Considering ND Oil fields

Asking your thoughts. I’m considering ND oil.
Focus is to get money to buy a truck.

I live in the Black Hills of SD.
Have been doing reefer madness for 5 months. OTR...48states.
Did pneumatic tanker for a year. Regional.
Also drove a dumpster trash truck in The Hills for 7 years. Class B.

I admit. I really love my job. Have all sorts of stuff in this truck. A cat. George Foreman grill. Fly Fishing rod. One year non resident fishing license for Montana.
I like the odd hours. 7 days a week. Take little home time. Haven’t been home since second week in March. I admit I do it fine. But don’t like a daily grind.

I know ND. It’s bad during winter. Know what I’m getting into there.
Own my home in SD. About a 5 hour drive to Dickinson.
Just wondering on thoughts?
Maybe should stay where I’m at? Pay isn’t bad. Do really like my life OTR. Don’t have no family.
I’m thinking maybe make money to buy truck. Then lease on with somebody like Landstar. But then... the oil fields and home time I might like? (If I go crazy )

 

You should know. I used to work a very high paying job testing electrical apparatus. Yes the biggest there is. Six figure income in 98. Last time I checked with those guys. In 07 they were making a quarter million a year. But they have no life. It’s extremely demanding on time. Almost killed me with diabetes. Caused weight loss. No treatment.

What I do now is soft core out of town. It’s easy to me. Have everything to make this truck home away from home. It’s always with me. Food, French Press for coffee... I even have a $2k, purple3 mattress in this truck. I sleep well.

I do wonder if the oil fields will get to me. Much like my previous career. Doesn’t look as bad. But?
I admit. I am much smarter now on taking care of myself. Have had my A1C down to 5.9. Could do better.

 

You're kind of all over the road with the questions and I'm not sure what to answer

 

Most volatile trucking business.

 

Stay where your at.
You seem happy there.
You ain't missing nothing in the oilfields.

 

I was just trying to provide my big picture.

One) Am I personally better off where I’m at?
I’ll re ask others.

 

I'm not sure anyone can answer that. I love the oilfield and prefer winter in ND. It's my idea of fun.

I'm flying out tomorrow but I'm hitting a job fair in Williston to see what the market looks like for drivers. Do you want to just straight drive? Work on a rig? Frac crew? Hell the local concrete company is offering $28/hr, $50 a day per diem, plus housing

 

You prefer winter in ND...
You obviously forgot to take your medication.

I’m interested in driving. Water, sand, or crude. Could step right into pneumatic tanker sand. Have no real preference at this point.

 

I know people from up there. Told me at the height of the oil boom in 12. Had to pay $20 an hour just to get somebody to flip hamburgers.

 

Winter is awesome here. There's no mud (I run at night), no thunderstorms, and not that much traffic. Frost laws ended today and we've been running wild during that time.

Here's the deal right now. Sand it's going to be the easiest. I've seen three unique sand haulers up here. There's the old pneumatic cans that everyone knows and hates. The boxes like Sandbox, PropX, and Liberty have been using. And then I've seen a site using grain haulers to bring in sand. The boxes are the easiest and most guys only have to get out of the truck to close the lid after loading. Never have to worry about being overweight either.

Next easiest is crude hauling. It's fairly straightforward. Most places don't even require you to climb tanks anymore. I've not climbed a tank in three years.

After that is water. You can make a lot of money hauling water with very little oversight. But you will work for it. There's a disposal on practically every corner now. Those guys that can work the system do well. One guy last week did 16 loads in a 14 hour shift. I don't have water rates on me but it was a lucrative night