Life in North Dakota "Man Camps"?

Percentage pay promotes hurrying and unsafe driving. I'm hourly and won't drive % even though there are some jobs I could make a killing on.

 

After that ride are you sure that was only diesel smell in your clothes??? LOL !!

 

Sometimes. Depends on the pay, %, and company. Where I work now safety is always job one. Pay is good for 90% of loads and all are commission. We all take the occasional dog to help out dispatchers. They are good about making it up to you. Most have been there at least 8 yrs.
There are some other carriers in area hauling fuel and you can tell by the way their drivers show up that they have to get that one extra load or day is wasted. Speeding. Not getting out and doing walk around. Not stopping to turn off all electrical in truck. Etc, etc. Lots of them wind up locked out for safety violations and then argue with rack operators who have them on film. Wind up getting banned for life.

 

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I feel like a psychic…like I should set up my own hotline or something. I really liked working for that company, and when it was hourly the money was really good. Hopefully they come to their senses and go back to hourly so you guys can make some better money. I am working hourly in TX right now, making less per hour but making more money than I would have been by the load. And I don't have to be in a man camp, got my own place for $500/mo.

The oilfield has lots of personalities and is high stress and long hours so conflict is inevitable. I learned a long time ago that you make your own vibe and you can be in control of whether you let stuff bother you or not. Smile and nod and plot their deaths in your head is the best way to deal with it.

Have you had to deal with the lovely old man pushers who hate everyone/everything? I used to get angry that they were so mad all the time, but if you watch them when they work, you can see they are actually in pain a lot of the time. After that I just kind of felt bad for them. If I win the lottery I will make sure they retire to go play golf or something to make everyone happy.

 

Thank goodness we still have people with common sense working in the oilfield!

 

The competition is all percentage, there is no way anyone is going to compete hourly. Percentage guys will do everything they can to go straight from unloading to loading. Country club truckers gotta get back to the man camp...on the company's dime. Other things, percentage guys know how to do it fast, country club guys are getting paid whether they're fast or slow. I'd like a country club job if I could find one.

 

Well I don't think the term "country club" really applies to oilfield trucking. Wouldn't you rather have someone on the road with you who is trying to do everything safe rather than fast? You have to cut corners when you get percentage in order to make it worth it.

Why did you pick out that tiny part of my reply to get up on your soapbox about? I'm not saying anything controversial, but it's like you have blinders on whenever anyone mentions hourly pay. If you hate hourly so much, then don't take those jobs. Let other people have opinions.

Anyway, I don't really care, it's toasty down here compared to up there and I'm sitting back with a beer in my own place. Have fun with the frostbite and sharing farts with the ten other guys in the man camp.

 

Just to set the record straight, I merely pointed out that ND sand hauling has gone to percentage and the reasons for it. It was you who chose to make make the snarky remarks to which I don't care to respond.

 

If you are talking about fuel, I agree. Oil and water, no way in hell. The drivers wanting to sacrifice safety for money will work harder on commission than on hourly.

I think it is irresponsible to hire safety-sensitive positions on commission, since the two appeal to opposite motivations. Hourly is the only way to go for safe and sustainable operation, and I would not work any other way.

Indeed. So many tired, grumpy, sex-starved guys (rosie palm is NOT sex) in the same God-forsaken climate can go wrong quickly if a hothead starts spouting off or pushing around. I haven't seen those types last too long, except for some with large companies.