I'm a stone cold rookie, gonna work the texas oil fields

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by paulcouto, Sep 7, 2011.

  1. bigtoad

    bigtoad Bobtail Member

    18
    4
    Nov 18, 2011
    toadsuck, AR
    0
    Right on Gisquid! If you are trying to get out of debt you could do a lot worse. There are a couple things Dave suggests that will cost you, but it is still a lot better than what most people do, which is nothing.

    I think I was the one that was confused. That is where a lot of people get jacked up between gross and net. So, are you wanting to NET 75k? Let's use your real numbers. If you make $86,242 GROSS, you would want $583 Federal tax withheld every 2 weeks to break even (not owing or getting anything back at the end of the year tax wise). You would then have $71,089 after Federal taxes, so you aren't far off. FICA would then reduce your NET to about $64,491 and there may be other deductions for for health care, life insurance, etc. but still sounds like you are making some real cheddar. I agree with Gisquid, get all your debts paid off first, then I can suggest some ways to have you clockin' even more.

    I was wondering the same thing as Vegaspainter. Are Nabors and other companies in your area still hiring? I won't have my CDL for a little while (just missed this class by a couple of days), but already looking down the road. I sure appreciate your info!
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. paulcouto

    paulcouto Medium Load Member

    332
    89
    Sep 7, 2011
    0
    ok, now i got some new questions but i cant ask them right now. I'm gonna start work early today and i just woke up. I'll get back to you guys with some questions and answers in the next day or two......i got hours to make up because i got changed to a different group which means i had to take an extra day off to fit into the "group 2 schedule"......which also means i'm looking at a "short check".....you have two kinds of checks per month, a short and a long check. It has to do with the 4/1 schedule until the 4rth day lands on a friday and then you have 1 weekend off......when you have the weekend off, thats also when you'll get a short check, so the best way to look at this whole thing is how much you make in a month......or you can work saturday and just take your sunday off like i'm going to!:)

    ok, see you guys later. I'm thinking of getting a helmut camera and recording some of my jobs at work, wouldnt that be cool?
     
  4. papi27j

    papi27j Light Load Member

    51
    3
    Sep 7, 2010
    Porterville,Ca
    0
    I was in Tx delivering drilling mud to the rigs that were drilling just watch out i got in with A BAD COMPANY TANK 1 SERVICES they would run us to the ground illegal as HELL.I had to take a step back and see that the all the money i was making was not worth my CDL i did 4 months and went back to Cali now im trying to find a job in otr any ideas i only have 4 months of local driving. :biggrin_25523:
     
  5. paulcouto

    paulcouto Medium Load Member

    332
    89
    Sep 7, 2011
    0
    ok, so at the 86k pace, which means my average gross every two weeks is about 3300, then you say i want 583 fed taken out. I looked at my stub and fed took out 624, so thats about 40 bucks too much that uncle sam is taking out. Like i said, i claim 1, how many more would i have to claim to get myself down to about 583?

    What is fica? On my stub, it shows i paid:

    federal: 624

    medicare: 48

    ss: 139

    and of course my cali state tax: 228......now, i'm wondering, when my cali tax is eliminated, will that change how uncle sam taxes me because their will be, in essence, more money on my check?

    I have no debt and i dont pay health insurance or life insurance, i elected not to take the medical benefits because i will eventually get my own......just like i didnt like the myrill lynch 401k plan because i have no idea how it exactly works and i'm not sure if i want to use it as an investment vehicle. As of right now, i dont exactly know how i want to invest but i'm pretty sure i want to invest in myself.....maybe get my own rig one day or something......i'm not giving these wallstreet bandits and crypto communist government any of my additional hard earned money to go play with.

    ok, so you said you have ways for me to clock more, perhaps you can explain that briefly?

    you shouldnt have missed your cdl class, dont see what youre waiting for, you should get your ### out here, yes nabors in sonora is hiring, they are always hiring, its really as simple as that. When youre ready, just ask and i'll give a contact number to call.

    That means you too gisquid!!!
     
