[Justruckin]

A primer on FRCs, other wise known as Flame Resistant Clothing.

if you come up here to ND to drive a truck, odds are you will be required to wear FR Cothing. There are two kinds primarily up here, and I am not going to get into the different ratings as odds are you will purchase your clothing up here anyways, or it will be supplied by your employer.

We have two kinds of FR clothing up here, treated cotton and Nomex. The treated cotton is just that, treated like you would scotch guard a couch in your home. Treated cotton is the least expensive FR clothing we have up here, normally a pair of winter bibs and parka can be had for around $400. The issue with the treated cotton, along with the lower price, is that the manufacturers state that these are only good for ten to possibly twenty washings. Normally I am told ten trips through the washer and dryer and they will have lost all of their flame resistent qualities.

Now the Nomex is FR fabric that is supposed to last for quite awhile... Unless you subject it to fabric softener or direct UV light for an extended period of time. Working outdoors is fine, but leaving it in the car in direct sunlight is not good, as it will deteriorate the fabric in short order so I am told. The same applies to the treated cotton. Now, the Nomex, the same fabric the NASCAR guys wear, ain't cheap. A set of Nomex bibs and parka will set you back roughly $600 to $800. But, with proper care they should well outlast the treated cotton.

Now, why buy the treated cotton over the Nomex? If you are coming up here to haul water, the cotton will be fine. Most of the sites you will haul into will not be active, and rarely is the site FR rule enforced on us water haulers. Out of all the jobs I was on, I was only asked once about wearing FRs. Fact is, I didn't own any and no one ever said another word. Jeans and t-shirts were the order of the day for us water haulers. But, that will depend on your company, don't take my experience as gospel.

Now, if you are in the HM arena, get the Nomex if at all possible. Because odds are you will be getting dirty, and you will be doing quite a bit of laundry. Remember, treated cotton is only good for roughly ten washings and then it is essentially useless if, and God forbid, you need it to work.

The three main brands up here are Bulwark, Carhartt and Tough Duck. Bulwark is the most popular brand up here, as well as the least expensive. They are carried at most all of our larger Cenex gas stations and "The Home of Economy", as they are one of the largest retailers of FR gear in the state. They have several stores in ND, Williston and Minot are probably there busiest stores. You can get all sorts of clothing from oil field gear to farming, along with all kinds of shoes and boots. Should be your first stop for gear up here.

Like I said, Bulwark is the most common FR gear in the patch. Then we have Carhartt, probably the most expensive out of the lot. But, the quality of there FR gear is much better than Bulwark, except you will not find as large of a selection as Bulwark offers up here. Then we have Tough Duck, our Made in Canada gear, they have three items up here, winter bibs, a parka and coveralls. They have all three items in treated cotton and Nomex. The treated stuff is a decent price, but their Nomex will set you back around $800 for the bibs and parka. I went with the Tough Duck Nomex bibs and parka. It is made in Canada with US sourced fabric, not Chinese like the Carhartts and Bulwark gear. Also, the Tough Duck brand has high vis tape both front and back on the bibs and parka, something that I wanted, real easy to be road kill up here if you are not visible.

If you want to learn more about FR clothing, Flame-Resistant Protective Clothing | Bulwark FR - World's Largest Manufacturer of FR Apparel is a great place to learn more.

Now, what are the odds of being in a fire up here? Probably slim to none from my experience. Most of the fatalities up here are traffic related. And then heart attacks, crushing injuries and at the bottom of the list would be explosions and then fire. The accidents that I know about out here are far and few between that involve fire. I know of one such incident and that happened to a driver here at the gas plant I am currently loading at. It was a freak deal and nearly killed the truck driver. He was wearing his FRs, but the heat from the explosion was so intense, it went right through his FRs and melted the polyester blend clothing he was wearing under the FRs to his skin. So, 100% cotton or wool is your safest bet for layering under your FRs.

The most dangerous thing you guys will face up here besides the above, and where most new guys get hurt or have those near misses is dealing with "pressure", both low and high pressures, as most of us as drivers will be hauling some sort of liquid. And they only way to get it on or off a tanker is via some sort of pressure. FRs ain't going to save you there, so keep that in mind.


