If I just pack up and head out there...

I did go to Odessa. Way too crowded and expensive there.

I don't like Dallas...lol. One of the reasons I left the Northeast was to get away from the crowds so Dallas was a big no no for me.

I've never liked the Abilene area either. It's way too flat and featureless up there for me.

 

Thanks! I'll call over there today.

 

Well today I'm just sitting around waiting for them to call me about the job. Also, I've decided that I'm definately going to need an apt since I will be working nights. It's too hot to sleep in the car during the day even with the ac going. I found a cheap place but they don't open until 10 am.

On another note, the guy that hired me said he has like 48 trucks to fill. I think this company is just getting started in this area. He said they are trying to open a yard closer to san angelo but not sure when. I talked to three other companies on the phone that said they were hiring too.

 

Thanks!

I forgot to mention that I got a $3000 sign on bonus. I get the first thousand after two weeks but not sure about the rest. Also, this co. pays every two weeks, which kinda sucks. I think they withhold the first check but not positive on that. I'll ask today.

 

Well, as much as I would have liked to have found that I took this job for a couple of reasons- 1) After thinking about it and hearing some stories I decided I didn't want to live in a "man camp" with a bunch of strangers. 2) This company said that they are getting a yard closer to the town that I want to be in.

There are companies out there that pay for living quarters and gas back and forth and such. We'll just have to see how this goes for me. Hopefully everything works out for the best.

Today I moved into my new place. $429/month all bills paid including internet and such. There's a pool and game room with pool table, poker table, stuff like that. It's dorm style living but it's cheap and that's what I need right now. I found that I was feeling exhausted from waking up so many times a night in my car and my legs were cramping from not being able to stretch out all night. So anyway, I am here now and have a job and a decent place to stay.

The one major concern that I have right now is how much gas is going to cost driving back and forth every day. It's an hour drive one way. I'm sure that will get old pretty quick. I talked to a guy yesterday that said that his company pays for his gas back and forth. He's a chemical engineer though. I'm figuring about $350 a month just for gas. We shall see though. I hope they open that yard closer to town sooner than later. If one can afford to do so, it might pay off to wait and find a company that pays for housing and such. If you can stand to live in a man camp it might be okay.

I am off to break in my new shower and then go sight seeing.

 

I forgot to mention that I have been driving all over the place looking for cheap living options and companies that are hiring. I have seen some companies with signs up saying that they are hiring CDL drivers. There are also a few ads in the local papers for drivers. Not sure what they are paying. One that I spoke to was paying $17-18 and had man camp type housing for you. They are out in the middle of nowhere though with a caliche yard. Caliche is kinda like limestone, it gets white and really powdery when it's dry. It covers everything when it gets stirred up. Then again, most of the truck yards out here are made up of that so not really that big a deal.

I haven't really seen any cheap housing options. I have racked my brain trying to figure something out but there just isn't anything that one would consider "cheap living" without a long commute. It's just how it is down here. I did find a guy that is renting rooms and beds in an rv for $150/wk and it would cut about 40 miles off of my commute. Might end up there, who knows. If you had an suv that you could stretch out in the back, or a conversion van or something like that you could definitely make it in your car. It is supposed to cool off a bit at the end of this month.

One thing you should consider as well...I read in a local paper that the crime rate has increased since this latest oil boom. There's been a lot of cars and houses broken into. They didn't say they were blaming it on the oil crews, the article said for people to keep an eye out for suspicious vehicles and such. Someone living in their car might fit that description in some people's minds. Just an FYI.