My buddy is at the bar...
 

He is at the bar in Fairview MT, already has two job offers. One is hauling water at 26 an hour + ot, 14 hours on 10 off, housing included. The other job is salary, $9000 a month (sand can) with housing...

He just texted me, he took the water job. They were fighting over him LMAO!

You ain't going to find work up here sitting at home! Hell, he wasn't even looking for a job! We work together! On edit: used to work together! Lmao! He starts this morning... And moves into his new digs...

Justruckin,

That's awesome! I'll try and get a hold of them tomorrow. But he has a cdl right? ahaha

could you pm me the name of the water hauling co and its in montanna, correct?

Mongoose Trucking, they are in E Fairview ND, I don't have a number.

On edit: they are owned by an oil company from what I was told by my buddy. Don't ask, I don't know. The camp where the trucks and their housing is, is located just NE of Fairview MT on the ND side. They are on SR58 just North of SR200 on the East side of the road, just North of the oil rail yards. Just letting you know in case you are already physically up here. Odds are there is no listing for these guys. As is usually the case up here.

Mike

If you only have a learners permit, you still need to at least get a real hard copy CDL. That is why I suggested Hiland Partners, no CDL required. Most of the guys that run the plant here used to be truck drivers.

I'll post some of these again for you guys that are serious about working in the ND oil patch. Here are some resources and employers.

Home - Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.

Hiland Partners

Badlands PowerFuels - Home : About Us

north dakota transportation jobs classifieds - craigslist

Find a SOS Location! | SOS Staffing

The Shopper, Inc. - Williston, ND - Classifieds, Help Wanted, Real Estate and More!

Put your applications in to the above, and don't worry if you don't think you are qualified, they will train you.

If you are looking to drive a truck, you will need a class A with HazMat, tanker, doubles and triples. If you do not have these endorsements, get them before you arrive up here, or you will just be wasting everyone's time, including yours.

Also, you will need a vehicle up here, their ain't no taxi services, or Sams Club around the corner. Odds are, you will have to drive to work from your housing.

Pay up here is normally every other Friday, very few employers pay weekly. Bring a voided blank check for direct deposit setup along with your SS card and properly endorsed license. And don't even think of coming up here if you cannot pass a p-ss test. They do an instant test, and send out two samples to the lab. If your dirty, it will be found out before you leave the lab. Takes all of two minutes.

To add... Don't worry about the pay, it may or may not be to your liking. The main thing is to get up here and start working. Many companies, if not all, are continually hiring as we have a severe worker shortage up here, under 1% unemployment where I am. I came up a year ago for $20 an hour, I am now making almost double that. If you are a good hand employers will fight over you and offer substantial wages and bennies. You may not land the perfect job right off the bat, but you will never find it either if you are just sitting at home looking for it. You need to be up here!

I called a guy today who said that if I had a cdl license he would hire me, zero experience, I asked him three times to make sure. The company is Mile High Energy Solutions, they're hiring in North Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas. And they're not just looking for truckers.

He told me about a working on a frack rig job in Texas, 70k, 30 day temp housing.

I have to wait to move to the oil fields until I finish my diesel cert. in May.

Mile High is the primary recruiter for Baker Hughes. They over hired up here in ND by allot... They cut around 100 guys loose just a few weeks ago, handed them all $1600 and showed them the door.

Hmmm... I would take a shot at it, because they will pay you well for the two week orientation, $23 an hour with OT and two meals a day. Plus, you will get OSHA training and some oil field tickets which will help you if you stay in the patch, be it here or there. Now, if this is BH, make sure you are on frac, if they offer you cement, refuse it, unless you don't mind sitting in a motel room for days on end. With frac you will work in a team setting, hours can easily hit 100+ a week if you are on a good crew. $24x40 + $36x60 = $3120 a week... Not bad eh? I used to work there... And just got one of my buddies that worked there on cement a job at Hiland Partners.

On edit: If this is BH, they more than likely, I can almost guarantee, they will send you to Denver to attend truck driving school. It is called Excell, they have 2-4 man classes and will get you your CDL. I am sure BH is still doing this, just for the fact that some of their equipment trailers cost in the millions of dollars. Ask this recruiter if Excell is still available as part of the Baker Hughes orientation.

Also, look into Sanjel, Frac Tech, Haliburton and Shlumberger, they all run frac operations up here and are always hiring. I have a buddy of mine at Sanjel working in their coil tubing division, might want to look into that (coil tubing) much easier than frac... My buddy really likes it over there, steady work so far and good pay.

If you are really adventurous, check these guys out http://www.toughnecks.com/

It is Precision Drilling, pay starts at $28.50 an hour, time and a half after 40, guaranteed an 84 hour work week. They provide training, housing and meals, two weeks on, one week off rotation. I think I heard they pay your airfare home for your week off, but don't quote me on that. Last I heard, we are planning on punching 300-400 holes this spring, summer and fall up here, so plenty of work on the rigs. We wanted to do the same last year, but the rain and flooding really messed that up, left around 150 holes on the table for this year. It's a friggin zoo up here!

So how much physical work is involved in these driving jobs in North Dakota? I don't mind work, but am getting up in age. I am OTR hazmat tanker driver class A, and I am used to hooking up hoses, and climbing, and stuff. Which job would be up my alley you think?

The Mile High jobs are very labor intensive, young mans work, but I did it... I'm 47

Now, driving jobs... Water hauling is easy, 3 and 4 inch hoses with cam locks. Pull them off the side of the truck and hook them up. Most of your time will be spent waiting to load and unload. Hardest part of job is staying awake.

Propane, butane and Y grade is the same, 2 and 3 inch hoses, piece of cake.

Frac sand hauler, or "sand can", sit in cab and hit switch, cant get any easier than that. I know a few guys in their 70's hauling sand up here...

