The Tool Desk
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Start with the work your crew needs to do
Utility excavation is not one generic task. A crew may need to expose a damaged water service, extend an existing service, work in a congested area where gas and water lines overlap, or expose an electrical service without disturbing nearby utilities. The simulator’s value depends first on whether learners can practise the decisions and movements that resemble their assigned work.
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Write down the tasks operators are expected to perform before comparing equipment. Be specific about the machine class, the kind of excavation, and the hazards or constraints that define a successful job. Use that list to assess every proposed curriculum. A product described as an earthmoving simulator, for example, is not automatically a utility-excavation curriculum.
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- Hazard match: Can learners practise working near the buried services and overlapping infrastructure relevant to the work?
- Operator match: Does the simulator represent the machine class and control layout operators will use?
- Training match: Can an instructor explain errors, review performance, and connect simulator lessons to supervised field practice?
Ask vendors to demonstrate the proposed curriculum, not just describe it. Have them show a representative task from start to finish and explain what learners are expected to do, what the system records, and how an instructor would respond to an error. Confirm the current configuration and regional availability directly with the vendor; published product descriptions do not settle those details.
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Check whether the scenarios cover utility work
Scenario names can sound relevant while leaving important differences hidden. Ask what the learner must actually do in each exercise, what hazards are present, and how a task is judged. For utility crews, the distinction between general excavation and exposing services matters: the latter asks learners to work with buried infrastructure in mind, not simply to move material.
Water service exposure and extension
Check whether the curriculum includes the water-service task the crew performs. Caterpillar’s September 9, 2026 announcement for Cat Simulators Next Gen Excavator Utilities describes one exercise to expose a damaged, leaking water service and another to extend an existing water service. Those are distinct exercises in the announced package, not a claim that every simulator includes them.
Overlapping gas and water lines
Congested utilities call for a different kind of practice from an unobstructed digging task. The same Cat announcement describes an exercise to expose overlapping gas and water lines. Ask a vendor to show how its scenario represents the overlap and what the learner is asked to do; a broad “underground utilities” label alone does not establish that a particular exercise covers the configuration your crew faces.
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Electrical service exposure
The Cat announcement also describes an exercise to expose an electrical service while avoiding overlapping utilities. If electrical-service work is relevant to your organization, ask whether a proposed package covers that task and how the exercise is assessed. Do not assume a water or general utility scenario addresses it.
Mini-excavator work
Machine class is part of scenario fit. CM Labs announced a mini-excavator training pack on September 12, 2024, describing walkaround inspection and underground utility exercises for beginner and advanced operators. Confirm that the current package and hardware configuration suit the work you intend to train; the announcement does not establish that every CM Labs configuration includes the same exercises.
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Use a task-by-task matrix during demonstrations. Mark a task as covered only after seeing the exercise or receiving a clear explanation of what it entails. If a task is absent, ask whether the vendor offers a suitable alternative or whether the gap must be addressed through other instruction and field practice.
Compare the available options by what they describe
The options below have different stated emphases. They are not a like-for-like independent comparison: the vendor pages and announcements describe product features, and the available material does not establish that one system is best for every utility crew.
| Option | Utility-task information described | Other stated features | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat Simulators Next Gen Excavator Utilities | Caterpillar’s September 9, 2026 announcement describes four exercises: expose a damaged, leaking water service; extend an existing water service; expose overlapping gas and water lines; and expose an electrical service while avoiding overlapping utilities. | The announcement describes authentic Cat controls, walkaround inspection training, session reporting against Caterpillar benchmarks, multiple language availability, and companion SimScholars curriculum. Caterpillar’s general simulator information also describes OEM controls and session tracking and reporting. | Confirm the current configuration, regional availability, languages, pricing, and purchase route. Ask how benchmark results are interpreted and how instructors use the companion material. |
| CM Labs utility and mini-excavator training | CM Labs describes utility training for crews working around live infrastructure. Its September 12, 2024 mini-excavator announcement describes walkaround inspection and underground utility exercises for beginner and advanced operators. | The utility page advertises reductions in equipment damage and safety incidents, and lower training cost, as vendor marketing claims. | Confirm which current package and hardware configuration includes the tasks you need. Ask for the study design and baseline behind any marketing result before treating it as applicable to your operation. |
| Liebherr / Tenstar earthmoving simulator | The cited Liebherr description concerns broader earthmoving machine training; it does not establish dedicated utility excavation scenarios. | Liebherr describes transportability, licenses for several construction machines, and scorecards or progress charts focused on safety, quality, and efficiency. | Request a demonstration of the specific utility scenario you need. Confirm the machine licenses and configuration included in the proposed system. |
CM Labs’ utility page advertises “90% reduction in equipment damage,” “40% fewer safety incidents,” and “½ the cost of traditional equipment training.” These are vendor-published figures; the cited page information does not provide the study design or baseline needed to generalize them. Treat them as claims to investigate, not as independently verified forecasts for your crew.
Likewise, a vendor’s score, benchmark, or progress chart is a feature description, not by itself proof that learners will perform safely on a jobsite. Ask what is measured, how the result is interpreted, and what the instructor can review.
Evaluate controls, feedback, and teaching materials
Controls and machine representation
Operators need to practise on a control arrangement relevant to the equipment they will use. Caterpillar describes authentic Cat controls in its announced utility package and OEM controls on its general simulator page. For any system, ask the vendor to demonstrate the exact configuration under consideration rather than relying on a broad statement about realism. The available descriptions do not establish that configurations from different providers are interchangeable.
