Jobs in ND Oil Patch

As is this spring, when you think about it. I'm surprised, personally, that they haven't already lifted the frost rules, given how mild the winter was...

 

Yes. Last year we did not slow down but should have to save the roads. In the 90's and leading up to this boom it was very typical to shut down for the duration of the road restrictions.

Restrictions set in the south of the state and then work their way north each spring. They will lift the same way. Tomorrow, all the highways south of hwy 200 lift.

Yea - 30 some years living here and I can honestly say I have never seen two winters like the last 2 we've had. One was just just relentless and the other one forgot to visit us. Even as mild as winter was though, there still was frost in the ground.

http://www.dot.nd.gov/divisions/maintenance/springldrestricprocedures.htm

^^ all you would ever care to know about why frost law exists.

 

That's not what they're showing on NDDOT...
http://www.dot.nd.gov/travel-info-v2/

When do they usually lift?
When we lived down on Standing Rock it seems they were always lifted by now (at least in southern ND). But I could be remembering wrong, too...

 

they are lifted Monday.
ORDER NO. 6 - 2012 Effective 7:00 a.m. CT, Monday, April 23, 2012, load restrictions will be removed on most highways south of ND 200. All other previously implemented restrictions will remain in effect.

 

It's been so slow... I seen 100's of trucks just parked , going on for about four weeks now. It sure gets boring with nothing to do but visit the stripclubs.

 

Well yeah. "Most."
That's what their map shows.

But that's not the same thing as "all."

 

Jvar4001 I'm going to kinda answer your question publicly. (Actually it seems more like advice than an answer. ) I think it might help others out that are new/inexperienced. I can only go on my personal experiences. I arrived in Minot on the night of 3/30 (Friday). I didn't really look for anything until Monday. I put out a few apps at various trucking companies... maybe like 3... and Bakken Staffing. I ended up doing day work with them for a couple weeks and thought to myself I just traded one grind for another. I need to take a couple of days off and look. That was 4/16-4/18. I can't count the number of places I applied to / followed up with.

The company I start with tomorrow I originally applied to on 4/3 and followed up on 4/16. Not sure if the follow up got things going or my background check was clean... or both. The hiring manager of nearby company I went to first (on 4/3) personally called them on my behalf because he felt I was capable but had his hands tied. Apparently they recently switched from hiring 0 exp. to requiring 2 yrs.

So for the newbies... it's not easy getting a job. That's my perspective. Chances of getting one are near 0 (at least in the Minot area) if you are not physically present in ND. I used Walmart's address (SHHH!!!! ) on my resume, got a cheeso-cheapo cell phone with a ND number, and applied to as many of the places as I could in person. Persistence is the main reason I have a job. PowerFuels I may have been hired at (who knows), but they require housing and I'm not a good liar.

How long it takes all depends if you're at the right place, at the right time, speaking with the right person. That varies greatly.

 

Ok, I guess I should have cut and paste from their website. Regardless of my misquote of "most", the premise still stands. Restrictions each year are implemented in the south first and then move north. They are lifted the same way. Now that they are lifting south of 200 it is reasonable to predict that they will lift to the north in a few weeks.

 

just wondering, why restriction in south first? (seems like it should be the reverse) thanks

 

Pathfinder,

The ground starts to thaw in the south first. As it thaws it gets soft and mushy in spots and tends to re-freeze overnight and thaw in the daytime.

The farther north you are the later it tends start to thaw so the later it will firm up.