Jobs in ND Oil Patch

AC, who do you work for? I've been wondering for several months now...

 

AC22 won't answer...
I already asked him. He likes to remain mysterious and incognito. Maybe he will pm you and tell you...

 

My guess... he is someone that was around for the "other oil boom" and knows of what he speaks. There are two of them on this thread...can't remember the others name...cuz they don't post often........nother words....they BUSY! A #### oil boom will do that.

 

TBH... (I wish one could PM someone who PM'ed you instantly without the 7 post requirement, 3 to go)... the construction/ frac sand is my best guess. I don't want to post names publicly. As for options... I ended up going to the "job fair." It was an agency putting something together pretty much for one employer. The rep (in Dickinson) was the same guy from Minot who kept telling me, "Shoo. You have no experience." We have a good repoire though... just the "experience hurdle" is holding me back Turns out he had good news for me. I'm in if I want. I have essentially a month to decide. In the meantime I plan on working for my current employer and see what it is like.

For the water company, percentage of load. Being associated with the agency, he said I'd be getting what works out to be ~$25/hr, up to ~60 hrs/wk. Whipping out MS Excel... ~58 hrs/wk is the same pay at my employer. So essentially same thing. If the work load is less by as much as ten hrs... still fine by me. I tried chasing higher paying fishing boats in Alaska... ended up finding the worst instead. Don't plan on a repeat.

As I started with "constr./frac sand"... They are a construction company that, as far as I can tell, are based/operate in one other state but are providing oilfield services here. They share drivers with another company here that does frac sand. My phone conversation mentioned side/belly dumps and low boys, "a little bit of everything"... but not specifically dry bulk tanks. It was indicated to me I'd be starting with dumps.

I actually applied to the other company they share with first. The interviewer looked at me like he had his hands tied and told me, "You look capable but I can't hire you w/o 2 years experience." (I had been told they take drivers with none. Apparently, it was true until recently.) He called around while I sat and essentially set me up with my employer (~3 wks ago). They called me Thurs last week.

 

Are things slowing down for the company drivers in water and sand hauling? I spoke with one company this week and it seems that people come up to ND but aren't willing to work as much as what is being offered or are looking for a "perfect" schedule, so it seems I have a good chance with what little experience I have of getting a job...No workers=job openings...I've driven a truck before, not sand or water, but I feel like as long as you get the system of what you're operating, don't fall asleep, and answer your phone when there's work...that you should almost be guaranteed a job...


Am I wrong?

 

At the moment, things are slower than normal for almost everyone although I've managed to stay rather busy (knock on my simulated woodgrain dash). When frost law lifts I anticipate things picking up. As far as people not being willing to work, here is what I have see:

People come here and at first want to work 140 hours a week because they have dollar signs on the brain and bills to pay. They have gold fever. After a while the bills are being paid, they're tired, and they get homesick. The time they want to work goes down, and the time they want to be home goes up. Then one of 2 things happens:
1. They pack up and leave
2. They buy a toy (pickup, car, motorcycle, whatever) and need to work to pay that off. Because they now have bills again, but they're tired - they settle into a normal schedule.

Honestly, most people seem to come and go within 90 days.

 

I have been here (Williston area) only 30+ days hauling water and it has been painfully slow. I have applied for other jobs in oil services and company's have told me they have over hired for now. I have a spotless MVR no felonies or criminal record no tatts I bathe regularly and don't smoke. In the last month I have seen many drivers come and go, mostly for lack of work. Many are having more luck in Texas right now apparently because of the road restrictions up here. At least I have a free place to stay which was actually the easy part, finding steady work is proving to be very difficult.

 

Last spring was terrible. No other way to describe it. We completely destroyed roads in a single shift and I'm not even close to exaggerating. At one point all of WIlliams county was shut down. You couldn't move an empty truck on the gravel. Mountrail county warned the oil companies that they would not be issuing permits to break frost law this spring. Everyone seems to have planned to be shut down expecting the worst which didn't come. What they didn't consider is that last spring was a freak deal. So here we are with nice weather and waiting for frost law to lift. Add to that the bottleneck limiting the amount of oil we can get out of the state (can't rail it out fast enough) and you can see that some things need to happen to make it take off again.
1. Lift frost law
2. Move more railcars or build pipelines

 

There's plenty of driving jobs outside the oilfield and some have comparable wages. Magnum LTL in Minot I believe is paying ~$30/hr. I had an interview with Cross Country Couriers... inexperienced drivers start @ $19/hr. Fedex... those are the three I saw.

Thanks. He offered to help with my new position as he had done sand before. Right now I have no questions about sand... just trying to find out what the gaps are and fill them in my general CDL knowledge. I self-studied for the permit and endorsements. My driving class was 20 hours and was only driving (pre-trip, backing, city streets). I'm sure there are holes to fill between the two. I don't see 140 hours studying the book. Been hitting the web and finding practical things I think I should know (brake adjusting, sliding fifth wheel, shift pattern for one 18 speed, etc.) and trying to learn the best I can.

Are stinky co-workers a problem? I've taken one shower since I got here... right at the beginning (~4/1). Not many options in Minot. But I monitor "it" and take care of "it" the best I can. No one has been running for the hills, no dirt cloud has been following me around like Pigpen from Charlie Brown, not even a sour face from people I'm around that I'm not conversing with. (The ones who don't have to be polite.)

I guess the dirt thing might change when I start working in it, LOL.

Is this typical (the slow down)? When exactly does it start in the year? Had a crazy idea to work w/o rotations and use one big chunk go to Yellowknife, NWT, Canada. My employer will let me do the former.... not sure if I can accrue enough time to do the latter. I think they have a 6 month/1 month option... not sure if I can squeeze 2 months from them. But if things are slow, I'm a good employee, and the schedule can handle it... I hope it might be a possibility.