days. And even if there is no work in your city, you can always go to work if you have the mentioned ID with you.