Oil near Corpus Christi Tx

Im an hr north of CC but things have changed a bit not sure who now but I know South C&C is in Mathis & some are hiring out of Alice I think SunCoast is but I can ask around

 

Here in Houston most crude companies have a hiring freeze. I'm still working but only one load a day. My company asked for volunteers to go work in Pecos. Luckily I have Seniority so they'll force the new hands to go before me.

I've been told Shell over promised the amount of loads they would have and companies such as Dupree over hired as a result.

Though price of oil is creeping back up so I'm confident things will get going again soon.

 

I work for an OO that is leased on to a company that I'm not comfortable naming as I'd be too easy to identify.

I was gonna buy my own truck before things slowed down as this is the best way to see if the Owner Operator thing is right for me. I'm still making 300 a day, but was making 450-550 a day before oil price dropped.

I still may do it , but I'm torn as to if I should stick with crude or go back to Chemical.

But enough about me lol,

I don't know much about Corpus, but I talk to drivers of every single company in this area at the lacts.

I can tell you South CC lost a ton of their experienced drivers to Dupre when they switched from Load pay to hourly. They were replaced with drivers who don't seem to be able to speak in complete sentences.

However Dupre drivers are hourly but not getting nearly the OT they were a year ago.

If I were to be a company driver I'd go with enterprise as their drivers seem the happiest. And they don't slip seat.

At Dupre and SCC you'll be slip seating, likely with someone who doesn't give a crap about the truck. Also both companies have safety managers that love to sneak up on you or hide and watch you with the intent of trying to find something to write you up for.

Hope this helps.

 

I dont have personal experience with other companies here Ive been with the same for 2 1/2 yrs & we're going thru a transition & well alot of confussion....I know NGL is wanting a crude hauler in Victoria...I see alot of Martin trucks in Corpus...Ive seen Sunoco Logistics looking for drivers in CC

 

I just talked to a SCC driver today at the lact, he's been there a while and seemed like a straight shooter. I told him I was considering putting in a application and he told me I could have his job as he was quitting. I asked why and he said after the switch from hourly to load pay 10 Houston drivers quit. For a while after that he was doing real good making up to 600 a day, but not every day, it depended how he was dispatched and how long to wait to unload. But it didn't last, lots of the drivers started bragging around the lacts as to how much money they were making and as a result they got flooded with apps and once they had a full yard of drivers the runs started running out and ev1 who was getting two loads a day is now getting one. It's gotten so bad so quick that SCC is asking for volunteers to go work in West Texas. And he also said their now trying to thin the herd. This driver had just gotten back from 3 day suspension as a safety manager observed him not coming to complete stop at RR tracks.

Also talked to a Dupre driver who told me their hours have been trimmed significantly, and most are only getting 40 which is the company guarantee. I have multiple times seen Dupre pick up truck arrive at the lacts and 4 drivers will get out and relieve drivers waiting inline at lacts .

As I said earlier my company is also looking for volunteers to go work in Pecos. But the OO I work for is assuring me he'll never take his trucks there , and he's one of their top producers so I think we're safe for now.

But still just one load a day. I had plenty of hours to go get another one today and called dispatch telling them I'd take anything but was told they didn't have any.

Sigh

I'll try to weather the storm. Hoping oil goes up more with summer driving season hopefully pushing up demand.

Happiest Company drivers I've talked to lately are Enterprise.

Happiest OOs I've talked to lately are Catamount and Paisan.

I want to buy my own truck and do the OO thing.

Just don't know how smart it is to take the risk right now.

Though I could go back to Chemical, there's a Heniff terminal close to me and I hear it's the place to be for OOs.

But oil is so so so much easier and less stressful than Chems.

Just don't know what to do.

I'm gonna have a beer and think about it.