Job Decision: Safety Manager or Water Hauler

I have been asked to come back to a company I worked for prior to taking this job as Safety Manager. The former employer is in need of a water hauler/truck pusher. The job is twice the hours I work now, for about 50% more money than I currently bring home. I am looking for reasons to say NO, other than my lack of love for living in a sleeper again.

Right now, I work 50 hours a week and am on-call 24/7. Once in a while, I get up in the night and drive out to a truck in trouble, an accident or a spill. I get those extra hours back by taking a day off here and there, paid. I drive a company crew cab with a gas card, jet pack and expense account. My clothes, phone, computers, lodging when away from home, meals and incidentals are all company-paid. I sleep at home almost every night.

I am being asked to go back in the sleeper and haul frac water six days a week, 16 hours a day, with home time every other weekend. I would shower every few days between fracs, eat out of a mini-fridge and microwave. I despise living away from home, as I have a family and I intend to keep them. My sex life would be limited to every two weeks. Drastic change.

Why even consider this? Not for the money. $30,000 more take-home per year is not enough to make such a lifestyle change worth it. The owner, his wife and kids are friends of mine and I owe him a favor. That's all.

Part of me says to take care of my own family first by being home at night. Part of me says to return the favor. I am airing this in public in the hope of helping someone else in similar shoes at some point in the future. What say you all?

 

Yes but I could not care less. I spent three years in a water truck with no life and no family weekends. So, my dues are paid and if they don't think three years behind the wheel on ND lease roads is enough to move up the ladder, they can kiss my ### in the crack.

That is their choice, not mine. I posted this for oilfield haulers, so hopefully OTR guys won't get their knickers in a bunch over it. I gave up a life for three years when I first came here to this wilderness on ice.

Thanks man, I will consider your words. Might have to drive him to Bismarck for a good Porterhouse though, people out here can't cook.

 

If you refer to the many grand-per-day frac water haulers I know, such money is available to guys willing to work illegally to maximize their North Dakota opportunity. Some armchair haulers might view such income as impossible because those hours are admittedly excessive. That is their opinion. Such an opinion doesn't change their income.

Should you still have open issues about justifying any numbers posted here, either for myself or the numerous people I have lined up haul jobs for, search my name, read up my posts and then query the other ND water haulers on the board to see if the numbers are in the ballpark. I trust that common sense will answer for you the questions I cannot.