[COLT]

Originally Posted by Silverdragon

I am fresh out of school. I have a great work record but no experience driving trucks other than school.

Through school I contacted several companies with tankers and was offered two different positions, one hauling gas to gas stations, the other hauling crude from the field to the refinery.

Yikes! :shock:


Nothing like giving a Green driver a load of hazardous flammable fluid to haul. That's scary !

[Silverdragon]

Its only scary if you are in front of me, next to me or within the blast zone I guess. Is the truck cab in the blast zone? :shock: Maybe I should be scared too.

The school I went to was Sage Tech. Training in Cheyenne. I would have no qualms about giving them a recommendation. They work very hard to get students set up with pre-employment before graduation.

The company I am going to work for is a small owner operator. I will have numerous, numerous weeks of training before I will be let go to scare the area inhabitants and people passing through.

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by Flashmann

You guess wrong,in many cases....The turn over is so high and so rapid,the demand for drivers so great,many of these companies will hire you with the ink on your CDL still wet.....As long as you can pass the drug screen.....

They,supposedly,have some DOT special exemption to the HOS rules.....Probably because many of the miles driven,hours worked are technically "off road"....

The opportunity to bank some serious cash exists.....BUT...You're gonna eat,sleep and breathe oil/gas field and liitle to nothing else,for the duration.......Good luck...

You can find the "Oilfield Exemption" in section 395.1 (d) Oilfield operations. (1) In the instance of drivers of commercial motor vehicles used exclusively in the transportation of oilfield equipment, including the stringing and picking up of pipe used in pipelines, and servicing of the field operations of the natural gas and oil industry, any period of 8 consecutive days may end with the beginning of any off duty period of 24 or more successive hours.

(d)(2) In the case of specially trained drivers of commercial motor vehicles which are specially constructed to service oil wells, on duty time shall not include waiting time at a natural gas or oil well site; provided, that all such time shall be fully and accurately accounted for in records to be maintained by the motor carrier. Such records shall be made available upon request of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regul...ction_toc=1938

I don't know how it is NOW, working in the "Patch" but back when I did it...1978-1987..You definately put the hours in, and only made so-so $$$. Yes...When I was 21 and had a take home check of $2300 for 2 weeks work..it sure made working on the ranch seem dumb..but I didn't really work all that hard on the ranch..comparatively. In Wyoming...in January..when your nose is running, and it is freezing before it gets to your lips...your eyebrows are iced-over, and your toes are numb..you really do ask yourself why your doing it. I worked for the company that is now the Well Services portion of Schlumberger...just so you know. In 1979, if you could turn a door-nob and push the door open, you were usually hired on the spot, to work for any of the Services companies. And yes..some of the Lozers they hired were "dopers" of the first order. More than once I wanted to through a "doper" into a med pit. When I left "Schlumberger" in 1987, I was a Service Supervisor III in the LA basin. I worked in such places as Ryckman Creek, Painter Resivoir, Red Desert, Wamsutter, Powder Wash(WY), Douglas Pass, Grand Mesa, Ignasieo/Durango/Cortez, Walsumberg, Denver(CO), the Uintah Basin(UT), the San Juan Basin, the Permian Basin(NM), the Anadarko Basin(OK), the Williston Basin(ND), Corey PA, Nitro WV, Bakersfield & Los Angeles Basin (CA) and Abilene TX.

My best friend still works for Schlumberger, but his job title is far and away different from what it was in 1978---1987---and even 1997. He has progressed through the ranks to being Maintenance & Installations Supervisor, Schlumberger Well Services Offshore.
He deals mostly with International Installations now. He traveled last year to Columbia, Trinidad-Tobago, Egypt, Norway, Singapore, and Brazil. His annual salary is > $185,000 a year. His monthly budget is > $1.5 Million and his annual bonus for meeting operation and expense goals is >$250,000. LOL...best thing about it all...he does not have any College Education. He graduated from the "Oil-Patch School of Hardknocks".
Perhaps his biggest asset is his mind...he can visualise a "Platform" set-up, faster than a "College-man" can power up a laptop.

[SilverWulf]

Re: getting hired fast even if you are just out of school or have little experience.

Don't even try to get on with any of the big companies such as Halliburton or Schlumburger IMO.

