Caterpillar is inviting 31 operators to compete for the title of North American champion at its regional semifinals in its Global Operator Challenge.
The competition will take place in Clayton, North Carolina from September 23 to 25.
Cat launched its third Global Operator Challenge in December, inviting thousands of machine operators worldwide to put their skills to the test on a wide range of construction equipment and technology.
For the first round of competition, operators competed in local challenges facilitated by Cat dealers from January to September. The competitions featured at least three different challenges on three separate pieces of equipment. Winners from the local dealer events advanced to the Regional Semifinals, and two finalists will emerge as the North American Regional Champions.
The Canadian operators selected to compete in Clayton include Sebastian Rees from Interior Heavy Equipment Operator School (Finning Canada), Brock Leclerc from Quattro Constructors (Finning Canada), Joey Longley from Dexter (Toromont Cat), Alex Blanchet from Maxi Paysage (Toromont Cat) and Andrew Martin from FCM Construction (Toromont Cat).
Watch the Operator Challenge live
Caterpillar is broadcasting the North American regional semifinal competition live on YouTube. To watch the action, visit these following links:
- 9/23 | 9:00 a.m. – Day 1 Introduction
- 9/23 | 11:30 a.m. – Challenge 1
- 9/23 | 2:00 p.m. – Challenge 2
- 9/25 | 9:00 a.m. – Day 2 Introduction
- 9/25 | 10:00 a.m. – Challenge 3
- 9/25 | 2:30 p.m. – Challenge 4
From the regional semifinals held worldwide, nine champions will advance to the final competition in March 2026 at Caterpillar’s outdoor Festival Grounds exhibit during ConExpo in Las Vegas.
The winner receives either a $10,000 cash prize or an equal value trip for two where Caterpillar has a location worldwide.
The first Global Operator Challenge was held in 2019 with Alberta’s Jaus Neigum winning the crown at ConExpo 2020.
More than 140 Cat dealer competitions were held during the 2022-2023 challenge, which attracted more than 10,000 operators from 32 countries.
