Updated curriculum introduces a new demolition attachment set and advanced trenching scenarios, debuting at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 in booth #N11839.
MONTREAL, QC, December 16, 2025 — CM Labs Simulations, the global leader in simulation-based training solutions for construction and utilities, today announced a significant expansion of its Tracked Excavator curriculum within the Intellia Workforce Training System. The update adds new demolition training using hydraulic hammer and shear jaw attachments, along with advanced trenching exercises that incorporate trench box installation and realistic soil behavior, helping organizations prepare operators for complex work before they encounter it on active jobsites.
Demolition and deep trenching are among the most technically demanding and high-risk excavator operations, yet they are also the most difficult to train consistently in the field. By extending its Tracked Excavator curriculum to cover these scenarios, CM Labs enables organizations to build operator capability in a controlled, repeatable environment, where safety margins, equipment availability, and time pressures are no longer limiting factors.
“As organizations take on more complex excavation and demolition work, training has to evolve beyond basic machine operation,” said Lisa Barbieri, VP of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships at CM Labs. “This expansion reflects what we hear from customers every day. They need training that prepares operators for the realities of the work they do. By bringing these scenarios into our Tracked Excavator curriculum, we’re helping teams build confidence, consistency, and readiness without compromising safety or productivity.”
As part of the expanded curriculum, CM Labs enhances demolition training with hydraulic hammer and shear jaw attachments, integrated with existing grapple exercises. The training focuses on realistic attachment use, material response, and workflow transitions common in controlled environments.
With the hydraulic hammer attachment exercises, operators learn how to attach and detach the tool using a live quick coupler, execute controlled fractures in concrete slabs, and manage debris by transitioning to a grapple for sorting and cleanup. The demolition simulation responds to how the excavator actually applies force, so concrete breaks, debris falls, and materials behave in ways operators would expect on a real worksite. The shear jaw training expands the demolition experience by allowing operators to cut into steel beams and structural elements, building operator confidence and control through realistic feedback on material resistance and break behavior.
For excavation safety, the enhanced curriculum introduces trench box installation and operation within trenching scenarios that feature dynamically unstable soil behavior. A newly added soil type behaves like loose, real-world ground conditions, increasing the likelihood of trench instability when excavations are left unprotected.
By combining trench box procedures with realistic soil response, organizations can train OSHA-aligned trench safety practices for excavations at depths of five feet (1.5 meters) and beyond. These scenarios represent some of the most challenging trenching conditions operators are likely to encounter, bringing training closer to real-world complexity than traditional methods allow.
“CM Labs is currently the only simulation provider that combines trench protection systems with dynamically unstable soil behavior,” said Alan Limoges, Manager of Product Growth and Partnerships at CM Labs Simulations. “That combination allows trainees to understand, through experience, how ground conditions influence excavation safety. When operators can see how soil behaves under different conditions, trench protection stops being an abstract rule and becomes an operational instinct they carry onto the jobsite.”
The Tracked Excavator curriculum also includes AI Assistant support, providing both written and spoken guidance during select training scenarios. In certain exercises, the AI Assistant can briefly demonstrate correct maneuvers before returning control to the operator, helping reduce routine instructor intervention and allowing trainers to focus on higher-value coaching and assessment.
CM Labs will showcase the enhanced Tracked Excavator simulation curriculum at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, taking place March 3–7 in Las Vegas, Nevada, in booth #N11839. Attendees can experience live demonstrations and participate in a skills-based excavator challenge using the Intellia Workforce Training System to compare performance in real time.
In addition to the live demonstrations in the CM Labs booth, Gary James, Construction Subject Matter Expert at CM Labs, will present on trench box safety, sharing practical insights into how simulation-based training can help organizations strengthen excavation practices and support compliance on real-world jobsites, on Tuesday, March 3, from 2:30–3:15 p.m (PT).
CM Labs stands apart through its commitment to pioneering the most realistic simulation-based heavy equipment training solutions on the market, tailored to address and solve real-world challenges. With more than 25 years of experience, numerous awards, and 300+ academic papers to its name, CM Labs has achieved worldwide recognition for the quality of its solutions. With more than 1,300 installations across 50 countries, it is the global leader in providing virtual training tools for the construction, utilities, and ports markets.
