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Tickets that raise your rate

• Commercial driver's license

  Lets you road test, move equipment and drive the bigger service trucks. Frequently paid for by your employer.

• Welding certification

  Structural repair on buckets, booms and frames is constant, and a certified welder in the shop is worth more.

• Manufacturer master technician programs

  Brand-specific ladders run by the big equipment makers. They take years and they come with pay steps.

• Hydraulics specialist training

  Diagnosing a hydraulic fault properly instead of replacing parts until it stops is the highest value skill in this trade.