Oil Field Unadulterated Skinny in West Texas

What to bring: Safety Toe Boots; Western style is best, everyone here will look at you as an outsider if you have lass-ups. Steel or Composite toe (I prefer composite my self), Most companies here will provide you with a uniform, gloves and a hard hat. Some will even supply you with a jacket, though it may be 100º here by the time you get it. A good FRC jacket is about $180 +/-. If you get here while it is still cold (Like now - Feb) make sure you have a face mask, hooded sweatshirts, non-hooded sweatshirts, a beanie cap, long-johns and warm socks. A good GPS would not hurt either.

Where to live once here: Some companies have "Man-camps" (Anyone who contracted out in Iraq will understand), Most don't. There are 4 apartments for every 5 people moving in, the wait time can be 1-3 months check before you come in and get a quote in WRITING first and how long it will be good for. If you have access to an RV that would be much cheaper.

Realistic pay: Not much lower than 3K/mo and if you are lucky you can get as high as 6K/mo, but don't come down here expecting to make 6K every month. Most companies will pay a night time differential. There are some companies that pay as high as 10K/wk to o/o not company drivers.

What you need to know: The hardest things to figure out once here are lease locations, paperwork and testing oil. Paperwork will come in time. It's easier than trying to balance your checkbook. Lease locations: Are you a truck driver or aren't you? Most companies will supply you with maps that make Rand McNally look like something from the future. But once you've been to a few places it gets easier. Testing the oil will be the biggest hurdle for some, mainly if you have never done it before. You'll learn how once you get here.

This should help most of you get your feet wet. Any specific questions, drop me a line.

 

This is an AVERAGE!!! some months are busier than others, you have good days and bad days. What I am not going to do is sugar coat it for you like some others would "Yeah, you can make $90,000 a year" to which I say. BS. $40K to $70 depending on upload and download sites. 80% of the money you can make here is out of your hands on making it. The company you work for may pay well, but if the work is not there, you don't make money. My first month I only made 4K that will go up as I learn to do things faster.

 

No offense, but until you have lived where I have lived, you have no idea where the middle of nowhere is.

30 miles to nearest gas station
30 miles to nearest hospital
75 miles to nearest club store
75 miles to nearest supermarket
90 miles to nearest truck stop
300 miles to nearest trucking company terminal

I lived in an area where no OTR company what look at me because I was more than 2 hours from the nearest terminal (More like 5-6 hours). And the local companies where only paying 25K. I have the potential of making 60K my first year and up to 80K, as long as the boom continues, by my third year. I have had a job where I made 100K and know how much work I had to do to make that. So this will be a piece of cake. But if I came out and told you, you could make 90K your first year without paying your dues first I'd be lying to you and I will not do that.

Many of the people that are on this site have 5 or less years in this industry, I remember my first 5 years. I was told so much BS I almost started believing it. But I kept my nose to the grindstone and vowed I would not do this to others. I will only speak the truth or will not speak at all.