So you want to haul crude oil in the badlands of ND?

dangers, yeah the oilpatch isn't nice clean officework, but its not really a whole lot different than any other work that happens in a remote area outdoors. I've worked different jobs in the patch, done all sorts of things, that are now forebidden by law. which isn't all bad by any means, but nowadays your are supposed to remind everyone daily about any and every thing that might possibly cause a hangnail, or a run in their nylons. BTW yes there are lots of women working in the patch these days, and there are few jobs that they can't/don't do just as well as any guy. Not every guy is particularily competant at his job and neither is every women. as long as your competant at what you do I couldn't care less what your gender is. everyday you have to say watch out for slips and trips. gosh almighty do people no longer think about this stuff automatically. oh look its icy or muddy do i really need some stupidvisor to tell me that it "might" be slippery. I can't think of a single road I have driven in the patch in 25 years that I would be concerned to take my family down. or any site that I would be scared to have my wife work on if she had the oilfield training. yeah we go exploring some of those roads back in the boonies in the pickup, and or the quads quite a few times a year recreationally. biggest real danger is itch from mosquito bites. H2s yeah its there, and easily enough managed, and monitored for. holdups, wow first one I've ever heard of, but plenty of car jackings, and rapes while walking around town Oh yeah heard of plenty of truckers on the highway having loads stolen, trucks stolen, killed to see if they have anything valuable. Driving/working in the patch doesn't really make you any more or less susceptable to the bad things that can happen to you anywhere anytime. been on the big fracs, 8000+ psi, and thousands of GPM yup pipe will wash out, and make a mess. Its managable, by simply keeping people out of the "zone" while pumping. screw the machinery if anything happensjust walk away like they told you to do if things got sideways.

 

To nd newbie... To turn down a job here for 70 g is crazy... There not hiring the truckers like they used to... And the companies that are... Want better drivers... And that o/o thing... They will be a thing of the past... The big oils out here are fighting the high wages the o/o charge... Even the big haul companies are lowering there rates... And can he guarantee u steady work... Not just tell u it's there... I've see o/o trucks sitting for weeks in the same spot at Lenny's without work....they want companies with safe driving records now... Be careful with that 0/0 position... The only 0/0 I know making good money are the ones leased to power fuels... There trucks are guaranteed to be rolling 24/7/365.

 

Thanks to the people that have hit up my survey already. so far quite interesting. Pay ranges from $90K to over $150K with people comming in to ND from as far away as AK and GA. Everyone that answered so far was working in ND. I'd love to get some more repsonses from others. If you know a fellow trucker out there - email them this survey URL, this will be much better if we get more reponses! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GDB3JW7

 

Hi all,

I just went through and read this entire thread, so thanks for the great info and experience. I've been driving a box truck around the Portland, Or area for about six years. That's the limit of my driving experience. But, I'm ready to blow this town and go up to ND for the boom and make some real money.

I've been reading up on it a lot. It sounds like oil field jobs, at least the entry level ones, are relatively easy to find if you're willing to work hard in extreme cold, and you keep at it.

But, trucking seems like it has a better future, more earning potential, maybe work into an O/O at some point. I like the driving I do now. I like working independently, and I get stuff done without needing boss to hound my ###. I know driving an oil or water truck is going to be a different thing entirely, but I'm up for the challenge.

I guess my question is, how should I pursue this move? I'm ready to go now, but it sounds like things have slowed a bit. Is it better to wait for spring when the weather warms up a bit? Is there any chance of getting CDL and Hazmat training on the job?

I'm willing to pay for a do the training on my own, but like I said, I'm ready to go now, so if I can get an entry level job that would offer some training and maybe housing, that would be ideal.

I sounds like there's no substitute for being there in person, so maybe that's the answer. Anyway, any advice would be appreciated, and thanks to everybody who contributed to this thread. It's a wealth of information.

 

Is anyone working for powerfuels? can you guys tell me if they use hair or urine in their drug tests? thanks!!

 

if you have to ask trucking isn't for you. never mind under challenging conditions.

 

I wouldn't touch PF with a twenty-foot cattle-prod. But if you're already on the hook, they use the urine test.

 

glenn glisson with CDL A-x endorsement, 3 yrs flat bed team driver, catfishmeow@netzero.com

 

Do you have a CDL now? If not, you are not going to get a traditional oil field driving job. You will have to get on with someone like Halliburton that has a CDL training program in house.

 

haliburting?? dude i think is harder to get into halliburton than it is to get into the traditional trucking companies, maybe im wrong but some of the drivers in my company are tryin to get into halliburton they start at 28 an hour and full benefits and other stuff. if you dont have experience dont come up yet the ice is really bad, i fish tail the other day goin only 25mph, and for the past 10 days i seen at least 4 cars/pickups on the side of the snow because of icey roads, and the snow is about 2-3 feet deep. Is only 2 lanes mostly up here....better off coming up when the snow die down.