Very Cool Opportunity for Disabled Vets in Construction Industry
Have you driven past the gravel pit in Belgrade, Montana while driving on I90? Imagine a disabled veteran running one of those big machines, but with a remote control and from a remote location.
That's exactly what is in the works right now. I first heard about this idea during the Montana Equipment Dealers Association annual meeting in Whitefish earlier this month.
Adam Gilbertson is a fellow Iraq war veteran. He's also a heavy hitter in the construction industry. Technology is his focus in particular. Gilbertson is the Senior Vice President for Field Technology & Innovation with RDO Equipment Company. He got to chatting with Sarah Swanson, the commissioner for the Montana Department of Labor: what if we could leverage technology to get more skilled workers in the field, and also provide an opportunity for our disabled veterans?
He was on hand last week as Governor Greg Gianforte (R-MT) and Commissioner Swanson unveiled a pilot project and a $325,000 state grant to employ disabled veterans at the Knife River gravel pit in Belgrade.
“Technology can create opportunities for our veterans,” DLI Commissioner Sarah Swanson said, in a press release sent out by the Governor's office. “With Governor Gianforte's support and the public-private partnership with Knife River and RDO Equipment Company, we are paving the way for veterans with physical limitations.”
As you can see in the photos above, the governor took part in the demonstration and used the groundbreaking technology to remotely operate a John Deere loader to move gravel while seated at a control station near the work site. "The remote operation is made possible with technology developed by Teleo, an autonomous construction equipment company specializing in turning heavy construction equipment such as bulldozers, excavators, and loader dump trucks into remote-operated and supervised autonomous machines."
Here's information on how veterans can apply for this opportunity, according to a press release from the governor's office:
"Knife River is currently seeking qualified applicants, veterans living with disabilities within reasonable travel distance to Bozeman, to fill two operator roles for the pilot project. These operators will be trained to run two John Deere 944K loaders equipped with Teleo technology for quarry operations. Qualified applicants looking to learn more about employment opportunities can visit jobs.kniferiver.net."
Full chat with Adam Gilbertson is in the 2nd half of the below podcast.
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Gallery Credit: Stacker