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

Well, I'm back from Abilene and my interview.

Basically I have to start with a placement agency out of OK. This is because I'm fresh out of Driving school. It pays $14/hr and you get a minimum of 5 10/hr days...they made sure I knew that was the MINIMUM but that I could work much more if In wanted.
I will be doing the Sunoco job in Midland with a trainer for 30 days then if everything goes well, I'll go through the whole hire process, drug screen and physical again with Sunoco.

I found a one bedroom apartment for $1,030/mo six miles from Sunoco.
Finding an apartment was easy...there are plenty of 1x1's available in both Midland and Odessa. I could have got a 1X1 in Odessa for $870/mo but then the drive would have been 20 miles to Sunoco. The Midland apartment is also 50sqft larger and most importantly has full sized W/D hook ups...so I can put my oown W/D in the apt. and not have to deal with laundry rooms.

I'm putting everything in storage and just driving out there with clothes, basics and my cats...I'll come back and get my stuff later with a truck.

 

Congratulations and good luck. I'm trying to figure out where the Midland yard is located .....

 

Wow--that is a bit long! I suppose worth it in the long run. He pulled a job off Craigslist near Austin in 5-days that required hazmat/tanker. The pay is nothing like the oil fields and the only OT is in the winter. It'll keep us afloat and he'll gain recent experience driving which is good since he hasn't driven since '08. Thanks for the info!

 

Conga Ratz. Thanks for posting rent prices, I am looking at Odessa/Midland or Hobbs/Carlsbad when I graduate. Knowing the rent helps.

 

Sunoco has a LONG hiring process....be prepared! It was about 4 weeks for me...that was with me calling when they didn't.

Rents are high in O/M compared to Las Vegas, but there seemed to be PLENTY of 1X1's available....unlike the horror stories I've been reading of guys having to sleep in their cars because they can't find apartments. The problem is more like can't AFFORD to get into one. Overall it costing me close to $2k to GET the apartment...and that is with them letting me pay some of the pet deposits later! Oh, and they charge pet rent too....that adds to your monthly rent!
I've never seen so many fees to rent an apartment. App fee (per person), Deposit, Move-in fee, Refundable and NON-refundable pet deposits PER pet.

Of course I always try to do my moving between Nov-Jan because no one else wants to move during the Holidays and the agents want their numbers so they play nicer than say, in the spring when they have more applicants than apartments.

 

as i read your post it reminded me of when i was in business, i rented u hauls for 12 years and the busiest week of the year nation wide was Christmas week. i know i couldn't belive it either

 

Who the hell moves Christmas week?

 

No one ...except me!....They rent trucks that week to deliver presents that don't fit in cars, like home gyms, appliances, bicycles, furniture and motorcycles etc..

But other than Christmas week, people don't move during that time so apartments tend to play nicer.

 

at the time 78% of the rentals was one way not local rentals. it's end of the month end of the year and end of a quarter and a lot of rent is based on one of them 3 factors.

 

^^^^ I don't know what to tell you....I've always had my pick of apartments and trucks during the holidays...



Back to the hiring process... It's been 4 weeks but it will have been 6 by the time I'm actually working...