Nicole Stewart

Worked at a landfill, building cells. I went into a bell store and expanded. Put in all new sanitary, storm, and water lines. On this job, I learned how to drill helicals. I put in about 200+ in all the footers. I also drilled them under the manholes because the town had no bottom. I also took the opportunity to learn how to install sheet piling. We used it to put the tanks in the ground. I was also part of the new Love's gas station. I ran the loader for the pipe crew. I also worked with the concrete laborers, doing all the grading around the buildings. I also got some seat time using a GPS dozer and an excavator.

I started off doing basic operating skills during my first year as an apprentice. I operated a roller and sheep's foot for compaction. I then moved to an articulating dump truck, off and on the road, hauling dirt away and bringing back premium material. In my second year, I got to really expand my operating skills. I operated a dozer at a dump site, doing a fill, and also stripping topsoil. I operated a loader, loading trucks, and hauling steel plates. I got to use a mini excavator to dig underdrain and grade for sidewalks. I used a skid steer to backfill the underdrain and grading. I operated a backhoe to backfill ditch lines and used the compactor attachment for compaction. I also got to operate an excavator to load trucks with dirt, or even concrete. In my third year, I really stepped up and started grading. I dug out with an excavator for subgrade, and put stone material back with a dozer. I was grading for curb and asphalt. I also removed asphalt, curb, concrete, trees, and any obstacles in the way. I built retention ponds and graded slopes. By my fourth year, I was putting in waterlines to storm lines. Setting structures like catch basins and manholes. I dug with a trench box and steel plates. I worked around power lines and traffic. I dug around gas lines, water lines, cable, and direct-bury electric lines. I got to work with asphalt more, dipping out of trucks and putting driveways back with an excavator. I finished with them as a finish dozer operator.

I was an operator on the pipeline. I started on the broom for about a week, then got moved into an excavator. They were a clearing crew and chipped the wood that didn't get hauled out. I loaded all the wood chips into semis on the right-of-way. I went up and down steep slopes that I had to use my boom and bucket to grab and pull myself up the slopes.

I was an oiler on the pipeline. I checked out the machines in the morning to make sure all fluids were at a normal operating range. I made sure the machines were cleaned out and greased. During the day, I ran a pump. I kept it running and pumped water out of all the ditch lines. I had to set up containment locations. Which consisted of straw bales and plastic to set up a square area for the settlement bag to collect all the settlement, so it didn't contaminate the ground. At the end of the day, I cleaned all tracks.