Skip to main content

About Us

Hockridge Trade School is a locally Metis owned, and operated business located in the Rural Municipality of Dauphin, MB. We are a registered Private Vocational Institute.

My name is Jeff Hockridge, the owner and lead instructor of Hockridge Trade School. I have been working with heavy equipment for 35+ years, both on a family farm that I grew up on and multiple construction industry careers. I am a certified instructor with a lifetime of experience. Past foreman experience at multiple construction companies. 25 years of class 1 trucking experience hauling dangerous goods, grain, and hauling heavy equipment. Previous experience training heavy equipment operators to become certifiable in the construction industry. I have many connections in the heavy equipment/construction industry.

The idea was formed in the fall of 2020. How it came about was when I had the idea of a heavy equipment operator training school, I thought it would be beneficial to my hometown community, as there aren’t any rural owned and operated training schools in Manitoba.

Our instructors have close to 100 years of operating experience combined, while operating a variety of heavy equipment.

Objectives

  • At Hockridge Trade School, we strive to teach safety and equipment maintenance to protect students, the general public, and to ensure equipment is in a safe operating mode

  • Identify and describe different types of heavy equipment and what they are used for

  • Identify and describe safety practices associated with heavy equipment operation

  • Describe career opportunities associated with the heavy equipment/construction industry

  • Describe prestart, starting, operating, and shut down procedures with heavy equipment

  • Describe different types of soils

  • Describe methods used to lay out slopes and grades

  • Describe site drainage requirements

  • Describe how to set up and coordinate operations including setting up of staging arenas, determining cycle times, and site preparation

  • Describe the equipment and methods used in loading, hauling, dumping excavated soil

  • Describe fill, backfill, and embankment

  • Explain the process of grading

  • Explain how to establish and check finish grades

  • Explain and describe different stakes

  • Describe methods used to control water on a job site

  • Describe how to prepare heavy equipment for transporting

  • Explain how grading operations are performed

  • Explain how moisture affects soils

  • Describe working in various soil conditions

  • Explain how soil characteristics affect machine performance

  • Describe how soil conditions can affect trenching safety

  • No simulators

Students will be evaluated daily by our instructors on a variety of checklists including safety, maintenance, and operation. Hockridge Trade School will provide students with a high-vis sweater, tee-shirt, and hard hat. Students will need to bring their own CSA approved boots, and eye protection.