If you really want a job, just drive through any of the small towns that surround the area where you want to work and pay attention to the names on the sides of the trucks. Ask around and you'll find out where their office is, then go for a visit. If you are insurable and can pass the drug test you'll have a job very quickly. Btw, don't show up in slacks and a nice shirt! Wear your work boots, jeans, and a good work coat... have a good pair of gloves handy also, you might just get put to work that day. The towns around where I worked: Big Piney, Marbleton, Farson, LaBarge, Sand Draw (the junction of Hwy 191 and WY 351)

Hang out at the fuel stops for a bit and chat with a few of the drivers about who they are working for, of course take all individual opinions with a grain of salt and add them all up to get a general view.

I won't post the company I worked for, I wouldn't wish that experience on my worst enemy. I think the jackass is out of business by now anyway (thank God!)

If there are any with their own trucks who want to work in the patch, there are many opportunities for that. You could pull someones tank hauling water or various drilling fluids for around 80 an hour, 100 an hour with your own tank. Get hooked up with one of the companies that builds the roads and rig locations and pull a belly dump, if it's your own trailer you can get 100 an hour for that. Most of the guys I knew had both a tank and a belly dump. These rates are for Sublette County, WY, I don't know what other areas are paying but I'd be surprised if it wasn't the same or very close.

[Mackmechanic]

There is tons of oil field work here in oklahoma and arkansas

Pay anywhere from 12-25 dollars an hour driving anything from water wagons to winch trucks

[Crunchyknees]

Originally Posted by Mackmechanic

There is tons of oil field work here in oklahoma and arkansas

Pay anywhere from 12-25 dollars an hour driving anything from water wagons to winch trucks

Mack

Can you be a lil more specific as to what cities and towns these jobs are locacted?

thanks

[Mackmechanic]

Originally Posted by Crunchyknees

Mack

Can you be a lil more specific as to what cities and towns these jobs are locacted?

thanks

The big ones I know of are McAlester Oklahoma, Wilburton Oklahoma, Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Searcy Arkansas

Thats where most of the companies are running out of

[Ironturkey]

I worked down in Rifle, Co. and the goin rate for water truck, and belly dump was $20 - $23 an hr, and Winch truck $28 - $30 an hr.

But be forewarned this aint like the flat states you fall off the road there and it could be a 1000ft drop. You go up slow and come down slow. If youre doin 20mph you are speeding in some places 5 to 10mph is speeding.

Most of the roads are well maintained, but that dont mean that you wont be hangin any iron and its not uncommon to hang it in the summer.

Since I have been back on the road Ive had two offers to come back down there and work one from a friend to run winch truck leased to Hyland and one from Hyland as an operator.

[Crunchyknees]

Originally Posted by Ironturkey

I worked down in Rifle, Co. and the goin rate for water truck, and belly dump was $20 - $23 an hr, and Winch truck $28 - $30 an hr.

But be forewarned this aint like the flat states you fall off the road there and it could be a 1000ft drop. You go up slow and come down slow. If youre doin 20mph you are speeding in some places 5 to 10mph is speeding.

Most of the roads are well maintained, but that dont mean that you wont be hangin any iron and its not uncommon to hang it in the summer.

Since I have been back on the road Ive had two offers to come back down there and work one from a friend to run winch truck leased to Hyland and one from Hyland as an operator.

HI

What is a Belly Dump truck? Is that a type of truck that all u need is a Class b license?

[Orangetxguy]

[quote="Crunchyknees"]

Originally Posted by Ironturkey

I worked down in Rifle, Co. and the goin rate for water truck, and belly dump was $20 - $23 an hr, and Winch truck $28 - $30 an hr.

But be forewarned this aint like the flat states you fall off the road there and it could be a 1000ft drop. You go up slow and come down slow. If youre doin 20mph you are speeding in some places 5 to 10mph is speeding.

Most of the roads are well maintained, but that dont mean that you wont be hangin any iron and its not uncommon to hang it in the summer.

Since I have been back on the road Ive had two offers to come back down there and work one from a friend to run winch truck leased to Hyland and one from Hyland as an operator.

HI

What is a Belly Dump truck? Is that a type of truck that all u need is a Class b license?[/quote]

Danger Will Robinson...DANGER !!!

If you do not know what a "Belly" dump truck is...why in the world are you inquiring about working in the "Patch"???