Trying to find out about Oilfield trucking!

I am from Mobile and I have been hauling in North Dakota. I would like a job closer to home. Are you still hiring trucks? Thanks!

 

I work in the North Dakota oilfields. I don't know if those offering advice have been out of the game for a while or what but there is a LOT of wrong information out there. I mostly haul freshwater for fracs. This is the cleanest, best paying job I've ever had. Hauling production, pit, etc. isn't much different. I live here and I am home every day (I work nights). I work for Power Fuels, my truck is a daycab Pete with a C-15 Cat. My shift is 12 hours a night, but that includes everything, pre and post trip, coffee and BS-ing, etc. HOS DOES apply in the oilpatch, with a few differences, the biggest being only a 24 hr restart is required. It isn't 1940 out here, there is DOT and weight restrictions just like everywhere else, and if you ignore them you will end up on the losing side of a nice big fat fine. There are LOTS of flunkie/fly-by-night outfits out here, I don't advise going to work for anybody who doesn't sound like a professional. I have talked to guys that worked 2 months without pay before they caught on because they were told that's just how the oilpatch is. That's BS. There are people living in tents, campers, and cars, and as soon as a place opens up for rent it is gone regardless of asking price. Places to park an RV with hookups can run higher than 500 a month. If your company can't provide you with a decent place to stay if you are an out-of-stater, you are working for the wrong place. If you are extremely lazy, you will make upwards of 60K a year as a starting company driver. If you take advantage of all the various opportunities, you can easily make over 100K your first year. If you own your own truck, you can make more, and if you own a truck and trailer, you can make a killing, but be warned, the oilpatch is HARD on equipment, so if you want to be an O/O out here, make sure you have a pile of cash on reserve. This is not a place for low, stretched, pretty trucks, you will just wreck them when the snow flies. There is almost no place to shower, few places to eat and park, and mechanics are worth their weight in gold out here so you will wait forever and pay through your exit-hole to get anything worked on. The weather is cold, but it's warm in the cab especially when you are making money. If you don't like EXTREMELY CHALLENGING winter driving I would advise you to head south by the end of October for sure, and don't plan on being back before April. It is VERY easy to get a job out here. Most reputable companies want you to have 2 yrs class A driving, tanker, double-triple, and they like to see hazmat too. If you can't meet those requirements you can still get a job driving, but you may have to work for a more questionable place until you have been here a couple months. A couple accident free months in the oilpatch counts more than a couple accident free years OTR. Anyone wants to know anything else just shoot.

 

Well maybe I lucked out . Plains does not provide any housing, so I had to research it on my own from Virginia. It took a couple months for an apartment to open up in Minot. There is a powerfuels terminal few miles west of minot & I've seen hiring sign there couple days ago.

If you are going to work near Minot check these sites regularly for openings:

1) http://apts.minot.com/vacancy_lst.htm
2) http://iretproperties.com/property.asp?state_cd=ND&locale=Minot&area_cd=MINT
3) http://www.minot.immapartments.com/

BTW, we're hiring too -- out of Watford City, Stanley & Williston.

 

you are lucky driver i applied with power uels january this year , ive been told " oh we took another driver on your position" . second is that you have to have ND drivers licence , and third the ederal law says you got to retake the hazmat test everytime you switch license rom state to another state that takes like 2 months. but i know my chance its going to come up soon. i don care about the winter time , sooner or later im going to apply again this year . we appreciate your help LigthsOutND. drive safe on curves

 

Well my Va CDL transferred the same day & the hazmat transferring took 2 business days. I had to retake the hazmat test though. So you can pretty much transfer your CDL to ND under a week.

 

thats prety much the information that i need , thank you MONEY CAT now i have to look ND physical address once i get there, have to resolve some car issues first , i dont care to sleep in my car i've done it before .
jvar7829@yahoo.com

 

cant ind btw website moneycat,,any idea. Thank you

 

thank you MONEYCAT or your help.

 

ups !!! one other thing MONEYCAT , i guess that s why PLAINS dont hired me on this past january , was because i dont have 2 years experience on tanker but on dry van. anyway thats a valuable help. thanks