Act Like A Sucker, Get Treated Like One

you mean some companys charge you for sleeping in the truck?

 

Your numbers wont work out nearly as well as you seem to think...but you do have a point. The rates do seem to be dropping as the influx of labor continues. At some point, there is no advantage.

 

I doubt that anybody charges you to sleep in the truck....unless they charge you for the idling costs. The thing is....a LOT of the oilfield trucks are daycabs which means you will be paying somebody, somewhere for a place to sleep.

 

giving time and half for ot isn't a given, we don't have to be given anything but straight time by law. Most companies will give time and half to keep drivers working.

 

Yeah and what happens when you stop that 57mph truck and wait and wait and wait not getting paid for it? You are now making $12/hr

 

I made $55K my first ten months in the oil field, no experience and fresh out of CDL school. I spent zero time sitting in truck stops as an unpaid truck baby sitter. I realize it may not be for everyone, but I have zero regrets about coming here.

 

If I'm sitting in my truck, then I can relax and do something. I do like to sit down and take a break some times, even though I don't get paid for it.

 

To each his own. Personally I prefer to relax at home every night and sleep in my own bed. I have a lot of respect for those of you driving OTR. You play a crucial role and sacrifice much, and you're definitely under compensated for the service you provide.

 

Oil field plays plays on the economics of the shale play. For example in ND (Baken Play) the population that is available for employment does not come close to say the population (of the Utica/Marcellous) OH, WV, PA area. With unemployment being high in the OH,WV,PA areas the oil field pay is being gutted. I have a Class "A" CDL with tanker could renew the hazmat id I wanted too with a clean MVR and 12 years. Was asked if I would take a job in cementing at $14/hr, no way would I do that. Water bottle haulers are from $15 to $20/hr in the area. Most will not absorb housing as driver are in the locality. Yes there is overtime but the companies are trying to staff up to put a halt to it. Honestly if we are going to work at Chinese labor prices we probably would make more delivering Chinese food to the well pads.

 

Somebody who gets it. Wages are determined by the size of the labor pool and the amount of work available.