  6. paulcouto

    paulcouto Medium Load Member

    332
    89
    Sep 7, 2011
    0
    yes, very true, your cdl is your life and i personally protect mine to the death. Are you sure you want otr? with only 4 months experience and not even otr experience, you will be treated as a rookie otr driver and thats when basically the only otr companies who will hire you is the otr vampires like swift, cr england etc. etc.

    if i were you, i'd come back to the oil field and find a company that doesnt run you illegally, its not hard to find.

    .....but if you have your heart set on otr, i totally understand, i know its a lifestyle and it really fits for some people......just like the oil field doesnt fit for some and fits for others.
     
  7. paulcouto

    paulcouto Medium Load Member

    332
    89
    Sep 7, 2011
    0
    well since you are a rookie, then your options are limited. You can still find a job easily though. I think nabors is just fine to start and its just fine to stay as well. It really depends on what works for you. I would say you should look at 2 important things, the work schedule that fits for you and the area in which you will be working out of.

    For instance, i like to work alot of hours and have flexibility with it, in other words, a company works with me and gets me lots of hours to drive. If i worked for a place that made me work a 12 hour shift and not a minute more, i wouldnt like it......but thats just me. i also like a 4/1 schedule because i like to run hard and get that needed day off.....and it doesnt feel like a 9 to 5 joe blow type schedule where you work 5 days in a row or whatever. Not every company works a 4/1, so i feel its something to consider.

    Understand?
     
  8. Gisquid

    Gisquid Light Load Member

    287
    55
    Aug 1, 2011
    Fort Carson, CO
    0
    Paulcouto, those helmut cams are expensive!! We use regular camcorders and we duck tape them to our helmuts!! It looks really funny to see 20 guys rolling down the road with these things strapped on looking to get the perfect shot of the blast!! Combat Engineers do really dumb ###### when we're bored!! I cannot wait to take you up on that offer!!
     
  9. paulcouto

    paulcouto Medium Load Member

    332
    89
    Sep 7, 2011
    0
    clockin the hours boys
     
  10. bigtoad

    bigtoad Bobtail Member

    18
    4
    Nov 18, 2011
    toadsuck, AR
    0
    If you started claiming 2, probably wouldn't be a bad idea because I based the $583 on 2012, so seems like they are taking too much. That said, you will never get it to $0, no one does, but you can get it close. That is why I like to look at it quarterly, otherwise you will be in the office every week adjusting your W4 and it will drive you nuts. Fica is just SS AND Medicare, things we don't have control over. SS is set to go up at the first of the year, isn't that exciting?

    Sounds like you have a pretty good grasp of what you want. I think it's wonderful you have a goal to get your own rig! That is why there is no one size fits all financial advice. Not everyone has the same goals, risk tolerance, or time to commit to investing. That is why I always find out a LOT about a person before I recommend any investment or strategy. You might be more comfortable with someone you can sit down with and look at eyeball to eyeball. That said, I am always happy to give you my 2 cents. PM me sometime and I can give you some individualized advice if you like.
    I know, it broke my heart. I decided I want to do this as my life on a Wednesday, and the class started two days earlier on Monday! I even looked at going to other schools hundreds of miles away just to get it done, but the one nearest to me actually looks like it is one of the best and I had some other obligations in December preplanned, so I think it will actually work out. I am starting the first part of January and will be done in February and ready to go to it. I really appreciate all the information you have provided. Gives me a lot better idea of what it's all about. I would really like to see your helmet cam as well. I would watch that movie for sure!
     
  11. paulcouto

    paulcouto Medium Load Member

    332
    89
    Sep 7, 2011
    0
    ok, last night of work and then i'm forced to take a 24 because i'll hit my 70 in the morning......it aint easy getting those hours in, it sounds easy but you still got to work them, you got to want it, it isnt automatic. I'll address some stuff tomorrow and talk a bit about some of the stuff you fight the most on this job......like SPILLS, its so easy to over fill a frac tank or whatever if youre not paying attention, consumed with paper work in your cab or greedy in trying to top a tank off to the max. I got some good gusher stories and they are an absolute nightmare when you jump out of your cab because you got a "feeling" and you see that water or brine or flow back gushing out of the top of a tank.

    Later guys.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.