who's gone to the oil fields?

Actually the food and clothing prices were normal maybe slightly higher than home(talking pennies more here), FR's are overpriced but companies usually pay for them or supply them. I got to keep all my bibs, jackets, shirts, coveralls, etc. Very expensive if you were to buy that stuff yourself.

If you have company housing you can sock money away like no other though.

 

I remember some guys I worked with grumbling at the Wal-Mart in Williston because MT guys don't have to pay taxes LOL

 

yeah that part was nice ..i had things alot better than most as i was based at sidney and glendive when i was there .

 

Supply and demand seems to have taken it's toll.

 

I don't know why anyone would go to ND. I worked three years in OK fracing until just very recently. I left for family reasons, but it was just a matter of time before I got laid off. I made $85k last year and worked for every penny. You can make good money in the oil field, but it comes with a price.

Right now is not the time to be heading to the patch for work. Things are going to get worse before the year is over. In my opinion it will be at least next spring before it starts picking up again.

 

frachand and anthony are rite and il sum it up this way ...yeah theres still work there that pays well yet and i can only speak of nd and mt but its a very solitary lonely lifestyle on a stark landscape that offers very little in the way of a social life .
i grew up in fargo nd and am dang familier with wind , bitter cold and flat prairie but i had family there and fargo is a world away from the oilpatch .
im still gettin calls wanting me to go back but when i think of lonely nites ina camper on a frozen prairie wondering if the pipes are gona freeze missin my home and wife i pass it up but only because im in my 50s .
if i was 25 and single id be back there in a heartbeat ! and the patch has tought alota young mommas boys about hard work and frozen hardship .

 

For what it's worth, I live in Dickinson ND just south of the Bakken, (former Sheriff's deputy). Drivers are getting laid off due to the drop in oil. If you do decide to come here and haul crude or water, find somewhere to live first. Rent is very expensive here and it is rare to find places. Be prepared to chain up alot. Most of your driving time will be spent on scoria and dirt/muddy roads. If you are from the south and don't have a lot of driving experience on snow and ice or you are not accustomed to -40 degrees weather, you might want to think it through. It is easy to get hired here (basically a CDL and a heart beat) will get you in the seat. There are alot of accidents here and in Williston and the highways that join them via I-85. I've talked to a lot of drivers when I was weighing them. Many only stay here for 6 months and bug out. You will make alot of money and work alot of hours. Don't want to discourage anyone either, your choice.

 

Made 85,000 gross my best of 4 years in Kansas/Oklahoma working 3 weeks on 1 week off. It takes a lot of sacrifice and being able to deal with slip seating with people who think the inside of the truck is a trash can. The boom is over for now only highly experienced locals are working 40 to 50 hours a week.