With over 22 years of experience in the earthmoving industry, James O’Reilly from Dirtek Excavation & Training has become a seasoned expert in Trimble Machine Control Systems.
His journey in the industry began in 2007 with Abigroup Contractors, where he was introduced to Trimble equipment through their newly acquired CAT 16M graders equipped with Trimble Machine Control.
Reflecting on his early experiences, James shares, “I spent 6 years with Abigroup on various projects in WA, NSW and Victoria. Abigroup gave me many opportunities to learn on new equipment over that time, including their CMI Terex trimmers, equipped with Trimble UTS. The accuracy and speed we achieved in trimming were unmatched by any other machinery.”
In 2018, James returned to Abigroup, now rebranded as Lendlease, as the company’s trainer and assessor for earthmoving equipment. He played a crucial role in the Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway Upgrade, where he trained operators on equipment such as CAT 773 dump trucks and 651E scrapers.
He continued his work on the Western Sydney Airport project, leading the training of plant operators for the significant 26 million cubic meter Bulk Earthworks package. “My role involved training operators not just in the use of machinery but also in the Trimble Machine Control systems,” James explains. “Training operators involved all aspects of operating the plant to ensure operators were competent, safe and efficient. With such a high number of young trainees, I am proud to say we had no significant incidents involving plant or any of our learner operators.”
The projects James worked on relied heavily on SITECH support, with each individual layer having its own model which was remotely transferred from the office to the survey team. Trimble GPS technology was also used to count roller compaction passes, highlighting the importance of precise technology in their operations.
Today, James runs Dirtek Excavation and Training and works in conjunction with his brother Sean O’Reilly from Skyline Services and their father Dan O’Reilly from Discovery Excavators. He is currently applying his expertise on the MRL Onslow to Ken’s Bore haul road project, where in collaboration with Skyline Services, he operates a new CAT 150 grader equipped with Trimble GPS and UTS machine control and handles bulk earthworks, pavement materials, and trimming.
To learn more about Dirtek Excavation & Training, visit www.dirtek.com.au.
