A Newbie CDL's Adventure in The West Texas Oil Fields.........

Greetings All,

I am starting this thread to chronicle my adventures as a Newbie CDL Driver in the West Texas Oil Fields.

I plan to cover how I got the job, with no previous driving experience, and will periodically update this thread to give insights on what someone (you?) might expect as a "newbie" in the W. Texas - Permian Basin. I am going to keep the posts short so as not to write a book from the start. Plus, this is an "in progress" experience, so I will have to update this as pertinent events occur.

First, a little background............. I worked for some 23 years as a Paralegal at an Admiralty Defense Law Firm (Admiralty law deals Maritime cases - i.e, damage to ships, injuries to sailors, damage to cargo, offshore oil rigs, etc.)............... but I lost my job due to the economy. Seems to be a lot of that going around these days. I considered becoming a Registered Nurse, BSN-RN. I have a college degree, and could become an RN in a year and a half.

But, instead I took a seven (7) week CDL Course and earned a Class A CDL, with Hazmat, Tankers, Doubles/Triples Endorsements. However, other than the driving in school.......... I had no actual previous commercial driving experience. My initial goal was to become an OTR Company Driver, and later lease or buy a rig, but, when I researched how much CDL drivers can make in the W. Tex Oil Fields, it changed my mind. How much you ask.......... the company that I hired on with has a first year earning potential of 65-75K. If you really hustle, you can make as much as 80K. And, I am home every night. Home at a Man Camp that is........... the Man Camp is included with the job and is FREE. So, I can earn a decent living and have virtually no cost of living. I only have to pay for my cell phone, internet, and food.

In the next posts I will cover "how I got the job."
Life in the Man Camp - and what to pack.
Details of the daily work duties.

But, let me say this now, due to Social Media constraints, I am NOT going to name the company that I hired on with, and naturally, due to Confidentially Agreements, I can not discuss anything related to clients, contracts, etc. But, even with those limitations, I think, I hope, that some of you might benefit from my experience.

More to follow..................

 

How I got my newbie CDL job in the W. Texas Oil Fields......or to you......... some suggestions and insights on how to get your foot in the door. The areas that are in bold (below) are what I consider the most pertinent information that I can offer. And, PLEASE if any of you have input, agree, or disagree with what I write, please chime in! I know that there are many out there who have more experience than I do in finding jobs in W. Texas, and I respect that.

If you somehow stumbled on this post, I suggest that you take a moment and go back to the first post in this thread where I wrote an introduction detailing who I am and what this thread is about, that said....

To Recap: I graduated a CDL school, with a Class A CDL, Hazmat, Doubles/Triples, Tankers, a TWIC, but no actual driving experience other than what I got in school. Great, now how do I find a job? Actually, that was easy. I had offers from Swift, KLLM, Warner and a bevy of others who would hire me as an OTR Company Driver. I was leaning towards OTR and with time I could lease or buy a rig and become an OO. But, I was soured to that idea while in school because when we drove OTR, we would hit the truck stops, and I could tell that I was not into the "Truck Stop Life Style." Then I began to hear about the Oil Boom in North Dakota and West Texas (hereafter WTOF = West Texas Oil Fields). I lived some 13 hours travel time from the WTOF so I decided to see if I could get hired by an outfit in the WTOF. As an OTR newbie I would make at best 40K my first year, in the WTOF I can make some 65K.

The best advise that I can give to any newbie who wants to get hired in the WTOF is to use TheTruckersReport.com web site as your main research tool! I spent about ten hours over the course of a week reading the various posts in the Oil Fields threads and found the names, numbers, and emails for over twenty five companies. I even found where some posted lists of companies that hire newbies. Some posts said, "Company X is hiring in San Angelo", or "You can apply to Company B by visiting their yard in Odessa", etc. Research those posts, make a list, then begin to apply via the web. Also, I was not shy about sending private emails to the very kind individuals on this web site who are willing to help others. Most (the vast majority) replied and were glad to provide advice/information in private. To me, this web site is a God send in finding work - an excellent research tool. In part, I am writing this series of posts to hopefully help someone else as others where willing to help me.

"You won't find a job via the company web sites, you have to go in person and apply!" I read that in several posts, and I DO NOT agree! The company websites, and going in person to the yards in person are tools; like a saw and a hammer. To build a house, you need both a saw and a hammer. Use all the tools that you have! Some of the companies that I visited did not accept on site applications, they directed me to their web site or a third party that they use as a hiring agency to do the background checks, physical, verify your licenses, etc. Some of the smaller outfits did not have a big footprint on the web so they do rely on walk-in applicants. The problem for me is that I was 13 hours away........... so how do I knock on doors?

And, let me add this, doing applications via the web (to me at least) is a real pain! Some of the web sites were really user friendly, others, not so much. It took me some 10 hours to research the posts and trawl for leads, and another 15 hours to apply to the leads. So, this process will take a few weeks if you work at it two hours a day!

Do not simply apply on line then sit and wait, become proactive and call the outfit that you applied to, then call, and call again! As soon as I applied to a company, I would pick up the phone and call, ask for HR, and then ask if they could PLEASE verify that they got my on-line application. I made sure to get the name and number (and email if they would provide it) of the person that I spoke to in HR. And, that is one of the best bits of advice that I can give you! I actually had two job offers as a newbie, both with earnings potentials in the 65-75K range because after I applied I kept calling back to check on the status of my application. In one case, the job was filled, so my on line application went to a "dead stack" of applications. But, because I kept calling, the HR person found another opening that I was qualified for and they put me in line for that position - I got the job offer. For the job that I ultimately accepted, I actually found a listing from a HR representative buried in one of the posts on this web site, and I called them, I got their email address, and they got me in - hired that is. That all happened because I was proactive. The HR Reps realized that I was serious so they took me seriously!

"You won't get hired unless you are already living in the WTOF areas!" You might read that in the posts. I do tend to agree. The HR people are too busy to concentrate on a newbie who is in Maine or California, or in my case, 13 hours away. If you are here you have an edge. But, what I did was to tell the HR Reps the following, "I have applied on line, you have all of the documents that you requested (most ask for copies of your CDL, DOT Physical, proof of Social Security Cards, etc) and I plan to move to the area by October 25, 2013. I can start on October 26, you have the information that you (the HR Rep) needs to make an offer, so if you make an offer, I will be on site on day X." That strategy work for me and I secured two jobs. Just make sure that you can in fact show up on the day that you say that you will.

Let me add this - There is work in the WTOF - they are hiring! If you read anything to the contrary don't believe it! Now that I am here I am seeing openings allover the place! I had two job offers and I told the employer whose job I declined to please hold my application in limbo some 6 months and if things do not work out with the outfit who hired me I would follow up with them and they were very receptive to that!

"Research and look for Job Fairs" There are several web sites, such as Texas Work Force, and others that advertise Job Fairs. Also look for Job Fairs hosted by the employers, especially the big outfits. What I did is that I attended a Job Fair in Midland, and took the next two days to go door to door. Naturally, to do this you need to have the financial resources to "take a job search vacation" to the Midland area. On the other hand, I met someone out here who does not have a car, was living at the Salvation Army, did day labor to make ends meet, and in his free time he applied for CDL jobs. He got hired along with me. How bad do you want in?

OK, this post is getting a tad long, so this will be all for now. Tune in later for any other information, thoughts, and suggestions on "How to Get a Job as a Newbie CDL in the WTOF" After I beat that topic to death, I will move on to "Life in the Man Camp."