Hey, my propane bottle is full, gotta go....

And please excuse any errors in spelling and what not, this was typed on my iPhone...

Oh, the best and most reliable cell service up here is no longer Verizon. Long story, but AT&T now owns the backbone Verizon used to control. So if you need reliable cell service with fewer dropped calls, AT&T is it up here now.


Mike

[Justruckin]

Here are some items you will need and some things you should have if you have the stones to join us...

A vehicle, do not fly up here and expect to get around on someone else's dime. It is a 40 minute trip to the closest supermarket for me. And you will need to get to and from work or job site.

If coming in the winter, set your anti-freeze to at least -60f, and invest in a block heater. My Dodge dealer set me to -80 and installed a Mopar block heater in my gasser Ram pick up for $163 out the door. Do it! It is currently 14 below with the wind chill. I put a jug of water in my truck 14 hours ago, it is thawing in my fridge right now.

Two fifty foot 14ga extension cords for the block heater. If you can, get the ones that have the lighted plugs so that you know you have electricity getting to the heater.

Cell phone, AT&T has the best service here now. Verizon is now hit and miss. These are the only two carriers up here, no Sprint or Cingular. The iPhone is the most popular phone up here, and depending on your work can really save your butt with some of its available apps. Paperwork tends to go poof, Scanner Pro has saved my payday more than a few times. If you have an iPhone, or plan on getting one, this is the most popular case up here, makes the Otterbox look like junk...http://www.amazon.com/Ballistic-HC-C...720893&sr=1-23

Your CDL with tanker, doubles and triples, or no one will look at you, you need those endorsements to work up here. And if possible, if you do not have it, get your HazMat endorsement. That HM endorsement will bag you up to $20 more an hour up in this neck of the woods, I'm at $35+ an hour hauling propane. I drive around 150 miles a 14 hour shift and never break a sweat or even get dirty. It is $20 an hour to haul water on average, HM with the right outfit can bag you up to $1000 a day as a driver if you want to do the dirty work and get hooked up with the right outfit. See above in another one of my posts for one of those outfits.

Enhanced drivers license and or a passport. Good money to drive across the border to Canada.

Social Security Card

DD214 if you are prior military, I have been asked for it. If you do not have a copy you can get yours on the Internet for $10, google is your friend.

A blank voided check for direct deposit of your wages. Do NOT forget the blank check!

Prescription meds, bring at least a two months supply. We have drug stores, but they are mainly in Dickinson, Minot and Williston. CVS is in Minot, not seen any out this way. I think Williston and Dickinson have a Walgreens, but don't quote me on that. WalMarts are in Williston, Dickinson, Minot, Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks. There is a Sam's Club in Bismarck.

A clip board for your work paperwork and forms. I use a thin metal two compartment one I found on Amazon. It is not the best, but it works, just buy a box of band aids like my review states. Amazon.com: OfficemateOIC Top Loading Aluminum Forms Holder, 8.5 x 12 Inch (83206): Office Products

A hard hat, and nothing goofy like the cowboy hat one.

A Stream Light Haz Lo LED headlamp for that hard hat. It is the best one I have found for use up here and you will need one, unless you are Superman. It uses 3 AA batteries. Amazon.com: Streamlight 61200 3AA HAZ-LOTM Flashlight, Yellow: Home Improvement

Steel toed boots, or composite toed for the winter. I have a pair of pull on Timberland Rigmaster boots with the steel toe. They are good to around 10 degrees, after that the toes get damn cold. And as a side note, no one runs around out here inspecting your boots, just saying. Hint hint.... These are the boots I have, allot of guys on the rigs wear these and are my daily runners for the past 6 months, they are still like new... And they are waterproof. Amazon.com: Timberland Pro Men's Rigmaster Wellington Waterproof Steel Toe Work Boots: Shoes

For our extreme cold weather, look at the Baffin Derrick winter boots ($169 at Home of Economy in Williston) if you will be outside for more than say 15 minutes in the winter, YOU WILL NEED THESE or something equivalent. They are a composite toe and good to -148 f. They are pull on boots with built in gaiters, they are Mickey Mouse huge, just bring some tennis shoes so that you can work the pedals safely in the truck. http://www.amazon.com/Baffin-Mens-De...6719932&sr=8-1

