Opinion: Construction equipment so safe a journalist can drive it

As a career journalist, content creator, and storyteller, there was no past version of me that thought I would ever drive an articulated dump truck (ADT).

And, on that note, there’s no past version of me that even knew what an ADT is. To be brief: this writer simply didn’t grow up thinking he had the skill to excel as an operator.

But last month in the deserts of Arizona, US, I climbed into a 25-ton John Deere 310 P-Tier ADT about half the size of my house (I’m being generous to my house), turned it on, hit the gas pedal, and circled around a Deere excavator in a moment that marked my first time operating any type of construction equipment (minus, you know, shovels, hammers, etc.).

It was a big moment for me, and an educational one; these ‘ride and drive’ events with OEMs aren’t just ‘fun’, they’re immensely revealing.

Members of the media interact with John Deere machines at the OEM’s Sacaton facility in Arizona, US. (Image: Mitchell Keller)

See, as I hopped into the ADT with Deere product manager Kasey Kelly, we were both entering new territory; me a first time-driver and she as my guide. Kasey gave me the basic rundown of how to turn it on and move it forward, along with some choice safety tips. She instructed me to hit the gas and drive toward an excavator up site.

When I tapped the gas, the 50,000-lbs machine moved at, perhaps, a pace neither myself nor Kasey were prepared for.

As we ambled along – me sitting straight up like a twilight guard on watch, wanting to appear confident and in control – Kasey said, “And I’m just going to trust you, here, because you said you’ve never driven construction equipment.”

The comment was both comforting and nerve-wracking: I perhaps was travelling a hair fast for a rookie, but instead of panicking and shutting me down, Kasey kindly noted our reality and let me know she was pulling for me.

As we got closer to the excavator, I made a mild turn and then hit the breaks at Kasey’s command once the enormous machine was parallel to the other.

We both took a quiet sigh of relief, I admired my relatively flush park job, and then we moved along.

Now, to say I was going “too fast” is probably a dramatic overstatement. I can’t image we were travelling much quicker than a few miles-per-hour, but I’ll be the first to admit: it sure felt like we flying.

John Deere’s Kasey Kelly discusses the ins-and-outs of the company’s articulated dump trucks. (Image: Mitchell Keller)

And in that moment was part one of my revelation: these machines are no joke. They’re massive, robust but also sensitive, durable, high-tech and simple (somehow) all at the same time. To learn to operate construction equipment is a huge undertaking that takes years to learn and undivided motivation to perfect; this became crystal clear to me.

As I climbed out of that ADT, I exited with an immense new level of respect for drivers, lifters, diggers, scrapers and more (and I already had a ton of admiration for them). I also expanded my appreciation for the machines and the people that build them, too.

And that’s because, after my short five-minute tour around the Arizona site, even though it was overwhelming and novel, felt like something I could learn and, just maybe, get really good at.

That feeling, I think, illustrates how advanced modern construction equipment really has become.

Without the front, back and dual side cameras on the ADT, would I feel as comfortable charging ahead at the test site? Had the cabin’s chair lacked a level of comfort, the joysticks and steering wheel less responsive to my commands, would I have enjoyed the experience as much?

I’m very confident my answer is: No.

This op-ed’s author, Mitchell Keller, behind the wheel of a John Deere 310 P-Tier ADT. (Image taken by Kasey Kelly)

But because today’s machines are so comfortable, loaded with safety features, and have a smoothness of operation that comes with today’s modern tech and manufacturing, I was itching to get back in.

Later that day, I operated two loaders (and managed to scoop about five tons of rocks on a single pass, which was quite the moment for me) and a backhoe, gaining comfort with each passing second I spent behind the sticks.

By the day’s end, the belief that I am not cut out to be an operator had completely disappeared. I believed fully that, with time and patience, I could master the machines, and do so without fear of harming myself, others, the equipment or the job.

It’s a testament to today’s construction OEMs as well as the expert operators and engineers who have brought this technology so far in the last century. While labour shortages still loom, if construction equipment manufacturers keep building machines like they do today, that available pool of operators will grow.

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