10 Months Later In Trucking"Question for the Community"

You haven't said how old you are....or what your educational background is.

If you are young my advise to you would be to get on the Halliburton ladder and start climbing. One rung at a time. It is a lot of hard work. But if you prove yourself, you can eventually reach a level where you can sit back say ..."Yeah! I did good!"

Learn every piece of equipment you can. Learn how to be a "Fracer". Learn to be a Service Supervisor. Show them that you are interested and move to other areas and locations. Go "Offshore". Go to Prudehoe Bay. Advance yourself and go International.

Prove to the company that you are an "Asset" and you will be surprised. Prove to the company that you are an "#####" and you won't be disappointed.

This is advise from and old "Dowell'er". Find one of the company "Dinosaur's" (35 plus years of service) and ask him or her if my advise hits the mark. LOL......ask that "Dinosaur" who Dowell was.

 

Cement hauling is a great line of business to be in, however it will always be cyclical. Its completely dependant on the health of the overall economy however there is a higher barrier to entry as not every outfit can just muscle there way in when it is profitable. On the other hand, refeer freight volumes will be more consistent over time however it is a lot easier for somebody to buy a reefer and steel your load from you.

But I agree George, if you can work your way into a different line of work with the company then you will eventually be able to make the same as what you do today but not having to work the same hours or conditions (I know up north everyone loves to work in the summer however the winter sucks due ot the cold. I am sure it is the same for you down in texas just with heat). Trucking is one of those jobs where you can easily hit your top earning potential early in your career and its an industry that doesn't have a good track record for giving cost of living increases.

 

Your degree in math is all you need to start climbing the corporate ladder. YOU have to show the initiative though. As I said. "Learn" all the equipment you can possibly learn. Move from cementing to frac. From frac to coiled tubing. From coiled tubing to wireline. Become a supervisor. Your "Math Degree" makes that an easy goal.

Prove to management that you have a desire to advance. Halliburton still has I am sure, "In House" educational programs to assist you in advancing your education while you advance your career.

I left Dowell in 1988 because I would not work for a liar, whom expected me to lie as well, to the customers. Had I stayed, most likely I would be working at the National level in Sugarland TX, for Schlumberger. My best friend still works for Schlumberger. He does not have a college education. He, like myself, took Dowell's "In house" education courses while working as an equipment operator. My friend is working "International" now, making killer bucks, with his office being in Brazil.

Talk with management. If you have any drive at all, you will avoid any lay-off and at retirement time be happy with your accomplishments.

 

By the way. When I started working for Dowell, I was not old enough to drive a truck across state lines. My first year was spent working in the Bulk Plant, loading out cement. I learned everything I could about each cement system that I blended and what each of the chemicals did. While I was doing that I also learned how to operate every piece of equipment based at the district. When I was old enough to drive across the state line, my first piece of equipment that I was assigned to was a Cement Pump truck. I learned acidizing. I learned frac'ing. I learned nitrogen, CO2 and coiled tubing.

My last 4 years I was "Special Assignments", traveling the country to various districts assisting with major jobs, whether those jobs were cement, acid, gelled acid, gelled frac or foam frac. My title when I left was "Service Tech III", which simply meant I was "Supervisor" level on an hourly wage instead of monthly salary. I survived the "Boom to Bust" from 79 to 82. Halliburton had the same type operators as me, doing the same traveling that I was doing. It was cheaper for the companies to have somebody that capable and willing to travel.

 

I feel ya man. I work in the oil patch in new mexico as a waterhauler. Im looking to go otr in advance of the election so that i beat the rush and already have a job if obama gets reelected. Wish this oil patch out here in the southeast part of the state would pick up though...lot of money to be made if it did