Jobs in ND Oil Patch

Great attitudes drivers. BUT-do make sure and take plenty of means to keep warm. When it gets cold it is cold. But when it gets really cold in ND it is brutal. You don't want to be in your car or truck with one thin blanket. Travel smart and you will both do great.

 

There are no motel rooms. There are virtually no apartments. There is nothing to rent and a three bedroom house or modular home rents for $5000 a month. Most want first and last month and security deposit. This would be $15,000 on the above three bedroom and many want two year leases. They pay for their rental properties in 2 - 4 years. All rentals are now geared toward companies or fleets and not individuals. If you can find a bedroom to rent it is around $1000 plus utilities and they want $3000 to move in.

Car rentals are quite interesting too. There are five or less rental locations for any major car rental company in ND. Not all companies have locations in ND. All locations close around 5:00 - 6:00 P.M. Reservations are based on availibility. I know someone that reserved a car. Upon arrival at 1:30 P.M. Thursday, he found that his car wasn't available until 8:00 A.M. on Friday.

Unless you are within driving distance, home time travel will be interesting with the nearest airport about two hours away. You most likely won't get a flight out after getting off at 6:00 P.M. so you will spend your first day off flying home. It will be easier to get flights close to the end of your shift if you work nights. Maybe the airlines will offer more evening flights as the traffic increases.

As someone else mentioned if you go for a crude hauling job with a major company it can take several weeks to get processed. If you go to work for one of their contractors, it can be done in about a week. I base this information on the same driver that didn't get his rental car.

I don't say any of this to be discouraging but it is foolish to jump in without knowing what you are getting into. Demand for everything has far surpassed supply and prices show this. I used to live in Montana and we joked about the sidewalks being rolled up and put away at dark. ND is exactly the same.

 

Good luck to everyone who is going up there!! Plan ahead for everything!! Stay safe!!

 

Thank you so much for all of the useful information, BigJohn54 and everyone else. Believe me when I say that it's really not my first choice to head up there, in that freezing weather, with no place to stay and a good chance of not getting a rental car, but I just have to get to work. Just based on many of the comments on these forums and talking with others who are already up there, I feel like I have to show up in person in order to prove my true intention of working. I don't want to be just another application laying in a pile on someone's desk. I really must start driving and making money no matter what the sacrifice. My family needs it!!!!

 

Go for it, man!! Get your work boots on and go beat down some doors!! Bring some warm cloths with you and an emergency kit incase you brake down!! If you have to live in your car for a minute then now would be the time to get started!! You should be getting paid before the first signs of winter comes!! If you wait too long you might find your self in a real bad situation!! The winter there is brutal and unforgiving!! Ever thought about taking a trip to Texas?? I have met a few people on here that have had great success!! Infact, one of them just got there CDL less than 7 months ago and has been hauling fuel right from the start!! I wish you all the best!!

 

I'm in Williston now, arrived last week. You need to be prepared to be self-sufficient. There's absolutely no place to stay. I'm in my pickup with a slide in camper in the back. No place to plug in, though. I'm relying on a coleman catalytic propane heater to stay warm. Haven't had to use it too much yet.

Just a few short notes from my limited experiences so far.

There's plenty of jobs, but HR departments are still HR departments up here. It seems to take a few days to get a call back from someone who's first question is "are you still looking for work," then "are you here now," followed by "where are you staying."

"In my camper" seems to be an acceptable answer. Once they confirm you still want a job with them, they kick your application over to the HR dept for background check, etc. The entire process will still take one or two weeks, so don't plan on finding work within a day or two, UNLESS:

You go to one of the staffing agencies. SOS seems to be the big one, but they don't have driving-only positions, though they do have jobs that require a CDL. I just registered with them yesterday, and am still waiting for an interview with them today, so I don't know a whole lot about what they have available.

Do not camp out at Walmart. They don't allow overnight parking, and the cops routinely clear out the parking lot. However city ordinance allows parking on city streets when there's no signage restricting it. I've been parking overnight on the east end of town where there's more industrial zoning. Haven't had an issue yet.

