Texas Vs ND Oilfields

power fuels was bought out, and cut their pay by 25%. Had a friend working for them, and he quit after the buyout, and is not working for Camron, on well heads.

 

"Most N.D. oilfield trucking companies have company housing that can cost zero to 1,000 dollars per month. Park your camper on a lot for 600 per month. If you work water or sand for 14 hours per day for 5 days and take the 6th day to reset and then work 14 hours on the 7th day then your weekly gross will be approx $2,500.00
Thats $10,000 in 28 days. Crude hauling pays even more.
No other oilfield can compete with this.
period
Haven't seen a beach up here yet. "

im not finding that kind of pay to be the case here, more like around 6 thousand a month when you take into account not working during slow times.
Oilfield workers, like gamblers, tend to quote the best theyve ever done as the norm, but let me tell you all, there is a lot of "losing hands" in this north dakota oil field.

 

My husband is working here in South TX and loves it! He was in ND for a while and of the two(although he was in construction there in Williston) he prefers ND for climate and money. Me too I am so NOT looking forward to the heat here even right now it feels too hot and everyone here is freezing, lol. We are just cold climate people. I am from CA but spent many years in Alaska.

But he plans to stay here in TX, to him the potential is just better. The opportunities are there and if he goes to ND, although the wage is higher, he feels will be like starting over as here he has made so many contacts and friends. Ironically I am going to Williston for the summer as my mom has just moved there and is making really really good money for a comapny we worked for in Alaska that just moved to ND. She has met so many people who love it there and are very happy with their wages. I just think the problem is on forums we see one person who says one thing and start to beleive it. I think these forums are awesome to get tips and resources, but one cannot beleive if one bad thing happened to someone or several it will happen to them. This happened to my husband, he was planning to go back to ND when he go this CDL but due to everything "going" on there and hiring freeze he went to TX instead. Had he of just went with instinct and stuck it out he would have done what he wanted originally. But is ok it all works out in end.

 

the beach is exit 1 off I-94

 

A good cautionary post.

Think of the ND oil boom like the gold rush. A few got filthy rich. Most made a living, thinking they were going to get rich. A few lost it all, for various reasons or just bad luck.

Oil hauling and production water have the most stable work. The trick is to get a dispatcher who keeps you on the same route, week after week. If you can do that, the work is cake and the money will be predictable. However, if you go the fresh water or random salt water routes, or worse, if you never know what to expect from dispatch... your work and money will be up-and-down, which sucks.

Go for oil or production water, but only if you can get your dispatcher to commit to keeping you on the same schedule of wells. If you cannot get this from the company, click "next" and call the next company in line. The big boys will not be interested in extending this privilege to drivers. Small companies may, but you will not shake the "drivers are unwashed and classless" stigma that permeates the oil patch, not unlike legalized racism. If you don't know what I mean, wait a while.

Get two years of driving experience in the oil patch, then move to management or safety. Driving up here for years on end will ruin your body, including your mind.

 

Plain and simple! you want to make money. Go to ND. Find a company who has housing. Alot of them do nowadays. You want a quality of life but make Chicken #### money. Move to Tx. Thats basically it! Both places have work and then they dont have work. Its the oil field. You are never guaranteed steady work year round. Anyone who says that theres alot of work all the time is Full of ####. Like the recruiters on this forum peddling for drivers. Theres a few of those here.... Be cautious and do your homework. Good Luck Brothers. Blessings

 

there is relativity steady work in the oil field it just depends which part of the equation you get into if you want to work the frac crew not so much if you want to haul crude or water more so

 

Hello gents, I am an 1 1/2 yr. experienced otr driver from 2008. I relinquished my CDL following a Dui turned into a "wreckless" conviction (NO DUI CONV !).
I am looking to get my CDL back again & go for the Black Gold money in trucking again and am taking notes on these various blogs. Thank you all for taking your valuable time to submit your thoughts, experiences & knowledge!!!
I make a decent living driving taxi cab in Las Vegas (about $3500 monthly)
1) Would it be better to look into the TX jobs for the resasonable taxes, etc... or would Texas drviing be better all around (except drop a little in pay)???
(Also I've heard the Cline Shale is going to be very steady work!)
2) Any suggestions on a cheap or reasonable way to get my CDL back? (especially if going to TX?)
3) Is there decent housing / cheap housing in the Cline Shale areas?

 

If you are making 3500 a week , that would be around 168k a year......... I think I would stick to the taxi cab..... :smt119:smt120

 

OOps, typo my brother, that would be $3,500. MONTHLY, AND THANKS FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE !!!