Oil Field Drivers & Workers Needed Badly!

Hi All: Since so many have helped me in this forum, now that I have a chance to give back, here it is. This is for those who have never worked in the oil fields. While my focus is mostly on truck driving, let it be known there are so many jobs of all kinds the only reason you would not have a job here is if you just don't want to work.

There is lots of good news, and some bad news. I'll give the good news first.

The area I am in needs drivers very badly. I will give the details I have in this post. Also please note I am working way too many hours and barely have time to eat and sleep. The cold weather burst the water lines in my RV a week ago and I have not had time to fix them. So I will have very little time to respond. That is why I will give all the details at once, which means a long post, but at least you'll have it all right now.

What Kind of Drivers Needed?
Vac trucks, crude, flatbed, hotshots, belly dumps, you name it. While most companies want experienced drivers, as in oil field experience, they are so hard up for drivers they are starting to offer training.

Other Work
Bulldozer, backhoe, dump truck, welders galore, electricians, construction workers of all kinds. If you show up here you will find work of some kind.

Where The Action Is
Glasscock and Regan counties. Take a hard look at Big Lake, Big Spring, Garden City. I'm in this area every night. I see all the rigs going in. I am at the rigs talking to crews and bosses. Just in my area alone they have 500 wells to drill this year. They also need rig crew hands, for both the well drilling rigs and the frac rigs. Google earth these areas and take a look at the hundreds of wells. It is about to double.

What's Coming In
I have seen many hundreds of millions of dollars worth of equipment and supplies coming in. I have seen several construction companies setting up new yards for pipeline work, for crane operations, you name it. The big news will soon be Big Lake.

What's Going On
The crude coming up out of this area is very high quality. It's what the world wants, and there's a lot of it. I'm told that current drilling and frac technologies are getting only about 15% of the oil right now. They say in a few years they'll discover how to get the rest of it. I've seen several new wells come in with so much oil we have to really hustle to keep the tank batteries unloaded. I know of 85 new tank batteries going in this year for just one company. I have no idea where the heck they will find all the drivers they need - both for hauling crude and water.

Pay
Starting pay is all over the map. But know one thing for sure: There are few jobs offering just 40 hours a week. Plan on at least 70 hours a week - which means lots of overtime. That is where all the money is - if you can keep it all from going to Uncle Freaking Sam. If you take a job here, driver or otherwise, you will not have much of a life. You will work until dead tired, go home, eat, go to bed, and get up to do it all over again. I know some who work 24 hour shifts, they get little cat-naps here and there. Others on the rigs may work two or three weeks solid, then get a week or two off. So it really varies, but plan on working your ### off. I make $20 an hour for the first 40, then $30 an hour after that. I get as much over time as I can handle. I max out at 15 hours a day, and they still want me to keep moving. But they never force me to. Most vac drivers to start make around $15 to $17 an hour. I lucked out at the $20 an hour. But again, it is all in the over time. Once you get good at it other experienced drivers will see you know what you are doing and they'll try to recruit you for their company.

Help Out
Always help other drivers. Help them with a hose, backing in a tight spot, anything that helps. We help each other all the time. And this is how you meet people. This is where you learn where the action is. The best always comes by word of mouth. When you work hard and well, and when you are a team player, people will notice. You'll get offers all the time. This area and the oil fields are extremely competitive, there is millions to be made, and many of the rules are broken to make that money. So also be careful. Because of the money to be made, there is some fraud going on. Take things slow until you know what is going on. Yes, there are many good opportunities, but there are also some bad operators out there. By helping out you'll meet people and learn. And let people help you.

Logs
Ha!Ha!Ha! Logs? WTF are those? Qualcomm? Ha!Ha!Ha! WTF are those too! OTR, if you are sick of all the anal stuff over logging and Qualcomm, come drive here. My log for an entire week is one page. All I do is list the date, the time I start, and the time I finish. That is it. Scales? There are none. You are only driving around 200 miles or less a night, and rarely more than 50 miles from the yard. Our trucks have GPS trackers in them, but nothing else.