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Recording and performance review
Find out whether the system records sessions and what an instructor can review afterward. Caterpillar describes session reporting against Caterpillar benchmarks for the utility package and session tracking and reporting on its general simulator page. Before purchasing, ask to see an example report and have the vendor explain the benchmark, the observations it captures, and how the instructor uses the result to guide the next lesson.
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Instructor and learner curriculum
Ask what instruction accompanies the simulator. Caterpillar’s September 2026 announcement identifies companion SimScholars material for classroom or remote learning. That can be relevant when a program needs structured material beyond simulator time, but the announcement alone does not establish how a particular organization should schedule or deliver it.
Have the vendor identify the available instructor guidance and learner materials, including any lessons, videos, quizzes, or structured activities included in the proposed package. Ask who leads each part, how learners receive feedback, and how the material relates to the scenarios. These are questions to resolve for the configuration being offered, not features to presume across providers.
Plan deployment before requesting a quote
Deployment can affect whether a simulator fits a training program, but the available descriptions do not provide a like-for-like specification or current price comparison. Liebherr describes its earthmoving simulator collaboration with Tenstar as transportable; that statement does not establish the space, hardware, support, or setup required for every configuration. Ask each vendor for current details rather than inferring them from a general product description.
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- Configuration: Which machine class, controls, exercises, and curriculum are included in the proposed setup?
- Space and hardware: What site, hardware, and support requirements apply to that configuration?
- Use by learners: How is access scheduled, and how many learners can use the system within your training plan?
- Languages: Which languages are available in the configuration offered in your region? Caterpillar’s announcement says multiple languages are available but does not establish the complete current list.
- Commercial details: What are the current price, purchase route, availability, and any recurring costs? These details are not established in the cited product descriptions.
Request answers in writing for the exact configuration being quoted. Product availability, regional options, and pricing can change, and the cited descriptions do not establish current terms.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use demonstrations to test fit, not just presentation
A focused demonstration lets a training lead assess whether the scenario, feedback, and lesson flow are relevant to the organization’s work. Bring the task list developed before comparing products and use the same questions for each vendor.
- Choose a representative task. Select an actual training need, such as exposing a water service or working around overlapping utilities, rather than allowing the demonstration to default to general digging.
- Watch the complete exercise. Ask to see the learner’s task, the hazards represented, and the expected outcome. Clarify what the package does not cover.
- Inspect the feedback. Review the session report or scorecard and ask what each measure means, who interprets it, and how an instructor would use it to plan further practice.
- Check the teaching sequence. See how the simulator activity relates to instructor or learner materials, if those are included, and how the proposed program connects to supervised real-machine practice.
- Confirm the offered configuration. Record the machine class, controls, scenarios, curriculum, hardware, languages, and support included in the quote. Do not assume a demonstration unit and a quoted package are identical.
- Compare evidence with the claim. If a vendor makes an outcome claim, ask what population, intervention, comparison, and period it describes. Do not treat a result from another system or study as a guarantee for the offered product.
Keep a written comparison of what was demonstrated and what remains unconfirmed. This helps distinguish a feature visible in a demonstration from an assumption based on a product label or marketing statement.
Make simulator practice part of a supervised training plan
The available sources support evaluating simulator-based practice as part of training, but they do not establish that simulator-only instruction certifies, licenses, or qualifies an excavator operator for utility work. Plan how learners will move from exercises to supervised practice on real equipment, and determine who will assess that transition under the organization’s applicable requirements.
Before implementation, decide how instructors will use recorded sessions, how learners will receive feedback, and which field tasks will be observed under supervision. Ask the vendor to explain how its curriculum is intended to support instruction, while keeping the employer’s training and qualification decisions separate from a simulator’s score or completion record.
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Do not assume that simulator time automatically transfers to every machine, control layout, site condition, or utility configuration. The cited product descriptions do not establish a universal transfer measure. The training lead should make the transition plan explicit and verify performance on the real equipment and tasks relevant to the work.
What published outcome evidence does—and does not—show
A peer-reviewed Human Factors study published in 2020 evaluated proficiency-based progression simulation training for locating and excavating utility services. Compared with a standard-trained group, the intervention group had 33% fewer performance errors (p = 0.006). Following rollout across a division, the study reported a 35–61% reduction in utility strikes (p = 0.028) and estimated savings of £116,000–£2,175,000 over the 12 months and 47,000 work hours studied.
These figures belong to that study’s training intervention and setting. They are not an outcome guarantee for every simulator, vendor, employer, or training plan. In particular, the study’s results should not be attributed to the Cat, CM Labs, or Liebherr/Tenstar products described above unless evidence specific to the product supports that connection.
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The study makes simulation-based utility training a relevant option to evaluate, but it does not eliminate the need to check scenario fit, instruction, assessment, and supervised field practice. Vendor feature descriptions and marketing figures are a different kind of evidence from a peer-reviewed study, and should be assessed accordingly.
A practical decision checklist
Before selecting a system, make sure the training lead can answer these questions for the exact configuration under consideration:
- Does the curriculum demonstrate the utility tasks the crew performs, including any relevant water, overlapping-line, electrical-service, or mini-excavator work?
- Does the proposed machine class and control layout match the training need?
- Can instructors review sessions and understand what the reported score or benchmark means?
- What learner and instructor materials are included, and how do they connect to simulator exercises?
- What deployment requirements, languages, support, availability, and commercial terms apply in your region?
- How will learners progress to supervised practice on real equipment, and who will assess that work?
- Are claimed outcomes supported for this particular intervention and setting, or are they vendor marketing statements?
If a vendor cannot demonstrate a required utility task or explain how performance feedback is used, record that as a gap rather than assuming it is covered. Choose on the fit between the work, the training system, and the supervised practice plan—not on a general claim that a simulator is realistic or comprehensive.
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