Arky's Sunoco adventure begins in the west TX oilfields!

I have been getting a lot of messages and I have offered help to a few people. I find myself repeating a few things in private messages so I thought I might as well start a thread and outline a few things that can help you...as a driver...get a job.

Fair warning...this will NOT be a short post!

I'm going to start off with a little bit of background. In the back of my mind, I had been thinking for a couple of years now that I should be taking advantage of these oil field opportunities. I finally decided that it was now or never and pulled the plug on what I was doing and went into full research mode to find out where I fit best in the oil fields. I started by looking into the ND jobs, then the TX jobs. I decided on TX. I had a few contacts that gave me a few pointers and away I went, digging up every bit of info I could find.

The first thing I had to do was decide what part of the oil patch I wanted to be a part of. I can tell you that I would personally love to work on a frac crew, wireline crew, coiled tubing...or any of the above and several others that I don't even know exist at this point. I would love to see the drilling, frac'ing operations taking place. I love to see the technology and engineering behind such huge projects. BUT, there are a couple of problems with that...for me. First, I've been driving on and off since 2006. I'm 47, out of shape, a little overweight (slim in truck driver standards..lol) and I just don't know if I could handle the manual labor on some of these crews. Either the work would kill me or the co-workers would kill me for not holding up my end...lol. Second, I have 2nd and 3rd degree burns on my face, arms and hands. I got them from a vehicle accident 27 years ago. We were actually in a work vehicle and someone hit us head on..I was a passenger (no need for sympathy...I lived...nobody else did..I'm just happy to be here typing!) So...with that said...working out in the sun for a living is a no-no for me..personally. I would have skin cancer in 6 months...or at least I'm afraid I would.

So, that leaves me with 3 options as far as I know..all of them as a driver...which I'm just fine with. I can haul water, crude or sand. I'm sure there are other options, but those seem to be the 3 that jump out at me the most. After doing the research, I decided that crude hauling seemed to be the best choice for me..right now. Sand has some advantages that would definitely fit me well, but it seems that the crude hauling is where the best money is at, so that's my choice. Once that decision was made...then I had to find out what companies I was qualified to start with. Although I think I could have qualified for some other companies, I found that Sunoco does take people right of CDL school, so my thinking is that they likely have at least a decent training program for crude haulers and I want to be trained well. I decided to pursue Sunoco and although it took about 3 weeks once I finally got an initial phone call, I will be starting orientation the coming Monday July 15th.

I will update this thread as I go along...when time permits. Once the work actually starts, I'll be concentrating more on getting my job done correctly, getting some rest so I can perform well the next day and a host of relocation chores that will likely take time away from my time typing words on a screen. I will, however do my best to help anyone that I can. You are welcome to send a pm or post to this thread. Obviously, there are plenty of knowledgable people here to help.

Now for the things I wanted to point out. These are all things that I have learned so far in the hiring process at Sunoco Logistics. Some of them very likely apply to other carriers as well, but I can only tell you my experiences.

First off...in order to get anywhere you have to get your information to them. You can be the best driver in the world, but if they don't know you exist, they can't hire you. The problem is that even once you send in your information...the right people have to see it. You have to remember that this is a booming industry. Manpower is short..even in the offices..I assume. They get these online apps by the dozens, but who has the time to sort through them? I'm going to offer what I have found so far to help you with that if you choose to apply to Sunoco.


The very first thing you need to do is fill out an application. I have found that there are two places that you can wind up when searching for Sunoco driving jobs. One is just a short question/answer, fill in the blanks online form..the other is a very detailed application. I suggest you do both. It never hurts. I don't know which one gets the most attention, but if you do both, it doesn't matter. Here are the links:

This is the short one: http://featured-employers.com/sunoco/?utm_campaign=sxl

Next is the detailed application/driver profile page. Once you have filled this one out, you will have a profile on Sunoco's website that is updatable. What you do is search for the job you want and apply to that position, but then you can go back and apply to other positions using the profile that you now have saved to their website (the online app is actually an online profile to their website). I suggest that you keep very good records of what you put on that profile. If they contact you for an interview, they will send you a paper application to be filled out by hand to bring to the interview. It will require all of the same information again...and again...and again. You need to make sure it all matches. Here is that link: https://sunocologistics.ats.hrsmart...nyid=2&total=86&order=jobs.jobid DESC&start=0

If there is ever a problem with the links..or if the administrators of this forum have a problem with these links...feel free to let me know.

Now..for what I can help you with past this point. Take a look at the qualifications. You HAVE to have Hazmat and Tanker endorsements on your CDL to get their attention! Here are the requirements

I cannot help you if you don't meet those stated requirements...you might be able to talk to them or fill out the app and get some help through other channels, I just know that I can't help you. I would if I could, but I can't. Sooo, IF you can meet those stated requirements, I suggest that you do both of the online forms. Then, if you choose, send me a pm. Give me your name, current state of residency and a brief listing of your qualifications for the job. Keep it simple, very simple. I can possibly get your app pulled out of that online pile of apps. I can tell you that my contacts are in the Snyder, TX and San Angelo, TX regions. I'm not sure at this point if I can help anyone who wants a job in other locations. I will ask, but for now I suggest that if you want me to help..apply to those two locations when filing out your app.

Now... I want to say something that hopefully will answer a few questions for the hate mongers that seem to thrive on these message boards. Yes, if i get a chance to get a referral bonus, I'll darn sure take it...and I won't be making apologies for it either. I am not currently eligible for one..I don't even work there yet. I have helped a couple of people already though and I have suggested a completely different company to a couple of guys that have sent me pms...simply because they have experience that I don't have and they qualify for jobs that I don't...so it's not all about the referral bonus. I do like to help people in return for people helping me.

What I want to say to the job seekers. I don't care if your applying to Sunoco or Krispy Kreme donuts...if the company you are applying to offers referal bonuses to their employees..by all means...find an employee and get their name to put on the app. That is money laying right there on the table..and somebody should get it. If you read this and follow this thread or follow other threads here about Sunoco, you will find other drivers working for them also. If you don't want to put my name in the referral box, get somebody else's name to put in there...that's fine with me...even if I have helped you, you are still free to put whoever you wish down as a referal. Again, it's money on the table..somebody should get it. With that said...you are welcome to send a pm to me and I will give you my name if you choose to use me as your referal...and I will thank you for it!

Told ya it woudn't be short! AND I left some out! I'll follow up with more of the actual experiences later.

 

A little summary for those that want a job in San Angelo or Snyder.

1) fill out the apps..both of them.
2)pm me with your info including a brief listing of your qualifications. I'll see what I can do.

Be honest with the qualifications. They are going to know more about you than you know about yourself by the time this is over with...you won't get anything past them.

 

I don't think anything is going to get away from you. The push for drivers is likely to get stronger over the next year...from what I'm told. You might have trouble getting the exact location you want, but that might just be a matter of waiting it out too.

 

Thanks...and I know that by making that post and statement about referrals, it sounds that way. But, in reality, I needed to start this thread and post some of those things. It was becoming obvious that if I didn't, I was going to be repeating myself a LOT in pms...lol. I don't mind that necasarily, but this is an easier option and everyone gets the same info, I can edit if I leave something out and this way I don't fail to get somebody the info they need. The referrals are truly second priority for me. I've been in the position once before. I can tell you that the number of people you help vs the number you actually get a referral on is a pretty low number. The hourly rate would be pretty dismal...lol. But anyway..thanks!