South Texas Oil Field work

So, if he comes up on the DOT radar, which you have to figure he will, then how does he prove it? He's not using a log book.

 

He can tell them he is working local 12 hr shifts. He would still be required to show a time sheet representing his work hours. You are required to run logs for anything more than 12 hrs or outside of the local radius (100 air mile radius.. or something like that...don't remember the number). He could run a daily time sheet to keep the DOT off his tail...then turn in a different time sheet to get paid for the hours he actually worked. That works until the company gets a dot audit. The thing is... none of it uncommon in the patch and the dot doesn't pray on us nearly as much as otr ...so even if he is illegal, he could get away with it for a long time. There is a chance of him being 100% legal as well... we would have to know a lot of specifics about his job.

Legal or not legal... for me anyway...actually working 100 hrs a week would get really tiresome really fast. That was the point I was making. I know what 100 hr weeks of actual driving is... and it wears you down fast. The guys who are on the clock for 100+ hrs but not actually working all of those hrs...an obviously different story.

 

I was thinking the same thing, but IIRC, the local exemption is only for fifty miles from your base. I could be wrong about that, as I'm new UN the biz, but that's the number that sticks with me.

There's also the issue is safety. If he's really driving that many hours, at some point he would become a hazard, right?

This is the reason why I'm skeptical about the whole thing. If you drive 15 hours a day, day sheet day, eventually fatigue will get you. You are going to cross a solid line, hit a curb, or whatever, and someone with a badge is going to see it. Especially in the Eagle Ford.

 

It depends... I have run some hard miles a few years back. There are people who can do it...but most can't. You'll find that the 14 hr limit is about all you want IMO.

Chances are that he can slide by for quite a while. But an accident of any kind would definitely bring a spotlight to his books.

It was mentioned that he was hauling drilling mud. There is a chance that he can do a lot of that work without getting anywhere near an area where there is any enforcement. He could even be staying completely off the highways for all we know. Some of these ranches are huge.

We don't know enough about his job to be judging his legality. I just don't think many people can hold up to an actually 100 hr work week consistently. You can do it some weeks but not every week. Nobody is a robot.

 

Sounds about right. I've talked to several guys who say they run 20 hours a day. Don't log and I'm not sure if they are required to. That's four hours of sleep. Then do it all over again.

For some of the guys I've talked to, driving isn't a career for them, thus if they get caught running hot so be it. They are simply out here to make as much money as humanly possible.

It's truly a wild west show out here, and at 0300 in the morning I'm always wondering if the approaching driver is even aware of my oncoming presence.

The only dot checkpoint I've personally seen is just outside Karnes city, and no one is ever there. I work nights though. Might be a different story during the day.

For me 70 hours is plenty. I still plan to drive after this chapter is over (whenever that may be) so I am very protective of my record and license. And usually by my fifth day I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

But if you wanna work the 100 hour weeks and risk it all (health, sanity, safety) then it's still very much a reality in South Texas.

unloader

 

I got a call back from a screener with well known company to drive out of Big Lake, and was told it would be 15 to 16 hour days, with time/half after 40. I did my homework and was aware of the long hours beforehand, so no surprises there. Base pay was way lower than I expected since housing is not offered at this time. Was told they would refer my app to the next stage. I hope that does not mean my app made it to the round file! Three days so far and… crickets.

 

OK I'll wait for someone else then..haha

 

Can anyone tell me about job availabitly, im getting my CDL and will be driving team OTR with a friend that has about 2 years in the industry. In a year or two my family wants to move to south texas, san antone to be specific.

If i have a year or more experiance is it hard to find a job driving in the oil fields?

sorry if im glaringly new, but well I am super new lol so just looking for advice and info form people that know-

 

no need to do otr if you want to work in the patch

 

well thats pretty good news, I dont mind going OTR because I wont be moving for about a year, but thank you for the info, good to know!