About Equipment Training Resources

How Gary J. Ober built Equipment Training Resources

Gary J. Ober, the President of Equipment Training Resources, was born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1957, not with a silver spoon in his mouth, but a loader-backhoe in the back yard. At the age of 8, Gary was given the chance to try operating and he never looked back. Until the age of 16, he worked with his father during the summer gaining experience operating a loader-backhoe, bulldozer, and driving a dump truck. At 16, Gary was handed the keys to the truck and backhoe and the address of the job for that day.

Gary's greatest influence came from his father, Harold J. Ober, who had a reputation for working hard and working smart. When Harold Ober looked at a job, he looked at it from the beginning-- to the end, and then back to the beginning. By visualizing the job from the "end to the beginning" he would plan and execute his work to make the following steps easier-- or eliminate them all together.

• No double work
• No wasted motion
• No, "Never time to do it right, but always time to do it over."

Thinking and planning was the hallmark of his work habits. These principles were impressed on Gary and were enforced on the jobsite at all times.

At 23, Gary began writing the book that would become the most in depth book ever written on operating heavy equipment and eventually the STANDARD of the INDUSTRY.

Three years later in 1983, Gary completed and published the book Operating Techniques for the Tractor-Loader-Backhoe. The book soon became standard issue for Loader-Backhoe training classes throughout The Unite States and Canada.

In 1996, the book was formally adopted for training by THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF OPERATING ENGINEERS.

In 1990, LOADER-BACKHOE SAFETY VIDEOS were released. The two-part set of videos covers OPERATOR SAFETY and WORKER SAFETY.

In 1992, LOADER SAFETY AND TRAINING VIDEOS was completed. A four-part set of videos on rubber tire and track loaders that covers maintenance, safety and operating techniques.

All of these products have been enthusiastically received by those seeking quality safety and training materials.

Today, at the age of 52, Gary still operates loaders, dozers, excavators, and loader-backhoes on a regular basis. These sessions are used to stimulate new ideas that help him to further define the craftsmanship of operating heavy equipment.