New Driver Checking In

[FONT=&amp]Hi all,

I am a newly licensed CDL driver with endorsements (Double/Triple Trailer, HazMat, Tank Vehicle). I also have a clean, Certified 10 year MVD report, and a DOT card. I'm a stable guy: married since 1996, 2 grown kids and I've owned my house here in Phoenix, Arizona since 2002. Plan A: Work up in North Dakota area with a company that offers rotating shifts and housing so I can fly home every six to eight weeks to see my family. Plan B: Get a job with a tanker company, gain experience, and then go back to Plan A.

I have worked in the construction industry my entire career and owned my own framing business for the past 9 years before shutting down this year (couldn't compete against companies who pay cash and 1099 their workers - illegal in AZ but nobody cares). I always carried a legal payroll and I'm looking for a trucking company that does the same thing (i.e. no 1099). I have had NO workers comp claims, either by me or by any of my former employees. I am very safety conscious and ran my business that way.

I went to a local truck driving school here in Phoenix (Phoenix Truck Driving Institute) and passed my drivers test first time. North Dakota doesn't scare me: I love cold weather - typically wear shorts and t-shirts until it hits the low 50s or so, then I'll throw on a pair of jeans and maybe a sweatshirt. My wife nags me to throw on a jacket when we're up in the snow with the kids... sometimes I'll do it to make her happy. I framed a house in the snow once - didn't bother me at all. Love the cold and I won't miss working outside in the Phoenix summers when it's typically 110 and over month after month.

I flew to Williston and spent the last week of August 2013 (last month) looking for work, but the cost of a rental car ($90/day) and inadequate lodging sent me home after a week. Since returning I've been sending out countless resumes and making a lot of phone calls trying to find work BEFORE I head up there again (I'll be driving my own truck up there next time, like I did back in Aug of 2012 when I first visited Williston just checking on the job conditions up there). Lack of experience is the hurdle I need to overcome.

If anybody knows of a company "up there" that hires new drivers who are safety-conscious, stable, friendly, and have a good driving record please let me know! I know that in this business - with no experience - it's hard [FONT=&amp]but not impossible[/FONT] to get an oil field driving job and sometimes it just comes down to luck and/or knowing somebody who knows somebody. I'm trying to find a job ASAP in order to keep my good credit rating GOOD, so any help is appreciated! If I keep hitting roadblocks, then I'm on to Plan B and so if anybody can recommend good tanker companies to start with, I'll be grateful for names.

Thanks for providing such a great website/forum! It's proved invaluable to me already, before I even signed up! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.[/FONT]

Joe

 

Thank you for the leads - I will check them out