Is the Bakken picking up again?

Things are picking up as far as I can tell. I'm a water hauler out of new town which is on the fort berthold reservation. We mostly do work for Eog resources which is drilling like 40 wells this year. They also brought in a frac crew. 2 or 3 drill rigs. A couple more daylight rigs and 1 or 2 24 hour rigs. This year is looking good for us.

 

Do you know of any companies that will hire someone just out of school with a fresh class A and provide housing?

 

Try beaver creek out of new town, basic trucking out of Ross, or quality trucking out of new town or there's always mbi which is the swift of the oilfield lol.

 

Thanks, I will check them out.

 

I know everyone here seems to jump to the idea of all jobs for cdl's being trucking jobs... but lots of oil field jobs require cdl's ... that equipment gets out there some how... often the crew drives it out there... and if you want alot more money jobs like wireline operator, frac operator, even rig hand require a cdl A, but i would stay at the completions side of things... rig hands are the drilling end and that is more dangerous in many ways with longer hitches many times... so if you would consider those jobs too I think you will be better paid and happier.... I know I am

 

I'm reasonably tech-competent and mechanically handy, would wireline be a good option? Hard to understand what they do without experience out there.

 

yes it is a good option as for experience you will be a green hat for a while and just do as you are told for like 6 months before you know enough to go up a color everything in oil and gas is feast and famine so you will work hard for 2-4 hours and then sit around for 2-4 and take a nap.... I love the feast time but you need that famine to be ready for the feast

 

During one of those famines, could you please describe what a wireline op does, practically speaking? I've read a little about it but some aapects are unclear.

Have a co worker here who explained that rhe guns used to be a bunch of .45 cartridges that they lower down and set off. Your guns are likely the modern equivalent?

 

well I will start with the guns: think steal pipes with explosives slightly bigger than a golf ball oriented in a spiral inside the pipe about 30 degrees apart... wires and det cord to trigger them in there too... high volts used when triggering them down hole... size of guns can range from 6'-32' ish but typically around 16-20 something feet
a wireline crew (4-5 ppl) will operate a crane to remove well head stuff and lower guns down Pressure control equipment and down into horizontal ( most frac-ing is done in horizontal) ... engineer will trigger at depth.... crew will pull guns out when used up with crane... then break guns down to parts thrown away and parts reused for more guns... my company builds guns at the shop not in field and uses coated wire to run so we are faster and can work in higher pressure wells... most wireline crew companies build and break down guns at site and also dont use coated wire cable... then they help set well up to be handed over to frac...
some wireline companies also frac but we dont yet

with all this said... my company has me hot shot-ing the guns out to the crews not on a crew... I want to go out there and am waiting on my bosses to decide to pay me the same as a operator even if I am not out there because I am not making what I am worth because of DOT laws limiting me to 70 a week and dont get all my overtime pay because my work week doesnt start at the beginning of the week so I am only getting overtime for 7 of my 14 days... if they are not going to give me the same pay i will not be staying with them... I will go be the operator I want to be at a different company... I am not fond of hot shot-ing it is a pain and i dont get paid what I am worth

if I would go back to being an engineering Tech I would be making 80K+ but as hot shot I am only 60k -70k ... they need to pay me more... im getting jipped... they need hot shot and i have hazmat cdl A but if they cant pay I wont stay

 

So they are doing the same payroll roundelet as other oilfield companies, sorry to hear that. I wrote them after you mentioned them and didn't hear back.

Gore up here in Flagstaff often hires engineering types, supposed to pay well. But 7k feet and pines might take some adapting.

Thank you for that summary. It sounds like good work if they'd stick to their promises. Apparently oilfield companies have a code of unethics.