Anither newbie wanting to work in the oil field

Give Tyson Foods a call at 1-800-933-6442 out of Springdale Arkansas. They have company approved truck driving schools that they will take students from. Find out if any part of or all of Illinois is in their hiring area. If not, perhaps you could move to an area within their hiring area. Do inquire about it.

If you do move to Texas, I believe that the Dallas and Fort Worth areas of Texas are in Tyson Foods hiring area. You may want to check up on this just to be sure. Also, I believe that Waco Texas has less expensive housing than Dallas or Fort Worth. On your off time, you may want to take a trip to Waco Texas to check up on the rents for apartments or rooms for rent in duplex houses, etc..

If at all possible, try to come up with the money to fully pay for the tuition of one of Tyson Foods company approved truck driving schools. This way there is no debt to pay off and the stress is off of your shoulders.

Tyson Foods hauls beef, chicken, lamb, mutton, pork, veal, and various other frozen foods. There may be times that you will need to help unload your truck, from what I have heard from other people in the past. Boxed meat can weigh 50 or more pounds per box.

Tyson Foods has some of the best pay and benefits packages for an OTR truck driver in all of the United States of America. Tyson Foods also has a reputation of treating their drivers very decently. There are drivers that have been driving for Tyson Foods well over 20 plus years without ever having had any problems at all.

It is not unheard of for a Tyson Foods OTR truck driver to earn well over $60,000 plus a year. If I am not mistaken, I believe that their average earnings are $52,000 plus a year. Also, I believe that their average mileage is approximately 2600 miles a week, sometimes going over 3000 miles a week. Other times it can be less.

Keep in mind that you most likely will NOT start out making that type of money. There have been cases of beginning truck drivers hitting $40,000 on their 1st. year.

If I had a CDL, had experience, and was able to pass the physical, I would absolutely positively apply at Tyson Foods for an OTR job.

Good luck to you!

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

I realize that you were asking about going into the oil fields of Texas. I had mentioned Tyson Foods because it has an excellent reputation as far as driving a truck for them is concerned.

Also, Tyson Foods is steady year round work, whereas being in the oil fields has a tendency to be cyclical work, as in construction.

Again, good luck to you.

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

If you have read about the boom in ND, you are right although most of those companies up there have insurance that requires at least 6 months experience. Money is great but housing is tough too. If you get an apartment by yourself expect around 2k a month. If you find a good hauler then they can probably put you up for something much more affordable.

 

Wow, a refer suggestion and a ND comment when the OP clearly said TEXAS oil fields....

OP, there are trucking companies in Texas that will hire you fresh out of a 160 hour CDL school......and you'll make considerably more than the highest numbers mentioned with driving for Tyson...

 

Rent a truck to get your cdl. Try to get your hazmat also and start applying to frac companies in tx. Frac tech and PumpCo are good starter companies. You can expect to make 80-100k your first year in frac with excellent benefits. Oilfield can be cyclical but if your a good hand and willing to go where the work is you can expect steady income from the oilfields. Or you could go to Tyson and make less than 40000 your first year and top out at 60000. Hahahaha

 

A lot of the oil field companies hiring new CDL holders are wanting to see the 160 hour school certification and not just a CDL...

 

how do you rent a truck to get your CDL when no one will rent a truck to you without one?

 

Jump on with one of the oil field service companies. You can be a field tech with no exp. Get your CDL, and you can start driving.

 

I guess some places that haul water sand crude or involve a lot of driving might require some kind of school but frac companies do not. I got my cdl through key energy about six years ago and spent the early part of my twenties hauling water. I made it to truck puncher by the time I was 24 and figured out there was no real future in it. If your young and don't mind physical labor than the service side is the place to be. I know lots of guys that did ten years in frac or coil and are now consultants making 300-400k a year or running a frac yard or district making 200-250k a year with insane benefits. So what do you wanna do? Spend 30 years hauling water or oil and maybe one day make it to management and make 80k and work all the time or bust your ### when your young and retire at 55?

In Texas towns you see trucks parked everywhere with sign on them that say " 500 dollars rents me till you pass your test". I know lots of guys in frac that did that and I've never heard of a frac company wanting any proof of cdl school.