If you are hauling water, you should look at a pair of "Muck" brand boots, they are waterproof and come in two versions, Arctic and Chore, both can be had with steel toes and are extremely warm and wear like your favorite pair of slippers. They are the boot of choice with water haulers up here. I wore tennis shoes to drive the truck, when I got on site, or at the water depot, i slipped on the muck boots, because they are to hot to wear continually if the weather is nice. And, you need to roll the tops down, or they will cut into or rub your legs raw. And yes, we tuck our pant legs into the boots up here, for good reason. They can be had for $109 at Home of Economy in Williston or Mintot. Amazon.com: The Original MuckBoots Adult Chore Hi Boot Steel Toe: Shoes

Gloves that are warm and allow you some dexterity. A good insulted leather type glove is best, and most stores up here sell glove liners which are very nice. A pair of mittens just in case too.

Wool socks, they will wick away the sweat and moisture. Cold feet up here can literally kill you.

Wool or 100% heavy cotton underwear, at least two sets or a combo of both. You will more than likely wear both sets together up here, as layering is the best way to go. Carhartt makes a great set of heavyweight long underwear if you cannot foot the bill on the wool stuff. Carhartt Cotton Top Amazon.com: Carhartt Men's Heavyweight Cotton Thermal Crew Neck T-Shirt: Clothing Carhartt Bottoms Amazon.com: Carhartt Men's Heavyweight Cotton Thermal Bottom: Clothing Wool top Amazon.com: Minus33 100% Merino Wool Base Layer 708 Expedition Weight Full Zip Top: Clothing Wool Bottoms Amazon.com: Minus33 100% Merino Wool Base Layer 709 Expedition Weight Bottoms: Clothing
Forget the Under Armour stuff, it is nice and makes a statement, but it ain't going to keep you warm like the above clothing in our WINTER climate. And I own more than a few pieces of Under Armour, just talking from experience.

Winter bibs and a parka, or insulated coveralls. If you can't afford FRs right now, don't worry, just bring something that you can layer up under that you think can handle -30f, that is if you come up between Jan and the end of March. If you can't get anything at home, you can get your gear up here. Just make sure it is natural fiber, like 100% Cotton. stay away from the nylon or polyester stuff. Go Cotton, and no one will bother you for not having FRs, unless you are into something weird like I am in, then hopefully your company will supply the gear or reimburse you 90 days down the line, which is SOP with many outfits up here, as most guys don't last more than a week or two around here.

A balaclava, FR if possible, Carhartt makes a nice one. And a neck gaiter, they are worth their weight in gold. Trust me, if your head and neck are cold, your entire core will feel it. When the wind kicks up here, it will bite right through you. DO NOT take this lightly, it is cold enough to kill you, so spare no expense for the proper gear, FR or not. Be prepared. You can buy FR gear later on if need be, no one is going to throw you off a site for not having it if you are a new guy. They will just give you a verbal warning and that will be it in many if not all cases.

Ski goggles for when the wind blows, so your eyeballs don't freeze and crack in your head. I bought a pair of Uvex, highly recommended up here... Uvex S390 Climazone Safety Goggles, you can get them on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details

A hoody, preferably an FR one. Buy one size larger as they shrink. And they are surprisingly warmer than the all cotton poly blend ones.This will be your last layer of defense against the cold before your parka goes on. You will need at least one of these, trust me on that. As it covers your head and the draw strings can be cinched up to keep the cold off of the back of your neck. Get a neck gaiter, and a balaklava, combine all three of these items and you WILL be nice and toasty.

Toiletries, bring two of everything, unless you know you will be near a town with a WalMart. That would be Minot, Dickinson and Williston.

Towels

Bedding, sheets, pillows, blanket... I use a Coleman sleeping bag as a comforter, $36 at WalMart, works great, especially when the power goes out. Ask your employer about mattress size, or if they even have a furnished room for you.

Air mattress, twin size is the best size to bring, as you may be sharing a room. Even if you do not need one, bring one as you never know, trust me on that.

Tools, bring what you would need to do simple work on the truck. And a screw gun, God I miss my screw gun and that box of bits and drills.

