ALLU and the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) — a trade union that represents heavy equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors and stationary engineers in the United States and Canada — have entered a partnership in pipeline training.
Through this partnership, IUOE has begun using an ALLU Transformer screening bucket for its pipeline application training program. IUOE will be using the ALLU Transformer unit, donated by ALLU Group Inc., for all future pipeline training sessions.
The IUOE and the Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA), in joint cooperation, hold more than 170 training classes, working with more than 700 students each year, in programs that train operators from beginner through advanced levels. Sessions range from one to three weeks, and traditionally incorporate six days of 10 hours daily with classroom and field training in pipeline construction. Because the ALLU Transformer is recognized as an effective tool for pipeline padding and backfilling applications, its potential is being discussed as a tool for the IUOE pipeline training program. The ALLU Transformer allows material to be screened onsite and then backfilled directly into a trench, thus eliminating the need for dedicated stationary screening or the purchase of fine soil.
The ALLU Transformer was delivered to IUOE’s Texas training facility just prior to the first session. Moving forward, the ALLU Transformer will be used with IUOE’s intermediate pipeline training classes, in field training sessions where students will operate the unit in three- to four-hour rotations.
The pipeline training at the IUOE facility near Houston, Texas, covers all pipeline techniques from digging trenches, to laying pipeline, to padding/backfilling, to removing old pipeline. The mock pipeline jobsite accurately simulates real pipeline jobsites and situations. With the ALLU unit, training will include padding and backfilling, as well as maintenance of the unit.
Beginning this fall, a new ALLU AC Crusher bucket will be delivered to an IUOE sister affiliate — Local 181 in Kentucky — to assist with hill and winch training. The rocky and hilly terrain in Kentucky lends to challenges that are unique from conditions in eastern Texas. The ability to train with the ALLU AC will be an additional benefit for IUOE members.