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Getting in

How to become a heavy equipment operator in Ontario

You become a heavy equipment operator in Ontario through an apprenticeship — paid, on-the-job training with in-school levels, finishing with the 636B (excavator) or 636A (tractor loader backhoe), both voluntary Certificate of Qualification (voluntary for this trade, but it is the credential employers recognize). You earn from day one, typically starting around half of journeyperson rate and stepping up each level.

Excavation & Grading at a glance

Licence to do the work
Not required — HEO certificates (636A/636B) voluntary; locates ARE mandatory
Path in
OETIO/IUOE operator training, or labourer-to-operator on a crew
Regulated by
Ontario One Call (locates), MOL (trenching, O. Reg. 213/91)
Insurance baseline
$2M–$5M CGL — utility-strike coverage matters
Union route
IUOE Local 793 / OETIO

The path, step by step

  1. 1

    Line up a sponsor

    An apprenticeship needs an employer or union training centre willing to register and train you. For this trade that usually means an excavation contractor, or IUOE Local 793's OETIO training campus. Cold-calling shops with a resume and any safety tickets (WHMIS, Working at Heights) in hand still works — contractors are chronically short of apprentices.

  2. 2

    Register the apprenticeship

    You and your sponsor sign a training agreement through Ontario's apprenticeship system, and you register with Skilled Trades Ontario. Registration is what makes your hours count.

    Start an apprenticeship — ontario.ca
  3. 3

    Do the hours and the school

    Complete the on-the-job hours and in-school levels for the trade — a shorter program than the building trades — OETIO runs dedicated operator training. The in-school blocks run at colleges and union training centres; you alternate between earning on site and learning in class.

  4. 4

    Write the Certificate of Qualification exam

    When your hours and schooling are done, you book and write the C of Q exam with Skilled Trades Ontario. We wrote a full operator-level guide to the last mile — closing out the logbook, booking, prep, and exam day.

    Full guide: 636B HEO Excavator
  5. 5

    Then: GPS and machine control

    Machine-control competence (Trimble/Topcon) is the highest-leverage skill in modern earthmoving — grade-from-model operators are first hired, last laid off.

    Full guide: 636B HEO Excavator

Already an apprentice closing in on your ticket? Skip ahead. Our Last Mile guide covers closing out the logbook, booking the C of Q exam, what to expect on exam day, and the credentials that stack on top. 636B HEO Excavator →

The real picture

The operator world is its own culture, and the questions are specific: which machine to learn first, is the IUOE union worth it (short answer: it's usually the single biggest raise an operator ever gets), seat time versus ticket-mill schools, and whether to buy your own machine and go owner-operator. Here's the dirt-world straight talk.

What you'll actually make

From day one to the top of the trade. Ontario figures, approximate and worth verifying against current rates.

  1. Labourer / groundman

    $20–26/hr

    You start on the ground, not in the seat — earning seat time.

  2. Non-union operator

    ≈$32/hr

  3. Union journeyperson (IUOE 793)

    ≈$52/hr + pension/benefits

    Roughly a 40–50% jump over non-union — the biggest single raise most operators ever make.

  4. GPS / machine-control operator

    Premium

    Grade-from-model operators are first hired, last laid off.

  5. Owner-operator (own machine)

    Swings with utilization

    Bill the machine + operator — strong income when busy, but a $200k excavator that sits is a payment that doesn't.

Which lane is right for you

Which machine, which work

Excavator (636B)

The versatile money machine — digging, demo, grading, pipe and utility. The most transferable ticket and the busiest.

Best for: People who want the widest, steadiest work.

Backhoe / TLB (636A)

Residential, utility, and landscape work — and the most accessible owner-operator path, with year-round revenue if you add a snow attachment.

Best for: Aspiring owner-operators.

Dozer / grader (636C)

Pushing and grading dirt — where GPS machine control is the high-leverage skill that commands premium pay.

Best for: Operators who want to specialize into machine control.

Union vs non-union, operator vs owner

IUOE Local 793

Negotiated rates ~50% above non-union plus a pension; OETIO training campus. Dispatch controls where and when you work.

Best for: Operators who want the top wage and pension.

Owner-operator

You own and bill the iron. Strong income when utilized — but financing, maintenance, and downtime are now your problem.

Best for: Business-minded operators with a work pipeline.

Getting in

Two routes in: hire on as a labourer/groundman and earn seat time (the respected way), or take an OETIO/operator-school program for the tickets and safety training. Schools get you certified, but the industry still wants seat hours — so the labourer-to-operator path is real and common. Be wary of ticket mills promising a $40/hr seat after two weeks; that's not how the yard sees it.

Where it leads (and the way out)

Off the machine: foreman, grade checker, estimator, supervisor, equipment sales, or owning an excavation/site-servicing business. Machine-control and survey skills are the bridge to higher-paid, lower-wear roles. Owner-operators scale into companies with crews and fleets — a site business with equipment and contracts is a sellable asset.

Where the real conversations are

The communities, official bodies, and wage data tradespeople actually use.

Go to the source

The official pages that govern this trade. Bookmark these, they are the final word on requirements and fees.

Thinking bigger? Start an excavation business

The step-by-step from qualified tradesperson to business owner.

Excavation & Grading questions, answered

Licences, costs, timelines. Answered straight.