Alberta oilfield driving jobs

Come on up to Alberta and visit with Mulcair the NDP leader on Thursday.

 

What is there to be concerned about?

 

That site seems high on panic and low on knowledge of fracturing. " millions of gallons of water" I have filled and emptied tanks and most multiple stage fracs use at the most 80 to 100,000 liters of water and sand.
Also in Canada we are required to take fluid to a disposal center afterwards, so there is no contaminated runoff into ground water.
"contaminating ground water" fracturing takes place in a 100 to 160 foot deep layer of shale 1000 to 3000 meters underground. This is sedimentry rock and fluid there has been trapped for millions of years. There is 0 chance those fractures will extend the 700 meters up to the water table. Most fracs cannot even guarantee a full fracture of the 35 meter bakken layer. And once you pump enough fluid out the propellant either flows out or is crushed and the well dries up anyway.

These sites are full of hooey and panic and misinformation and do not bother me about my job the slightest. Potash is more likely to contaminate and mineralize my water than frac fluid.

As for mulcair, he is a French liberal in an orange cloak. As an ndp voter my whole life I will never vote for him whatever his views. The real successor to Jack Layton won't be around until he is gone.

 

I aplogize in advance for changing subjects. I just joined your forum because I'm so impressed with your content. Tell me where is a newbie driver like me and any of my fellow graduates of Crossroads Training academy in Belleville ON, going to find this information? Not anywhere else because the various Jobbanks.ca or Alberta jobs or classified ads dont have your content. Without the internet, this information could take months to find and you'd probably have to travel to Alberta to find it. Wow. Thank you Prairie boy who seems to be the person that has answered lots of my questions. Sorry if I've missed the other key contributors so thanks anyway.
Yes I'm a newbie who can now legally drive semis but needs lots of experience that companies like SGT and Schneider can provide in their mentoring program. But Alberta has always attracted me and I'm amazed at the flexibility of months to work and days off, to relocate or not to relocate, living in a camp or not. I noticed that Vac trucks driving would probalby be my best choice. I like the camp option and working like a fool for a couple of months but relocation may be in the works in the long term for me because any AZ driver over 65 has to pass not only medical and written test but a road test to add insult to injury and they have to do it EVERY YEAR. It's insane why even our course instructor Al (he's older than me) just finished the process. It's insulting to a guy like him.
Anyway, I have passed on this link to the students in the class. They may not have considered driving in Alberta but they may be piqued by the type of work and how flexible job situations can be: why they can still live in the east and work a few months in alberta.
I just want to say that I was interested in ice road trucking thanks to the TV series on history.ca even though I'm a newbie
Thank You

 

Prairie Boy;

Thank you. Your site is amazing. I just received my employment offer with Schneider which means that i passed all their medical and drug tests. Just a little medical issue that I'll invest the time to solve. BUT and a big but, i believe in having choices in life and I just discovered your site yesterday. Heard of a recent 18 year old graduate last week from Crossroads Academy in Belleville now with his AZ license like me (like a #A in Alberta) with a job offer in Lloydminster AB driving Vac truck supposedly starting June 1st. When i heard that a Flint driver was grossing 3500 per week, money talks and if I can invest some time in a camp and maybe driving a vac truck like a DZ license (without trailer) exploiting my air ticket knowledge, that would be fine. Would an employer want to hire a newbie semi trailer driver to drive tractor trailer right away because passing a road test for an Ontario AZ or 3A in Alberta is just the absolute minimum. Working slowly into driving AZ seems the right move which is what Schneider does because they have a mentor program for newbies with no experience like me. However driving DZ vehicles as an example like dump trucks (without trailers) or school bus (called a B license which i have ) seems the way to go. Love your input.

Ted

 

Hi Ted, while some vac trucks have trailers most are tandem or tridem body jobs.
However be aware the demand for these drivers is indicative of the working conditions. Shoveling contaminated gravel in 40 below and hauling hoses around a field looking for pipeline leaks is not for the average person. Added to that is you will need enclosed spaces training because you get to crawl around inside some of the most contaminated tanks and clean them.
Last but not least the level of cleaning required is exhaustive. Most people would stop long before an oil company says "good enough". Maintaining their standards in rain, mud and extreme cold can be a very frustration experience.
If you really think you want to try it I would suggest asking for a swamper position for a company like clean harbours before jumping into trying to be a driver and accepting sole responsibility for the truck.

