oilfield rookie wannabe!

Is it still easy to get job for newly CDL driver? My husband is in ND right now working in construction. Since I refuse to go anywhere around there we have been considering going to Texas due to the livability factor.
What are areas best for oilfield work? I know Midland is the one I see most, but after reading these threads it seems to be scattered.

 

$1200-1400/wk take home entry-level, but depends where you're working. I've heard stories of guys working at some of the big name companies and barely seeing a raise after several years. Also heard stories of guys losing hours at those companies. In frac, you make the $$$ with the overtime hours. You will earn every cent working frac, especially during the summer.

 

Very true. I'm an acid driver/hauler on a Frac crew and we are getting 80-90 hours a week.

 

Speaking on frac jobs, I won't say it is easy, but it is possible. A lot of people are applying for oil field frac jobs with CDL experience, so he needs to stand out in other ways. Can he operate a forklift or other equipment? Does he have mechanical skills? Any experience working 80+ hrs a week? Construction experience is helpful. Also, having a HazMat endorsement will help too.

Midland/Odessa is one area, but there are areas south of San Antonio down I-35 such as Pearsall, Carizzo Springs, and then more between S.A. and Houston. Pleasanton, Three Rivers, Victoria, and Alice are some common places that come to mind.

I have a new CDL from a truck driving school and found a frac job but it wasn't easy getting my foot in the door. I had zero driving experience and after working for a frac company for a few months I realized why most companies are asking for 1+ years of driving experience. If you frac, you really don't drive often, so it is difficult to become a good driver. You'll be moving expensive equipment and sometimes chemicals. I would go a month without having to drive and then be expected to haul equipment OTR and felt like I was starting over my driving learning every time. I felt like it was a recipe for disaster because I wasn't gaining OTR experience but was expected to know it. I didn't want to learn the hard way through an accident or DOT write-ups. I left and will likely get on with an OTR company to hone my skills.

I'm speaking frac, but there are other jobs that are mainly driving such as hauling sand, water, and vac trucks. Also fuel or crude hauling but they usually want a lot of experience for obvious reasons. Also, if you can get a good driving job, it can pay as well or sometimes better than the frac jobs, plus you spend most of your day in an A/C'd truck.

Check the Texas Workforce site or Craigslist and search "CDL".

 

Frac companies are hiring like crazy out here in Midland right now. PLATINUM, C&J, sanjel, pumpco, halliburton, key, universal, Pioneer, just so many.

 

Do vac truck jobs pay well out there? I have years of experience with them.

 

Speaking for the Carlsbad, NM area, you can expect to make $16-$18/hr with no experience.

 

!!!!!!@!!!

 

Thanks for the info!! Are you working in the TX oil area? That does sound scary to drive with no exp.

Do you know if it is still the same way just show up and look? My husband is planning to go first week of August and I am scared as it would depend on where he gets a job as to where we would look to relocate. I am use to and like area around Dallas and Tyler, but not sure of the southern areas.

Do you also know if it is competitive like ND right now? My husband in in Williston and he says for him being there and working it is easy to get a job as he has contacts, but people who show up it is harder as they have nowhere to live.

 

I need a hand hauling crude in south tx