A pair of coveralls, because more than likely you will be greasing your truck on a regular basis, because if you don't, ain't no one else gonna. Shops are far and few between out here. Most all truck repairs and service is done on the side of the road up here. And that is no lie.

Internet connections... Some places have it, most don't. I have the AT&T Sierra card, it is 4G and is honestly very fast. The only problem is that you are limited to 5GB a month, then it is $10 a GB if you go over. Wait until you get up here to get one, because you may luck out and have a home with internet. And bring a laptop, you will need this more than you think. if the spam hits the fan at your employer up here, the internet is the best way to find a new place of employment, Craig's List and the Williston Shopper are where the jobs are found, the really good jobs will be by word of mouth.

Getting mail or packages... If you are in a house, you are golden. If you are in a trailer like me, you are more than likely out of luck. The Post Office in my town has an 8 month wait for a PO box, other Post Offices are up to a year or more. You will have to get creative if you wind up in my boat, hopefully your new employer has a manned address or office, I have had two packages stolen in the past two weeks.

I hope this list helps, there is probably more that I could add, but this is the most important stuff that comes to mind at the moment. Don't worry about getting FR gear, just make sure it is 100% cotton outerwear, like Carhartt bibs and parkas. Stay away from anything with nylon or polyester in it and everyone will leave you alone. Stay with natural fibers like wool and cotton, which is the best in my book anyways. I have the Under Armour gear, but in all honesty, it ain't that great.

And if you are reading this come say the end of April, or beginning of May, jeans, t-shirts and tennis shoes are the normal wardrobe. Just don't screw around with our winters, and you will be just fine.

Oh, and if you are a Golfer like me, bring your sticks, there are some very nice courses up here. A good way to keep ones sanity in my book.

Mike

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by Justruckin

Yep, $1000 a day running oil out of the patch to the rail yard. The pay is percentage, usually around 26% if I remember correctly. It is not really that hard, just a real pain in the rear during the winter months. You have to climb up to the tops of the tanks (they all have stairways), strap the tanks, grind the oil and load up. More spring, summer and fall work in my book. Not something I want to do this time of year.

The guys I ran into that were making this money were with Wiley Bice out of Killdeer ND, just N of Dickinson off SR 22. Just google them, they are an owner operator company and can hook you up with the guys that own the trucks that need drivers.

Mike

That is the funniest chit I have ever read!!! You are sounding so much like a recruiter shoveling chit like that!!


$500 a day.....if you work 20 + hours a day....maybe.


If it really was $1000 a day....for a 14 hour day.....THEY would have bodies lined up across the state standing in the line for that job.

The reality of that wage...closer to $310 to $380....for that 14 hour day.

MAYBE the truck could average $1,000 per 14 hour day. IF a driver was able to load and deliver three, 40 to 50 mile loads.....That is figuring 230 barrel loads at $1.56 per barrel on 45 mile loads.. That is also figuring EVERYTHING goes exactly right and you actually were able to deliver three loads. Wiley Bice or any other crude hauler is not going to give a driver 100 percent of the revenue....and I gave my estimate a 30 cent per barrel bump from OK-CO-TX-LA current "to the truck" rates. Unloading at a rail yard into the cars eats up time.

Promote the job opportunities. The jobs are real........but.........BE REAL about wages.

[Justruckin]

So what outfit do you work for up here? Just curious, as you seem to KNOW so much about the goings on up here...

Here is the deal, you are not going to walk into these higher wage paying jobs off of the street unless you know someone, and most of all proven yourself up here. And yes, drivers are lined up for these particular jobs, openings do happen, but it still boils down to who you know. And if you are not up here working, it is pretty hard to find these jobs. You will not find these better paying jobs advertised on Craig's List.

And then we have to clarify that we are not running little 130 bbl tankers up here to haul crude. Many are up to 20,000 gallons with multiple axles, along with pups. Take a percentage of that load and do two a day... The guys I know with these rigs, yes drivers, have no problem bagging some serious coin. It is happening every day up here, this ain't West Texas. God forbid we let the facts get in the way of your opinion.

Here is how trucks are paid up here...

Water trucks, flowback and production trucks make anywhere between $100 - $145 an hour.

