Oil & gas fields
 

Which are the main centres for oil & gas jobs in the US ? What companies are major oilfield haulers ? Does anyone on this board have any experience in oilfield hauling in the US ? Thanks.

I can't speak for the entire US, but only for the area where I live.

Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Montana all have oilfields that are booming right now. I spent 2 years in North West Wyoming working in and around the oilfield, pulling a 180 barrel tanker. The work wasn't too bad, but the hours were long and sometimes seemed to never end. In the area I worked the companies had apparently never heard of the hours of service regulations, or just didn't care. A slow week was 90 hours, the most I ever did was 150, average would be around 110. The paychecks were sure nice though! I was getting paid $21 an hour, with time and a half after 40. But, working so much with no days off... didn't have much of a chance to enjoy it.

There weren't any 'big' companies that hauled in the oilfield where I was. In the immediate area there were probably 250 trucks, spread out over 20 different companies. None of the companies ever advertised that I saw, but hired pretty much any driver that was looking for a job immediately. Quite a few couldn't handle the hours, the physical part of the job, or the varied working conditions and didn't last long.

Silver

Just how much experience did these companies require? I guess they wouldnt hire someone right out of school.

thanks

Silver

Just how much experience did these companies require? I guess they wouldnt hire someone right out of school.

thanks

Several, if not all, of the companies would and did hire drivers right out of school.

Some things to keep in mind.

There is quite a bit of labor involved in pulling a tanker in the oilfield, it's not all driving. You'll be pulling 20 foot sections of 4" hose on and off the trailer several times a day, it wasn't uncommon to string out 150 feet of hose to load out of a mud tank, drive a couple miles and string 150 feet again to unload.

It's a very dirty job! The dude from the Discovery Channel (or is it TLC?) needs to do an episode... lol

The weather in NW Wyoming is brutal. That area has the nickname 'the icebox of the nation' for a reason. -40 daytime highs are common, not counting the windchill. -80 at night is not unheard of. Just imagine hauling water in these conditions. There are insulated tanks strategically placed around the oilfield that have heaters and heat the water to 160 deg. F. If you have to drive more than 5 miles to unload, the valves on your tanker will be frozen solid. Then you pull out the propane weed burner, thaw them out to unload, and go do another round.

It certainly isn't all bad though. It's a good job if you can handle the hours and the working conditions. As I said earlier, the pay is very good.

If it weren't for my wife needing to be near a good hospital for some pretty serious medical conditions I would still be there.

In and around Parachute/Rifle Colorado,these companies are constanly looking for drivers.....Williams Bros.,Halliburton,Schlumberger.....

This western Colorado newspaper usually has lots of oil/gas field driver ads.....Under classified-employment...

http://www.gjsentinel.com/

Thanks for all your responses. Merry Christmas, and drive safe out there.

Im goonna beat u there Graymist!!!

This is kind of what you will find for immediate employment. I think the pay is about 11-13 an hour.
Make sure you read up on what a frac driver is before you venture to far.



Oil field truck driving positions available for a fast-paced, growing industry in Parachute, Colorado. Looking for a person who can drive a straight truck and/or a tractor trailer. Great benefits and pay.

Skills / Requirements Clean Motor Vehicle Record
Pass Pre-employment physical / drug screen
Additional Note: Blac-Frac Tanks, Inc. strictly enforces No Tolerance for drug and alcohol. Employee must pass all drug/alcohol screens
Reliable attendance
Valid Class A CDL(preferred)
Ability to work as a team player
Positive attitude and strong work ethic (including being a self starter and task orientated)
Ability to work in inclement weather conditions and long hours
Knowledge of general oilfield terminology (preferred)
Knowledge of Hand Signals
General knowledge of DOT rules/regulations
DOT Medical Card Required

That's not all.....As an added bonus you get to do it 18-20 hours per day,7 days a week...

I don't work in the fields...never have,never will,but I live up here.....Those guys are maniacs....They don't know when to quit...

I worked In kimball Nebraska at a Hazwaste incinerator ,And pretty much all of the guys working there were from the oild field , and many of them were accustomed to working 18-20 hour days many of these guys had Meth addictions as well ...GO FIGURE ... :wink:

As far as the nature of of work goes, it's pretty much the same up here in the oilpatch in Alberta. The biggest difference is pay....truck driving in the patch can get you anything from 25-45 bucks an hour ( plus overtime ), depending on the outfit and the kind of truck you drive. For eg., if you drive a picker truck, 30 bucks is usually the entry-level pay. For the same job, if you possess a journeyman's ticket, 40-45 bucks is very easy to get. Bed trucks and winch trucks' pay very well too.