Owner Operators
If you have your own tractor with a sleeper, and if you can afford to buy a vac trailer, the going rate is about $85 an hour. I know of some OOs grossing $15,000 a week. You can buy a used vac tractor and trailer for around $50,000. I know of some who are making a $9,000 a week payment to get it paid off fast. Most any tractor will do, and if you have a sleeper you won't have the housing issue. There is a good TA in Big Spring off I-20. Fuel is hard to find, that is the only truck stop in this area. However, there are several fuel stops that have just pumps and nothing else.

Hauling Crude
This is where the real money is in driving. But this is tricky work. This crude is highly flammable and if you don't pay attention you'll blow yourself to kingdom come. And DOT loves to pick on crude haulers. But if you can handle it, plan on taking home $85 to $100K a year. Owner Ops can do even much better. All you do is haul from the tank batteries to the pipeline injection points. The best crude money is hauling from the field straight to the refineries on the Texas coast.

Now For Bad News

1. You need to be here. It usually does not work to phone in from 1,000 miles away. Try it and see what happens. Maybe it will work, maybe not. Keep in mind the media is all over this boom town area. So these places get calls all day long from dreamers who waste their time. But if you show up in person and say let's get to work, they'll get serious real fast. Drive down in your car and sleep in it if you have to, but get here in person.

2. Housing Is Hard To Find. You'll really need a trailer or something to live in. Some of the companies have so-called "man camps" which down here are called "lodges". But these are more for construction and rig crews, not for truck drivers. Most of the rig crew guys live at the drill site in modular homes and they pack them in. When you show up ask about housing. All of the companies know it is hard to find and if they like you they may help. But if at all possible buy even an old, worn down little trailer. Anything to sleep in, cook in, and change clothes in.

3. Dealing With The Weather. I grew up in Vermont and am used to experiencing below zero temps for a month at a time. But there is something about Texas cold that will bite to the bone. You MUST have thermal underwear, very good boots, hats, and gloves. Trouble is, your boots must be hard-toe. And clothes must be fire-retardant, which means very expensive. Many places don't expect you to fork out big bucks for this right off, and some do provide uniforms. My trucking company provides shirts and pants. To stay warm I have to wear thermal underwear, a pair of pajamas over the thermals, an insulated shirt, a jump suit, and then a heavy jacket. It's the blasted wind that never stops. After several miserable nights of cold wet feet I broke down and paid $235 for a good pair of Redwing boots and they are worth every cent. And you'll want insulated waterproof gloves, get at least two pair.

Of course in the summer it will be hot as hell. This is why I work at night. I can take the cold but not the heat.

4. Dust and Mud. You will get very dirty. Mostly dust. If it rains you'll get blasted in slick, sticky mud. Get used to dust and mud!

5. Safety Stuff. This is very dangerous work, whether driving a truck or something else. The number of injuries is huge here. You MUST stay alert. Most people get injured because they are in too big of a hurry. Do NOT rush! If you are the hyper type you are a danger to yourself and others. SLOW DOWN! Trucking, construction, and rig companies all take safety extremely serious. For example, at my company, if we get caught not wearing a hard hat we are taken off the job on the spot and sent home for three days without pay. No excuses. Same for safety glasses, safety boots, and fire retardant clothing. Further, you must wear an HS2 monitor at all times. I do, and mine has gone off. It scares the Sh--T out of you when it does. H2S can kill in a matter of seconds. It does not happen often, and there are many ways to detect it, but no system is fool-proof. Take safety very seriously.

6. Scary Stuff. I work out in the middle of nowhere. In the summer there are rattle snakes all over the place. If you are the kind of person who gets scared of the boogy man, this is not the place for you as far as truck driving at night. If you break down, and there is no cell signal, you're screwed. Somebody will eventually find you, but it could take many hours. However, I work with a 53 year old tiny woman who is an excellent vac truck driver. She handles it all just fine.

