Life in North Dakota "Man Camps"?

I wouldn't get to worked up about driving your car in the snow. Not sure about your car but I don't think most front wheel drive cars have enough clearance between the tire and fender/inner fender to run chains without tearing something up.

Check out the road hazard. Not all but most road hazard programs are self funded by the selling dealer. What they do is sell the warranty and place that money into an account. You let it grow and keep a balance in the account to cover your projected pay outs for damaged tires. I am not saying in anyway its a scam as it gives tire owners peace of mind but they are big money makers for tire retailers.

 

Lived in ND all my life and never chained my car. I remember my Dad doing so in the 60's, but c'mon tires and vehicles have come a long ways. I think your making way too much out of the winter. You dress in half the amount of clothes suggested....you wont be able to move, let alone drive.

 

Hey Sexy...
i deliver housing up in that area, and can tell you the quality and amenities vary widely. Have been delivering housing units to the man camps for about 3 years now. It depends on if it's a company owned camp, or a re they renting units from a pro-housing camp? Is it one of the older original camps or one of the newer ones? The older ones are basically thrown together trailer homes set on their trailer frames still and are not really intended for the conditions up there. Mostly they were rushed up when the rush first started ans no one knew what they were getting into, so their insulation isn't as good, piping tends to freeze up, and the spaces are small with little in them. Think really cheap hotel room here.
The newer camps, or ones put in by management companies like say target logistics can be pretty nice. The units were designed especially for the area with a camp layout planned in advance. The units are set on a prepared foundation, well insulated, with usually 4-6 rooms per unit. Most of the rooms have a bed, desk, and single chair with a small closet and a locking door. Again think small hotel. Some of the camps have restraints/ cafeterias on site. Some either have microwaves or hot plates in the rooms, or the plugs so you can bring your own in. The are some units that were designed so each room had its own bathroom and shower and others with a communal bath that the residents are expected to keep clean themselves. Can be fairly disgusting though from what I have heard. Others have showers and such like a truckstop in a community building rec center kinda set up.
Can tell you most of the camps are running no more than 80-85% occupancy on average. The scarcity of housing you read about isn't in the man camps, it's in private housing up there. Almost impossible to find a apartment or house to rent or buy right now even with all the new construction going on. We just got done delivering 78 modular units to build a premade apartment complex to watford city for the city. All are intended for the new police, firemen, and school teachers they have hired recently! They just built a brand new elementary school and had to hire out of state for the teachers, but had no place to house them all!
The quality of the housing also depends somewhat on where your going to be living. Do you know if you will be say in Williston or watford city? Or will they have you down by Dickinson or even out towards Minot? Generally the further out fromwilliston you are the newer, and nicer, the camps are. Most of the camps also have professional onsite management and maintenance staff.
If the showers and such are to much for you in the camp, they have just built a brand new loves and pilot on the east side of Williston with plenty of showers, and they are kept very very clean, and wait times are usually minimal. I use both regularly and rarely have to wait for a shower.
Would suggest packing light for the move, just take your basics with you till you see what your getting. If the room doesn't have a microwave or whatever you can always go to walmart and get one fairly cheap after you start drawing your pay checks. As for a cb, I know a lot of the drivers up there don't carry one (fairly annoying in that you can't ask them for directions, or get a heads up when say a 20 wide house is coming up the road towards you). Would suggest a basic cb with a lighter plug and magnet mount antenna just in case. If the company supplies one, or the other driver has one mounted in your truck you can still use it in your car then.
Also who is your cell provider? You might want to check if they have coverage up there. Best coverage is verizon followed by ATT, not sure about sprint. A lot of the well sites don't get any cell coverage at all.

Hope this helps a bit, if you have any other questions about the area itself feel free to ask. I drive up there constantly, and live just south in rapid city Sd, so I know the area extremely well. Couldn't help you find a well site but I know stores and such pretty well

 

A quick word on winter up here. First, it's not THAT bad people! Lol..you don't need studs on your tires, just good tires and a set of chains are you will be fine. Average yearly snow is about 40-50 inches. And we do have snow plows on the road. A little planning and preparation is all it takes when a storm hits here. You will get plenty of warning when it's likely to snow, so know you will want to minimize your driving then as much as possible, Make sure you have a stock of simple supplies ie...soups, water, snacks, ciggies if you smoke etc. for your car, a simple emergency kit is always a good idea. First aid kit, water, dry good snacks, extra washer fluid, keep your gas tank at least half filled at all times so it doesn't freeze, and by Christmas consider buying a grill bra for the front of your car to help trap engine heat and keep the wind for your radiator. Keep a couple blankets or a sleeping bag in the trunk in case your car dies and you need to wait for help. You will not get stuck in a ditch for days, there is lots of traffic everywhere around here, so someone will find you pretty quick. Heck your prolly gonna curse the traffic out here it gets so heavy with all the oilfield workers and truckers everywhere.
The biggest thing is clothing, and Sexy it looks like you got this covered already. Be prepared for very very cold temps, mostly due to the high winds out here. With windchill we can get down to neg 50s pretty often even during the day. Oh and be sure to have a good light source, a heavy flashlight or my preference a heavy duty camp lantern like the battery powered ones from say Coleman's. Can get these at any outdoor sporting goods store.

 

That's not a true reading, putting right in front of the vent like that. You notice it went back to low levels when he went back up near the truck. something to watch if the wind is carrying the vapor towards your workspace, though!


EDIT: And definitely an issue when you open the hatch on the tank to gauge it!

 

Sexystuff911 - can you please PM me with the information on the contact information of the Recruiter? I am looking for a CDL job in ND. I thank you in advance.

Eddie

 

This graduate student neighbor you trust, it doesn't sound good. If I cared about you I'd try to protect you, I wouldn't want the problem on my couch become your problem. A friend like Kathleen who will be around for awhile seems exactly what you need.

As far as 'too hectic', goes. I just went home for a week after six. It seemed like a long time. My ears perk up when I see the jobs that are like three weeks on and one week off.