Where the heck is the money in sand?

I'll try to help. I've never hauled for a strictly dry van, OTR company, so I can't speak for certain, but I can tell ya that hauling sand (or anything else that is oilfield-related) will be very unpredictable. You'll often times find yourself in the middle of nowhere for hours (days?) at a time. Sometimes without cell service. No town or store in sight. It pays better than most freight, but it comes at a cost. It pays better per loaded mile, but you are empty for over 50% of your miles (unless you are very lucky), unlike most OTR trucks.

You may already know all this, but I just wanted to help you make an informed decision.

 

Thanks and I do pull pneumatics, but it's kinda otr and I'm empty about half the time. The isolation would be different for sure.

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Well that particular sand job doesn't pay as well as I think it should. Percentage pay at an average of 190per day, 14 an hour detention. Doesn't sound all that great. I guess the money is in companies that are established down there. So I think I'm not going with this outfit and may be going the van route or possibly stay where I'm at for now. Not 100% sure on that one.

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it's my second week training as a sandhauler....looks like things are slow right now....lots of waiting around...no detention for the first 2 hours...... I like the idea of eventually making $60k as a company driver, but am not sure if i can handle the on-call situation......what if i been waiting for a call for 7 hours, then get a call, and be try to be awake another 13-16 hours? i know every company's got up's and downs, maybe i should go back otr and and hope to convince dispatch to keep me between 10am and 2 am and live on $40k???? Anyone else working on-call basis with no set shift?

 

Welcome to the patch..........:smt045:smt039

 

Yep, welcome to the oilfield. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you can't handle the long hours, then the oil patch is not for you. There aren't too many oilfield trucking jobs with set hours, but there are jobs that PAY by the hour. Some water haulers I know work 14-hr shifts, but if something goes wrong, it can turn into a longer shift than you may like.

 

I was hoping to make some good money for a few years cause am tired of being homeless....$50k would buy me a small condo near Denver, or a fixer house out in fort morgan... after that i can work at McDonalds till i retire, but at $65k i could take care of my 80 yr old DAD and help my 50 year old brother get back on his feet and retire in 7-10 years !!!... OTR i gotta argue with dispatch to keep somewhat of a shift and with the d.manager to justify my high idle..., sandhauling i better make sure i drink a gallon of energy drinks if i ever get called in at 10pm after being up all day waiting for the call, hope i dont ever ditch it, and hope i can back up blind at the wells????, Local gigs i gotta deal with traffic and driving into confined spaces??? Well, i guess i have to hurry up and pick my own hell....

 

A lot of the larger companies work 12 hour shifts. After 12 hours, it's your relief driver's problem. If you're willing to live in the patch, you can find a 60-70 hour a week job paying 60-90k. Just avoid Craigslist and apply to the companies running true fleets.

 

HEY trucsugma5 !! There IS another option that hasn't been discussed here yet ( that I'm aware of anyway ) . You do NOT back in by yourself on the vast majority of the pads ( well sites ) that you deliver to. The "Sand Coordinators" guide you into position and tell you which "bin" and into what "Mover" you need to unload into. The Sand Coordinators usually work in pairs and work twelve hour shifts. They get paperwork from the companies that are in charge of the site, figure out which load needs to go where ( which bin and Mover ) and tell the Drivers what order they need to come on to the pad. With one in front of the Truck and one at the rear of the Truck they give you hand signals and guide you into the slot you need to be in. Sometimes the Sand Coordinators aren't even CDL holders ( usually NOT GOOD ! ) but someone who has experience with how Trucks articulate ( move ) is usually a good choice for this position. It's got it's own set of things to worry about but it's not Rocket Science. But Pulezze don't be a jerk about it. The Drivers are usually experienced and know how to maneuver that Truck and know that if something gets crunched it's their tail in the wringer. So listen and work with your Drivers ! Chalk Mountain ran an ad yesterday for this position. Yes, it's on the San Antonio Craigslist and Craigslist has a bad reputation but it might be something worth considering. Chalk Mountain is a rather large outfit, but I never worked there.