Crude, by the hour or by the barrel, rates are all over the place, from $100 up to $175 an hour. Then the barrel rate which are private contracts that that are not talked about, but the drivers do very well that work for these companies.

You have to understand that there is not much up here, but their are oil wells, an insane amount of them, and they are everywhere producing oil every second of the day. We are on line to break a million barrels a year in production. Currently pipelines are going in to connect all of these oil production sites to railheads and other pipelines to keep the oil moving. Problem is is that the work is going slow. So, we have trucks that run 24/7 up here to keep these production sites from spewing oil, you just can't hit a switch and stop this oil from coming out of the ground. So, these oil companies need trucks, and we still have a shortage of both trucks and drivers, it is called supply and demand. So, if you are a Wiley operator, and a good negotiator that lives in the patch... So you tell me why a driver on percentage could not make $1000 gross in a day? I ran with these guys out here, and thought about joining up with them, but they had no housing and I was still very green up here, so I passed on the offer. Would I jump at it again if offered a position? I might, but I honestly have other plans. Work smarter, not harder.

Mike

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by Justruckin

So what outfit do you work for up here? Just curious, as you seem to KNOW so much about the goings on up here...

Here is the deal, you are not going to walk into these higher wage paying jobs off of the street unless you know someone, and most of all proven yourself up here. And yes, drivers are lined up for these particular jobs, openings do happen, but it still boils down to who you know. And if you are not up here working, it is pretty hard to find these jobs. You will not find these better paying jobs advertised on Craig's List.

And then we have to clarify that we are not running little 130 bbl tankers up here to haul crude. Many are up to 20,000 gallons with multiple axles, along with pups. Take a percentage of that load and do two a day... The guys I know with these rigs, yes drivers, have no problem bagging some serious coin. It is happening every day up here, this ain't West Texas. God forbid we let the facts get in the way of your opinion.

Seriously. You really want to go with that attitude??

First and foremost. IF I wanted a job in North Dakota working in "The Patch" I have enough "contacts" that I am certain I would make whatever the top wage for the position is. Seriously. I'm not your average country "Bumpkin". I've been around. I've hauled some weight. I moved to Texas to be warm. This is NOT my first "go-round" in the oilfield.

As far as the Barrels the trucks up there can haul........tanks are limited in the numbers of axles they can have under them to an extent. One axle only allows an extra 1850 pounds of cargo. But let's say that the trucks in NoDak are hauling that mystical 20,000 gallon figure you threw out there. That 20,000 gallons is 476.191 barrels. At 78 gravity, the truck is going to be about 146,500 pounds, give or take. So the truck is still under the 200,000 weight that No-Dak allows on COUNTY ROADS ONLY, in OIL PRODUCING COUNTIES ONLY. At 17 gravity, IF the driver choses to put 476.191 barrels on the truck, the gross weight has jumped up to 211,550 pounds...give or take. These weight examples are IF the gravity is corrected to 60 degrees API.

The Canadian and Michigan "Super Tanks" typically only haul about 320 barrels max.....and those are some serious wagons.


North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Counties - County Truck Permits

http://www.ndenergy.org/usrfiles/pi/...20Schedule.pdf


My current trailer isn't 130 barrels, because I don't haul water. I have a 200 barrel trailer and a 84,000# over-weight permit, which allows me to run on any road surface EXCEPT the Interstate system, down here in Texas. If you haven't heard.....the entire state of Texas is an oil and gas producing area. It's not something limited to a few counties.

Now. Do you want to talk about how much time is involved in loading the oil onto the trailer(s)?? 190 barrels can be loaded in about 38 minutes. The "standard" production tank is 400 barrels. Some are 500 barrel. Some are 1000 barrels. Tank batteries can run from 2 tanks to 20 tanks to 100 tanks. 99% of producers require "split" tickets if a oil is pulled from more than 1 tank to build a load, because of the numerous investors involved with each lease. Here in Texas, they "co-mingle" the oil produced from multiple wells on a lease. Every drop of oil a truck removes from a lease is expected to be accounted for. The buyers really get pizzed when the drivers fail to test the oil and haul the produced water as oil.......Something that happens all to often.....because drivers are more interested in hauling ***** than in doing their job. The producers love the lazy driver....cuz the producers don't have to pay to dispose of water hauled as oil.