 

Again Thank you for clearing that up. We have a recent 18 year graduate from our school who will be driving a vac truck in Lloydminster. Hope he knows what he's getting into?

For me aged 65, it may not be the right choice however it seemed like a transition and some experience to help me drive a tractor trailer that I'm licensed for. Because I only have training school experience, do you have other suggestions about how to tackle driving semi in Alberta with my limited experience. Seemed like Vac was the way to go but other options to transition may or may not be there. Was just accepted by Schneider who have a mentoring program but the Alberta money seems more attractive.

Ted

 

The different companies don't all do identical work with vac trucks, some guys aren't doing jobs as bad as described, some are worse. 18 is a good age for somebody to have the energy for it! Vac trucks are also LOUD.

Lot's of us started driving tractor trailer in Alberta with no experience. There are big companies with training programs, and owner operators that are sick of hiring experienced guys that think they know everything, both of whom will sometimes consider a new driver and train them up to do the job "their way". Hopefully you have a clean drivers abstract, that will help a lot.

The bigger companies are all set up to get you your safety tickets, but if you want to consider the little guys it doesn't hurt to already have your standard first aid with cpr, and h2s alive certificates. Being all ready to jump in the truck with the trainer makes you more attractive to some people doing the hiring.

I made over $8500 my first month driving a truck, straight out of school, in Alberta. Ask Schneider how many months it will take you to earn that! lol

 

Thank you again> You've unsold me on Vac trucks, I can tell you that.

I think it would take over 2 years to come close to earning the money you made in your first month at 34 cents a mile. The first 2 years is a training period. Make no mistake I do not know it all but at my age can still learn a lot.

I do have a clean abstract and would be open to getting first aid with cpr and h2s alive certificates. My next question is who in Alberta would hire a newbie like me and pay such a wonderful starting salary? Did you do long haul or just locally around an oil field? Were you in an isolated area with a camp or near a more established area like Red Deer? Wow would jump at them but first it may be worthwhile taking Schneider's offer to see if I can handle it or fine tuning training in Ontario and Alberta.

Ted

 

I went with a guy that just had two trucks. Hauling oil and water from wells to disposals and batteries. It's local work, home every night in your own bed. The wages aren't super high, it's all the overtime that does it. You can legally work 15 hours a day 7 days a week, so you may get 7 or even 8 hours a day of OT.

For housing when I took my first job I went with room and board to keep the move simple. My boss set it up for me and paid for the first month to make it easy for me to roll into town and start training the next day. Now I rent a small house and am happier.

Lots of those jobs in Lloydminster that have trouble finding staff because of housing shortages. Some of them offer housing. But you can live in a small town just outside of Lloyd and lots of jobs there too. Other areas of Alberta might pay a little more like my first job, but the Lloyd area is better suited to a beginner. No chaining!! Don't even carry chains on the trucks. Much less challenging terrain, and the work itself is easier I'm finding with very little dragging hoses around etc.

I decided to take more time off, so I moved to a job that doesn't pay quite as well but gives me great equipment and a fantastic schedule. I work 5 on 5 off driving a brand new truck and make almost 80k/year. If I need more income I could start tomorrow with a different company working more shifts. Working 6 months a year for 80k suits me fine though.

Lots of different schedules to choose from. Check out Kijiji for Lloyd, Edmonton and Red Deer. As a beginner don't get the idea that only the big companies offer good wages. Not true at all. Owner operators that are out in the field doing the job every day will give you some of the best training when they hire you to drive their baby. Once you have a little experience many more options open up to you.

When you drive down the highway near Lloyd you can literally see dozens of wells on each side of the highway, this are is riddled with them. Each of these wells needs trucks hauling oil and water out every day, some need 6 or 8 truckloads a day. This is year round work and won't stop for spring breakup like working for a frac company. It also won't stop for Christmas so keep that in mind too.