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

What seems to work for me is after I place my hand on the valve, I pause for a moment and look in the direction that the product will be flowing to make sure that is where I want it to go. I then 'squeeze' the 1/4 turn valve open slowly and watch for the product to start flowing. I have caught a problem at this point when the pump starts to 'complain' or the hose swells too much. My final check is I walk completely around my truck from the drivers door, around the front, down the passenger side and around and back up the drivers side. This has helped me, especially in the dark. My last check is at the drivers door. I stop and look down the drivers side before I get in the truck to leave.

 

Thanks Arky for this thread, I found it very useful and I have to talk with the wife first...lol but I am sure I will be contacting you soon. One question can you tell me the real story on what kind of money I can expect to take home, if that's not too personal?

 

Everyone's "take home" is likely to vary a bit depending on deductions and such. In my opinion, you should be able to gross $1400-$1800/wk down here hauling crude. Some will do better. My trainer asked what my expectations were and I told him that I wanted to consistently gross $1500/wk....he laughed and said that if I didn't, I wouldn't be trying very hard.

I will say this...and it is completely my opinion. I don't necessarily think oilfield work pays THAT much better than other driving jobs. Sunoco pays 50 cents/mile...which would be great otr money, but you don't run the miles here that you do otr. They also pay 23 cents per barrel....which basicly compensates you about $40-$45 for loading/unloading. So...that's not where the money comes from....imo. The money comes from the fact there is a LOT of work down here. You can consistently be earning money, day in and day out. The only limits I see on earning potential are the HOS regs and personal work ethics. There is NO shortage of oil to be hauled that I have seen.

 

Arky, how many miles would one run in 1 day just an estimate. And how many loads will one fill? Thank you.

 

I was told in the interview that each terminal is different in their daily mileage. Some haul more loads each day (wells are closer) and some spend more time driving with less loads hauled (wells are further away) it all depends on where you are located.

 

RSQ is correct. It all depends on the location. Most of my loads are 80-90 miles loaded. I'm told that it will stay like for a good while. Apparently, the old hands like the shorter loads. Personally, I prefer the longer ones. I think that since they can make quicker work out of the loading/unloading, they can take advantage of the barrel pay. For me...in TX....I wanna be behind the steering wheel...which also keeps me inside the air conditioned cab . I like the longer loads...lol. Rockdoctor has the run I want...one load a day.

To answer your question...most here are probably running 350-400 miles a day. I have heard of 450. We carry anywhere from 180-190 barrels, depending on the oil...some oil is actually heavier than other oil. I'll let someone else explain that....I don't completely understand it yet...suspended air is the best I could say...lol. We do have TX overweight permits. I'm told that 170 barrels is about all you can carry without them.

 

I see so its possible to run 350 to 400 miles amd do two loads a day for 6 to 7 days a week? That would add up to almost 2k a week hey not bad at all! Im still waiting for a recuiter to contact me regarding the accredited trucking school. I think its sage trucking school here in SA because they are DOEducation and PTDI accredited so I still hope I can get in touch with someone overthere soon

 

Hey Arky,

I applied to Sunoco. I have everything you listed as far as schooling and endorsements. Just waiting to hear back from them. How long did it take to get a response? It's been about four days for me. Hope the job is going good for you!!

 

It can take some time if you wait on them. Do you have any driving experience? Did you fill out the full application (several pages)?

If you make enough posts here, you can then send me a private message with your name, location and qualifications. I can forward that to someone who will take a look at you.

The job is going good. Once I'm through with training, I think it will work out great. I'm not the type who enjoys being trained...lol. But, I have to learn the equipment and how they want the job done. Sunoco training is long, depending on your experience level. Originally, I thought it was a ridiculous amount of training, but not so much now. There is a lot to learn...none of it is rocket science, but it is important. The thing is...you have to be good at it by the end of training. Once the training is over, your gonna be out there by yourself and you better be able to load/unload oil and not make ANY mistakes. Even ONE mistake in this business...that causes a spill of any size... is a huge problem. I can see now that it will take me the first two weeks (this is my second week) to get the correct pattern down on which valve to open or close...and when. Doing things in the correct order is very important to prevent a spill. One slip up and you have a problem. After that, I hope to really get my pattern down to a memorized, automatic system. Along the way, you will learn a lot of other things also...locations of the major well sites is one of the main ones.

 

You are pretty close with that post. You won't be able to do 7 days...6 is possible though. I would set my goals closer to $1500/wk, especially starting out. You will likely do better, but keep your goals realistic. I did talk to a guy yesterday who had a two week total of more than $4k....but he also said that he could have brought home the same amount of money if he had grossed $400 less. That little bit of extra gross pushed him into a new tax bracket..sooo...you be the judge. $2k/wk is possible, but I wouldn't want to count on that consistently.