For vac trucks, it's usually between 20-32 bucks an hour, with outfits like Eveready and Big Eagle. Water trucks pay about 18-25 bucks an hour.

The wage differential between the US and Canada for the same kind of work in the oilpatch is really astounding !!

The industry,itself,in conjunction with Garfield/Mesa Counties as well as CDOT are mass randoming the well sites because of the meth heads...As I understand it,they roll up,block the gates,nobody in or out and test everyone.....


**Edit**

I hit the wrong quote tab....This was a response to the post ABOVE this one......Dang it... :shock:

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.

I am just now going to start and have not actually gone out yet, but I decided on the crude to refinery job working for an independent trucking company.

I cannot speak directly to pay and hours yet I will see how it works out, .31 to .35 cents per mile.

The school should be able to assist in finding companies that would have the type of work you are looking for.

The only advice I can give is proffesional demeanor, good interview, and clean work record. These are as stated by others on this board some of the most important qualities. Also show a desire to be a part of the company.

Good luck in your search.

Just out of curiosity what was the name of the company you work for? and what would be a good school in the area that these companies hire from? i would love to work in montana/wyoming area.

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...

Haliburton.....Schlumberger.....Williams Brothers....

Haliburton.....Schlumberger.....Williams Brothers....[/quote]

HI Again

Are they so drastic for help I could actually go out to the field and get hired on?? Or is it that old fashion put a suit on and wait in line with everyone else type of interview?

thanks

HI Again

Are they so drastic for help I could actually go out to the field and get hired on?? Or is it that old fashion put a suit on and wait in line with everyone else type of interview?

thanks[/quote]

Those oilfield service companies are huge corporations. They have a lengthy hiring process.
Figure out where you want to work, then find the local offices for the service companies and call them. It is probably easier than you envision.

Yikes! :shock:


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

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. :D

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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="Crunchyknees"]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"???

[quote="Orangetxguy"]Why not? If u already have a class A license just it shouldnt take very long at all to learn how to drive a belly dump.

If you want long hours with heat and humidity instead of eighty below zero you may want to check out Texas. Also natural gas co's like CUDD, or others in the Houston area. Some jobs hauling liquid nitrogen exist, and it is not classed Haz any longer. Halliburton and Chev-Tex are also there.

What is google? What is a internet search engine?

http://www.trucker.com/Trailers.aspx...y=Belly%20Dump

http://www.gsnet.com/inventory/Trail...mp/default.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dump_truck

http://www.doli.state.mn.us/pdf/bellydump_alert.pdf

http://www.yellowiron.net/inventory/...et/?ID=1903133


If that's not enough pictures of belly dumps, or some reading information, you may have to use the internet to find out more. :wink:


BTW... It took less than 2 minutes to post this.

Big money. But, a lot of work.

HI All

Ive been doin alot of research. The only job I could come up with was a class b tanker job that paid a lil less than thirteen bucks an hour in Houston. I would love to get on with a big company light schlumberger or halliburton. But my mom used to say if wishes were coaches, then beggars would ride!!

Crunch :cry:

Did you check to see what that same "class B" tanker job in say ..Seattle WA, Baltimore MD, Denver CO, Los Angeles CA paid?

If you want to work for Schlumberger, Halliburton or even BJ Services, you know what their requirements are. It is up to YOU to decide if you want to do what it takes, to meet those requirements.

HI All

Ive been contacting a few of these companies. I thought the primary duty would be filling up the tank and driving from point a to point b. Lots of these driving positions require some back breakin physical labor. The only companies that would talk to me are very small companies. Im kinda hopin the bigger company posiitions would be more specialized.

Well I've had it with the road, and am goin back to the "Patch" got on with Ensign drilling training to run winch truck. 10 days on and 5 off.

$20hr to start as a swamper
$23hr when I git into a truck
After 2000 hrs another $2 an hr raise
Room and board takin care of (man camp)

Turkey

What does the swamper actually do. Isnt that more like a 2nd seat (assistant) position that does the fueling for heavy machines?

Is there any back breaking lifting as a winch truck operator??

Where is the "Patch" ??

As a person that has worked in the oil business before; do you agree that a class A license holder with no experience can get a class A driving job out in the fields with no problems??

thanks

All the outfits I've been around require at least two years exp. some will start you as a swamper at a lower rate and train and you can git your cdl through them, but most want some exp.

A swamper is basically an assistant you hook up cables grease trucks and other odd jobs, but dont quote me on that havent started yet.

The "Patch" is anywhere they drillin be it oil er gas, this patch is NW of Farson, WY.