7. Shopping Sucks. Like millions of other over the road truck drivers, I've shopped at hundreds of Walmart stores all across America. I've seen good ones, great ones, and some real dumps. But none suck as bad as the Walmart in Big Spring - the only one around for way too many miles. This Walmart could care less about oil field worker supplies. So buy all your cold weather stuff at home and bring it. Also, get a couple of head lights, the L.E.D. kind with elastic bands. Get some velcro too. If you work at night you'll want to put this light on your hard hat. Also get a good quality small but powerful flashlight. And a good clipboard with paper storage. Get a good pocket knife or two, but not real good ones. You can't get any of these things at the local Walmart. I have tried many times! Other stores are not much better. The only good store for miles around is Ward's Western Wear in Big Spring near the Whataburger on Greg street. The best food store is the HEB in Big Spring. For RV and trailer needs it's Casy's Campers in Big Spring.

Finally a word on vac truck driving. Backing these trucks is difficult if you are used to OTR 53' vans. First, the vac truck is 13 feet shorter, and most are day cabs. These trucks turn fast and at first it will drive you nuts because you'll keep over-steering. However, the big challenge is those of us who went OTR are used to tight backs, but the difference you almost always had a reference point of some kind. Like a stripe on the pavement, another trailer next to the spot you are backing into. Backing up on a rig site to a water pit you have no reference, and many of the backs are blind side. There are pipe racks, forklifts running around all over the place, people walking, sky wires and cables, hoses, lines, and all sorts of weird pipes and machines laying around. ALWAYS get out and look, and I mean it! G.O.A.L is not a fancy printing on the truck mirror. It is a must if you have not worked rigs before, and even experienced drivers still do it. Once you get the hang of it, backing a vac truck is really easy. Further, you don't have to take those wide swinging turns to clear a curb with these things. Also these are very tough trucks that take a hell of a pounding every day. Take your pre-trip and post trip very seriously. Don't let anyone rush you to "get going". Pay close attention to brakes and suspension parts. Check your tires often as you are running a lot of dirt roads over only god knows what.

Beginners
Texas is a great place to learn oil field driving. The roads are flat and straight. Most are so wide you can break down anywhere and pull over. And at night the only traffic I see are other vac truck drivers.

Women
Yes, women are hired all the time. Not much need to worry about harassment. It happens, but rarely. Most companies are very strict about it and don't tolerate it. You are working in a man's world and you will be expected to do your own work. No powder-puffing here. On the other hand women who hold up their end of the log without whining are greatly respected. For every jerk who might bother you there are ten men who will step up and kick his ### for you. And ladies, my wife tells me the oil fields are full of single hunks with money . Single guys, the bad news is there are very few women. But relax, you won't have time for them anyway.

Your Records
I know and work with some men who are ex cons. They've done some hard time. And they are very good workers. So if you have a criminal record, you can still get hired. All that matters is that you show up on time, don't do drugs, work your butt off for them, and don't cause any trouble. If you are a good worker and don't cause any trouble they'll treat you well.

What Does Not Work
Forget any drugs of any kind. There is zero tolerance no matter how good you are at what you do. Fights of any kind, guns, knives, theft, drinking on the job, none of that goes over. If you are caught you are gone. And it still happens - a lot. Working these kinds of hours, working this hard, wears one down. Drugs get very tempting at times. Don't give in. If you tell your boss you are tired normally they'll cut you some slack. They understand only tell well what you are going through. My boss told me if I get tired to call him, let him know where I am, and then take a nap. He'll call me at the time we agree on to make sure I am awake and ready to go. He'd rather I take a nap than crash a truck. Just be honest.

Training
Since you are new you will go out with trainers. Listen to them well. The men I work with have bent over backward to teach me, and I have learned a great deal from them. Leave ego and attitude at home. Everyone here is polite and respectful. The New York Nasty attitude just does not work here. If you were in the military and can say "Yes Sir" and "No Sir" without being a smart-###, you'll get along well. Yet unlike the military, they will say "yes sir" and "no sir" right back at you. Treat them with respect and they'll treat you very well with respect right back. I have yet to run into any real jerks. Most of these folks are a whole bunch of fun as well!

Okay, that's all Folks. Those are the highlights. Experiences will vary, and I am sure others with experience will add to this thread. Listen and consider them all as all of us do have different experiences.

It will be a few weeks before I can reply to questions. I'm going to be working even more hours, pushing a 100 a week now.