Best semi truck for off road oil fields

ND oilfields are not OTR.

As an O/O you will likely drive on commission, so you can plan on tearing up your truck for the sake of more loads. I would suggest a newer Freightliner, as they are cheaper but also cheaper to fix. And you WILL be fixing it, given those washboard roads and potholes. The more you can fix yourself, the more money you will save. This is a given for any O/O, but ND mechanics charge DOUBLE and the wait for them to fix it costs you DOUBLE because the work here pays DOUBLE.

Don't bring anything nice up here. You'll be in ND for the work, and it is mean, dirty, rattling work. Leave your nice tractor at home. Oh, and be absolutely sure your truck has full lockers!

I have friends driving the wheels off their own trucks and take home $150k/yr after all expenses. They buy another newer tractor every three years to replace the RIP truck that held up that long. I am not mechanically inclined... which is why I went into management instead of the O/O route. I don't miss getting knocked around in the cab all day, but the money is not what I made while driving.

 

This will do

Or the big brother

 

Hands down a t800 and forget about air ride. I would go with Hendrickson spring suspension for the patch it does ride a little rough bought hard to beat for a oil field setup. Go with at least 475hp and a 13spd with 4.10 and 24.5 tall rubber.

 

You forgot about the M916 and M920

 

In Alberta, Canada we've got the oilsands and the huge logging industry.

Mostly everyone buys KWs for any type of off-road job but there are a few Macks sold for the oilsands (not the logging so much).
Hope that helps.

 

I just took a load up to Ft. St. John BC.
I'd say it was about 95% T800s that I saw doing every kind of work. It was pretty amazing, really. I know that Inland Kenworth has a huge presence in BC and that certainly plays a role, but they wouldn't have that presence if their product didn't deliver.

 

Over here in PA I've gotta go with KW T800's..seem to be one of the best balances of maneuverability and toughness. Though, we can have 12% or better grades up onto some of the pad sites, so 500+ hp, 18's and 4.xx rear ends are king. Oh, and unless you're running empty a lot, skip the air-ride. Half of ours had rubber-block rear suspension...handled great loaded but would beat the tar out of you empty.

I have to agree with the Mack R model/Superliner comment above...you don't see many of them though mostly due to people bringing them in with the 300hp E6 and a 5 speed. It's not flat land over here, and those just didn't work out (Any locals remember Artexoma's mustard trucks?)

 

In Alberta they mostly run C500's. I'm sure they know what they're doing.

 

I would say the T 800 s 8 bag suspension or the 388 Pete with air Trac suspension are the best ride and will stand up to the abuse.I would not even consider less then a 46000 lb full locking diff 391. I have run both in the patch in Canada. Here we are pulling tr idem SS trailers loaded to the lid on oil company roads Grossing like 55000 KG and i have never broke either trucks suspensions and we run like between 30 to 60 mph down roads that you can not rely call roads.

 

When I hauled produce from the fields we were using Pete's with Cat motors