 

I have been researching this for a while now. I am still working on a broadband project and not yet ready to pull the trigger. In one way my timing sucks because of the weather. In another way my timing is great because of the weather weeding out the workforce.

I have made dozens of phone calls to companies, fleet owners, owner operators and even drivers. Many won't waste time talking to you because they get lots of calls and little follow through. I have checked out ND, TX, CO, NM, PA, WY and OK. Some of what I'll share is skewed data because I only have one piece of information from some states. This information should only be a part of your research as it reflects my own ideas and opinions, which may have no value to you.

I have the most information on ND and TX. I didn't find out much about OK. In WY, CO and NM the few I spoke with were looking for people to relocate. The pay rates seem comparable throughout most areas with the exception of ND being about 25% higher. The hiring standards seem to be higher in all areas besides ND and TX. This seems typical because as demand goes up hiring practices relax to a level needed to meet the demand. Some of the companies in TX want you to have a TX CDL. IMHO, this has nothing to do with laws or insurance. This is their method of making sure you are committed to the job by establishing a local address. It assures your availability to meet their labor needs. The same is true in other areas that want you to relocate. In the higher demand areas like ND and TX most companies know they can't get enough labor this way and accommodate their workforce with home time rotation

There are plenty of companies in both ND and TX that work rotations that allow for home time. I have found 2 weeks on/2 weeks off, 2/1, 3/1, and 4/1. In ND they are more flexible and some advertise their rotation but will gladly modify it to meet your needs. In both TX and ND many of the larger companies work one week 6 days on/2 days off and the next week 6/3. Some are on 4 days on/2 days off schedule but I think that will limit your overtime. Most everyone in ND is providing some kind of housing even if temporary or a travel trailer.

I heard tell that a small fleet operator had some guys come into Williston to meet him at Wal-Mart and someone else hired them before he got there. The driver that I have been in touch with that went out last week was at Wal-Mart yesterday and was approached by two people that gave him phone numbers in case his present job choice did not work out. The lady who did his physical gave him the number of her son who was in the process of purchasing some trucks.

I believe you can go to work within a couple of days with a little luck. You would have to settle for a little less, haul water or gravel, work for an owner operator and take a chance on getting paid. It could hold you over until you could get hired at a company position for better money. I don't really think it would hurt your resume that bad in the oilfield either.

This driver that I know that went out there on Thursday found out it would take 2 - 3 weeks to go to work for the company he choose hauling crude. He was hired by Saturday with a lease operator for that company. He is already in their housing and did his physical and many tests yesterday. He will be going through training this week and will be paid $500 Wednesday for training. It appears to me that they need help bad enough to make it worth your while so they don't lose a good driver. I'm sure he was very lucky too but luck is where preparation meets opportunity.

The lease operators sometimes offer more money with fewer benefits although some pay less too. Some companies and lease operators provide housing and deduct the cost from your earnings. Some of the company benefits are amazing with company paid insurance on your family. I have seen a couple that will fly you home on your rotation or pay mileage reimbursement.

 

BigJohn54 I would love to get your detailed notes. I decided that the TX route is going to be a better fit for me in the beginning. I will be making my way up north after I get some exp behind me! I figured the money isn't going away from the Bakken anytime soon and I'm betting on the better pay and jobs will be better for someone in ND or Canada that has exp! Allthough, I have been told that unless you have a company that will sponser your work permit in Canada you will be starting over as far as the CDL goes because you have to change it for an AZ. Big hassel but worth it if you want to become a Canadian worker!! I wouldn't mind, eh!!

 

Well just to make things clear folks. I want in the industry bad. I don't care if I have to go through Schneider on there Schlumberger account they have in Texas. There is no mountain high enough, or water wide enough to stop me from getting in. With out a doubt in my mind I will be in the Oil industry to start out period.

Plus I don't want to pay Tolls in WA to drive around. I'm leaving this state nxe wayz... Ill go to Texas get my experience and when June Rolls around about the time there doing away with Property Taxes up there in North Dakota Ill move there.