needing help making a decion for the oil fields.

####... How are the hours per week with an annual salary like that? 70? And a big question I haven't been able to get an answer for. If you make 70k in a year, what is your monthly net income(take home pay)? How did your buddy NET monthly w/ 98k last year?

 

Seriously? You haven't been able to get an answer?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=monthly+net+income+calculator

 

we were working 6 days on, 2 days off, I worked less than 10 hours per day, 2 loads a day, and I put in the bank between $4,500 and $5,000 a month... I have no idea what his net is, as it is NONE of my business. It varies so much due to taxes.

When business was overflowing, and we did 3 loads a shift, I work 12 to 13 hours a day.. and those days paid $350 gross, or around $90,000 per year. And that is before the quarterly safety bonus.

 

TLH,
I notice a lot of use of the past tense in your post(s). Are you no longer hauling crude in WY?

 

still involved with crude, just not driving the truck anymore

 

We have been operating in ND for many years, and are now branching into OKC. There are advantages and disadvantages to both areas. You say you are from FL. If you are normally a hot climate person, you are in for a rude awakening come ND winter. It is beyond cold. This also affects the rigs and the roads. Then you have to deal with the fact that you are far from home, and if you fly home to visit you are looking at $700-1000 per trip. Driving is a 2 day ordeal. EVERYTHING in ND is more expensive. EVERYTHING. There are no dollar stores like the rest of the USA has. You will pay $5 for 2 reg cheeseburgers and a coke from McDonalds that costs you $3 anywhere else. You will pay more for everything that you purchase - from toothpaste to clothing to utilities to food to housing (if you are lucky enough to find decent housing). And watch out for mancamps. We supply our guys with rooms in houses that we rent, each with their own bedroom and cable all you need is bedding, but there are many who will put you up mancamps. These are basically converted buildings similar to college dorms. Not ideal when you are exhausted and want to go home and sleep after putting in 80 hours a week. The fuel up there is trashy and watery. You WILL be changing filters and hoses like you have never changed before. You will eat thru tires like the road has the munchies. The roads are confusing and poorly maintained because the growth explosion overtook that sleepy town before the town knew what had happened. It went from a few thousand to 40K trucks on the road at any given time.You are not required to keep log books in ND, which can be good or very very bad. Oh, and in ND, there is a blue rule where no stores like walmart or grocery are allowed to open up before noon on Sunday. Sucks when Sunday is your only day off and you want to get your stuff done early. If you don't mind hard work, cold weather, and the conditions that go along with it - then you can make VERY good money in ND. Just be careful about who you go to work for.

As for OKC. We are just now branching out there but the jobs are there. There are trucks sitting and waiting for drivers to be in them. Housing is plentiful and cheap so most companies do not offer it as a perk in OKC like they do in ND. There's plenty of truckstops and parks if you have a sleeper, hotels, rent houses, you can easily find a cheap place to live. The roads are better maintained. Civilization is close by so you can find what you need, when you need it. You will still work 80 hours per week, but you won't be freezing when you do it. Flights home will be a third of the price. It's weather does not get nearly as cold and snowy as ND, but you WILL have deal with wind, hail, sleet, and tornadoes. It is just a part of life there. It WILL get hot in summer. You will still make good money in OKC, and it will most likely be easier money, just maybe not as much as you would make in ND.

Before you go to work in either area, sit down and really look at the entire picture. Do not just look at pay. You have to look at the total financial, physical, mental, and emotional cost of working in each place. If you have any specific questions - I will happily answer if I can.

 

Hey buddy, I really appreciate the input. Very insightful and valuable. I am on my way to TX next week so I'll def be getting back to you for sure with some sort of question.

 

Yes, be careful who you work for. Do NOT work for this guy's company. I learned the hard way. http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...rucking-jobs/252510-okc-drivers-needed-2.html