Hey PA new drivers...............

Where in PA do you live? Gas guys have packed up and moved out here in northern Tioga county.

 

I wouldn't advise a new driver jump right in to the well service scene up here in PA. In my opinion you need to get some time behind the wheel before you're ready for what some of these well sites have to offer, it's not a walk in the park especially this time of year and it only takes a second up here, on these roads to get yourself in to a situation you can't get out of. Not trying to scare you, but being realistic at the same time.

 

If you could afford the time to wait another 7 weeks or so for spring to break then I would say go for it and spend the next 7 months or so learning the ropes and the roads and then you'll be ready to learn how to deal with it when the weather sets in. I moved up here from Florida and have been running water truck for a little over a year now and I have had my scary moments, but I've also had 9 years experience prior to coming here. It's all a learning curve, they say the moment you stop learning is the moment you'll get yourself in trouble.

 

I would have to agree with Trashtrucker, I would wait until spring. I just recently left the Halliburton camp down the road in Muncy PA and the learning curve for oilfield driving is pretty steep. Lots of late night driving on roads that were never designed for trucks, high truck traffic, hills, more hills, lots of tired driving, etc. Don't get me wrong I am not trying to scare you or anyone else that might want to get into oilfield driving, I jumped right into it with both feet and no experience and did just fine, and feel I am a much much better driver because of it. It was just a huge eye opener for me. Good luck, and be safe.

Oh and if you know anyone from the are thats been driving for the gas industry for a while ask them about Dam Run road off of 287 just up from Salladasburg. They should have some good stories about that road. When I started it was a one lane dirt road cut in the side of a mountain that was very steep and had just enough room that if you got over far enough that you felt like you were going to roll into the ditch you had about 4 inches between your mirror and another trucks mirror, and the traffic was insane. It was nothing to come down off that mountain at 2am and pass over 100 trucks going the other way. Its a lot better now, the road is paved and they have traffice control, but man it was crazy at the beginning.

 

I live on a dirt road 5 miles west of Tioga. They built a pad 1/4 mile from my place. They fracked a well last spring right after the winter thaw, and we had a bunch of rain. After a few days of water trucks running day and night, they had to shut down the road because there were ruts as deep as the running boards. They built the road up probably 18" or so. It's great now, but I don't understand why they don't build up these dirt roads before they start running those heavy water trucks.

 

yup, grew up on pleasant stream, which camp is yours?