1st week in Wy oilfield

Discussion in 'Oilfield Trucking Forum' started by row684, Nov 15, 2014.

  1. row684

    row684 Bobtail Member

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    I've been in Cheyenne for 5 days now hauling water in the oilfield for a subcontractor to Aaron's. I've lived here before but I don't remember it getting this cold! I got here the day the arctic cold front moved in and dang was it cold! I missed out on my first 2 days of training with a jelled up truck, it wasn't even plugged in in -5* weather when I got here... Spent 8 hours getting it thawed out enough so she would start (05 W900 w/c15) it ran for 3 hours before freezing up again so me and the trainer did a quick fuel filter change with diesel 911 in it and it fired right back up got back to sleep and 1.5 hours later froze up again! To hell with this and got the boss to get us a hotel room for the rest of the night! We figured out the next day the red bottle of 911 only de-jells it doesn't keep it from jelling back up...
    Next morning added more red 911 to the filter and a ton of Howes to the tanks and it would idle all day but would die if reved up. Talked them into letting us put it in the shop overnight to thaw out and that did the trick! While the truck was thawing out they sent us out in another truck; the truck sucked but at least it ran! I basically watched while the trainer did the work this trip; dang was it cold! -13* without the windchill! I went and dropped $250 on better winter FR gear the next day!
    We then had another slow 2 days which I used to hunt for apartments; not planning on sleeping in this truck any longer than necessary!
    It finally warmed up to 20* today, much more like the Cheyenne I remembered. We finally got dispatched this afternoon and the trainer just watched me. It had been a while since I had driven a 13 speed but it was like riding a bike and I had never been shown how to properly power shift but I picked it up in a few minutes after getting a compliment that I "double clutched smoother than anyone he had ever seen; but try it this way." A few compliments on my power shifting by the end of the day too.
    We took a load of drilling mud down to Co. and I was really surprised how light it was, hardly felt it behind that ol Cat. The company men on that site were sticklers for safety and checked in on us asking if we did this and that and when he saw we were grounded he pretty much left us alone; apparently no one does that anymore in a water truck so we left under better terms than we arrived.
    I have 3 more days of training before I head back to Utah to start packing for the move while the guy I'll be replacing finishes his 2 weeks then I'll get a couple more days of training if he thinks I'll need it before she's all mine working a 3-1 or 4-1 week schedule. I think the living at home with the wife and kid aspect will really make the difference and was the main reason I turned down more money in Nd.
    Any tips/tricks for doing well in the oilfield? Other tips for keeping the fuel from Jelling?
     
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  3. Numb

    Numb Crusty Curmudgeon

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    used to live over on west side,Green River, back the 70's and -40 air temp in Jan.
     
  4. moraramis

    moraramis Light Load Member

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    Dang -13* will have you wishing for a little global warming.
     
  5. dca

    dca Road Train Member

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    Last edited: Nov 15, 2014
  6. TLeaHeart

    TLeaHeart Road Train Member

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    The joys of an actual winter season... get used to it.

    Dress in layers, and protect your ears and nose from frostbite.. only take 15 minutes at -10, with no wind.

    As far as jelling up, using blended fuel helps, keeping the truck running helps, keep the tanks full to prevent condensation, and plugging in the engine heater helps when parked. This is the second cold snap this year... expect more.

    Making it in the oilfields, do what is expected, get used to mud, snow and ice, and don't slide off the road. Gravel/dirt roads are slick too.
     
  7. pattyj

    pattyj Road Train Member

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    This is just the beginning wait till Winter really starts,WY is whole different kind of cold then what most of us are use to.While home op make sure to pack plenty of warm gear.Good luck in the oil fields.I'll be looking forward to your updates.
     
  8. dca

    dca Road Train Member

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    Perhaps some Canadians will chime in..
     
  9. cmbks21

    cmbks21 Medium Load Member

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    70° today in big spring tx, took my motorcycle out for a ride...
     
    postmandav Thanks this.
  10. bryann

    bryann Bobtail Member

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    Nov 11, 2014
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    stock up on under armour
     
  11. gpsman

    gpsman Road Train Member

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    That's not a bad idea, but I always haunted the charity thrift stores. A long sleeve polyester t-shirt for $1-2 beats essentially the same shirt for $80-100.

    I have NO idea where someone might buy a decent fleece at ANY price these days, but those paper-thin "The North Face" and "Columbia" jobs ain't worth 1 cent more than the hangers they hang from.
     
    cmbks21 Thanks this.
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