Take that attitude to No-Dak, use larger trucks.......larger volumes.....and the problem triples.

Now....do you want to talk about how long it takes to pump that load of oil off into a rail car? A car that.........by your 20,000 gallon figure......... can only take 2/3's of the truck's load? Splitting that load requires more paperwork to chase the oil. Paperwork requires time from the driver.

I have weight charts to help me figure 'legal" load capacity. I have tank charts to help me figure outtage volumes......or I can just take a minute and do the long math and reach the same figures with my calculator and production tank size / volumes.

I do my job right. Every time. I am "old school" oil. I do not reject a load because there is to much much water in it. If there is to much water, and I can get a legal....PROFITABLE...load by filling the wagon, then pumping back the water after 20 or so minutes, I do that. I do it this way, because a rejected load takes time and money to replace. If I am going to lose something, I am going to lose those minutes...not hours, gallons of fuel and more empty miles chasing oil.


Again. IF there really was a $1,000 a day wage available...there would be lines of QUALIFIED drivers standing in the cold for them. DO NOT assume that "OIL" is some mystical dragon to be feared. I know several hundred men and quite a few women whom are perfectly suited and well qualified, to drive those "Big Rigs" in No-Dak. Most all of them haul chemicals that are far far worse than crude oil. 99.9 percent of those chemicals are made from crude oil.

I know several folks whom have relocated down here from N0-Dak...Montana and Wyoming....because they can make just as much "per day" here....and be warm doing it. There are folks from Florida, New Jersey and other points working down here...some legal hours...some not...and making between $320 and $430 a day. Those whom claim to make $500 + per day...refuse to show a pay stub........look like their eyes are dragging in the dust.........and smell like chit.

Thanks...but no thanks.

Tomorrow I finish training a man to haul crude, whom came home from Iraq last month. The day after tomorrow I start training another man, whom just quit his job in Afghanistan, to haul crude.

[Sharlie]

justruckin


I think you sound like a guy that is excited about what he's doing. Maybe I'm just not as jaded as others.
If you are recruiting, I hope you get paid.

Everything you said makes sense. and if we were to relocate it would be some place cold, seems less people are desiring those jobs.

For me personally, I'm sick of my town and place of birth to basically replace me with non-natives and bi-linguals. If that means I need to move to colder weather.... so be it. I looked up Mercy Medical Hospital there in Williston.... no where on the application for jobs I qualify for did it say prefer bi-lingual. Can't say any of that for the hospitals in my area.


You answered all the questions I had about block warmer and fly/drive. Husband and I were looking to fly in to Sloulin Inter Airport, but both the price and your comments have helped me to re think that. I found some place he can apply for from home. He has all his endorsments with Haz, provable recent OTR, and a current job. So its just a matter of finding a good fit.

Thanks for your help!

[Sharlie]

Originally Posted by Orangetxguy

Seriously. You really want to go with that attitude??

Simmer down simmer down now | Free Video Clips | SPIKE

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by Sharlie

Simmer down simmer down now | Free Video Clips | SPIKE

Sorry young lady.....But this isn't my first time at the rodeo...and I have more than one functional calculator. I can live with "Fish stories". I draw the line when those stories are about money.

If I thought for one moment that there was the possibility of a $1,000 per day "pay-day" for driving a truck as a "company hand", I would already be in No-Dak with my insulated Nomex and snow packs ready to work.

I already said I have talked with folks whom have come down here from up there, simply because they can make the same money per day here as there....and be warm doing it. It was 83 today (01-17). It was 47 when I walked in from the truck a few minutes ago.

[beaner]

ex military should never pay for a DD214 its free from the V A admin but it takes a few weeks to get

[TCWBanks2384]

So there's an apparent driver shortage. Now all of a sudden I noticed most of these companies on Craigslist are REQUIRING 5 years experience. What gives? That's a quarter to half of most drivers driving careers. Upping the criteria narrows the amount of drivers that are actually qualified, not to mention the small amount of drivers who actually want to move to north Dakota during mid-winter. Any thoughts...?