I used to drive a 14t Volvo 360, had access to a 3CX and loads of smaller stuff.
My dad has ran plant since he was 14 years old
My brother started in plant driving and is now high up in civil engineering.
I have seen loads, and I mean loads of dicks jump up in machines and try to drive them.
VERY dangrous pieces of kit! One wrong move and you have killed someone, no questions asked. You do not turn up and have a off day. They end in serious injury. You have to take it serious as soon as your in that cab.
As for the above and dumpers being easy to use, yes they are simple pieces of equipment, but get it wrong and again your or someone else is died. We used to have 10t dumpers and when loaded, a serious chunk of weight flying down the road/track... Anyone caught fu4king around was off the machine, depending how bad they was, they got sacked. End off. No questions asked.
We had a lad who went down a field in a 6t dumper trying to copy another lad who was more experienced, he went down in 4th foot flat to the floor loaded. I seen him coming backup and he looked sheedish, asked what happen and he said he hit a dump, thrown out of the seat, hit his heat on the roll bar and just managed to grab the back of the seat and pull himself back on.
The same lad who was always going on about driving the excavators seen our 8t slew sat idle and thought he would park it up. My god didnt he get a bollocking! I remember speaking with him after and because he lifted the arm 1 ft off the floor and tracked it up a field he thought he could master it and was off to hire a 3/4 t slew for his house work!!! Annoying thing, they hired it to him!
One thing I will say, driving bigger machines is easier than small stuff. But you hit someone in a 3/4t machine and they more than likely walk away, you hit them in a 14t machine and you bury them into the ground!
As said above, machines are very expensive! My brothers boss just bought 5 new cat machines. They all come with apps that monitor what the machine is doing, what revs, what the pump is doing etc etc. So gone have the days of just sitting in the cab with the engine running building up the hours (seen loads of people do this)
A hiab and a slew are miles a part! Controls are not even close unless using the servo version of a hiab.
Anyone can get in and push the levers around for a bit and get the hang of it, the art is positioning the machine, getting it level, knowing how to dig certain positions etc. All down to time spent on a machine.
Also, with regards to your ticket... I know for a fact my dad and brother had to keep a log and get this signed by management etc for the time spent and what jobs they did in a machine, I think it was a green passport or something.. then you move to red, or the otherway round. Eitherway, your only going to get a full license by finding someone to employe you.