Side and belly dump, sit in cab and hit switch, again, very easy work.

Crude hauler, you may have to climb stairs to strap tanks, tanks are roughly 20 feet tall, stairs, not ladders. Normal sized hoses, nothing weird.

The water hauling jobs are the most plentiful up here, followed by crude... Frac sand and belly dump jobs are a bit harder to obtain, usually they hire guys that are already up here, but not always. Allot of O/O hauling the gravel and sand with other guys trailers. What I tell guys is to take a job to get up here, get a feel for what is happening and go from there. like I said earlier, jobs are plentiful up here, under 1% unemployment in my area. And, we are getting more housing by the day.

Most companies want you to do basic maintenance on trucks, make sure they are greased, replace bulbs, etc. I have worked most driving jobs up here, and am putting on weight, very little if any labor involved other than pulling and lifting empty hoses and lines.

Hope this answers your question... And, hiring season is just starting up here, allot of water, sand and gravel to be moved this year, up to 400 wells scheduled to go in this year, and it takes all of the above equipment to make it all happen.

One note on crude, we have so much of it that we run short on storage, which means that some days the crude haulers will not work. Most of the oil is delivered to tank farms and loaded on rail cars, or is directly injected into existing pipelines. The XL Pipeline that was cancelled really hurt, as the plan was to hook into that line to alleviate our over capacity issues, a million barrels were the first years numbers to pipe to Houston, our Governor up here was p-ssed.

So, we have rail and limited capacity pipelines, and Warren Buffet's BNSF Railway is slow to get the needed rail and tank car assets assembled up here to keep up with our insane production, which has already broke 1 million barrels a year, and climbing. We needed that XL pipeline, plans are now in the works to send our oil to Canada via rail, and then off to China. At least that is the word on the street. A real shame that very few want our own oil to stay here, but we have to send it somewhere.

Last numbers I have heard in regards to our oil reserves up here were 24 billion barrels right under my feet. Some are estimating up to 1 trillion barrels with our current technology. The Bakken Marcellus play is said to go right to the shores of Lake Michigan, dwarfing Saudi Arabia and much of the Middle East, if not all of it entirely.

Mike

Thanks for the info. Frac water is what I was interested in. I have family in Pennsylvania where they are also hiring like crazy, but I think the pay is better your way. I lookede through some of those companies you listed. What do you know about Badlands Powerfuels? Are they decent?

Power Fuels is a stable company with a good reputation, and from the guys I have spoke with that actually work there, a good outfit. Their equipment is probably some of the best up here, most is new or newer and they have full time mechanics and shops. I think all you need to do there is kick the tires and check the fluid levels. The only caveat is that they will find you housing, but you will pay for it through payroll deduction. I hear that they have their own housing going in, apartments and town homes. The rent is more than reasonable for up here, $500 to $1000 a month are the numbers I am hearing. You will need to call them to verify. I believe starting pay is around $25-$27 an hour with OT if I heard correctly. They run legal, 12 on 12 off, 70 hours and then 34 hour reset. Some drivers run on percentage, it depends on what division you are in, they have fresh water, salt water, production, fuel and oil from what I know. But don't quote me, give them a call. They have a new office/yard in Watford ND, I think that is now their main office for this part of the state. Here is their number, 701.842.3618 give them a call and see what they say, they are always hiring as the work load continues to grow and expand up here.

Oh, that housing, I hear it is furnished with many units having washers and dryers, cable or satellite with internet and a TV, furniture and a bed. That is what I have heard, so don't quote me on it... Call them.

Thanks again! I had already done an application for Baker Hughes before you replied. I just called Power Fuels, and they said you have to find housing first before they hire. They say housing is extremely hard to get now except trailer parks who are raping people. I may send an ap anyway and see what turns up.

Ouch. We are being evicted out of our trailer park. My company pays around $800 a month for the lot + utilities. The outfit that owns the park is throwing everyone out and installing their own trailers which they plan on renting out at aprox $3000 a month. This is happening all over the place up here, I hope they lose their assets. We do good, but not that good, and who wants to live with 6 guys to pay the rent?

Same thing is happening in Pennsylvania. House is $3500 a month(with maid service).

Have been following this thread for a few weeks now, And find it pretty helpfull especialy to guys like justTruckin. I Plan on making a move toward the patch in about three to four weeks. Did think about ruffing it at first but now am leaning toward the Man camp Idea for starters. are they fairly easy to get into with a driving job? And most importantly a company that flips the note for your houseing. Dropped My Haz in Oct. When renewing Lisence But went in today and fingerprinted to get it back. Whats the deal with the osha is that mandatory to work in the oil field and if so would it be easy enough to take the test before secureing a job? and what is H2s? Any Help Thanks

Well, the man camps that I am aware of are rented or leased by companies for their employees. I don't know of any where a guy can just walk in off the street an get a bed. Besides, it would probably be cheaper to get a room at a five star Hilton hotel. Best bet, find an outfit with housing before you arrive. Most outfits will cover your housing, I have never paid for housing up here, and this is my third employer, Craigslist is your friend. But beware, only inquire to job offers with a legit phone number, allot of phishing going on...

As far as OSHA, some companies, the bigger ones will require it. But, there is no one standing around at jobsites checking your credentials, let your employer worry about that, most outfits will not require it and or get you the required training and certs.

H2S, something you need to be aware of, small quantities can kill you within a minute or two. It is primarily found around well and production sites. If you are entering sites with known h2s, signs are normally posted prior to the site enterance, but not always. We do have some up here, but it is more of an oddity than the norm. You have more than likely encountered it before, we call it swamp gas, it has that rotten egg smell. If you are working anywhere around well and production sites, ie., hauling water or crude, your company should furnish you an h2s detector/alarm to wear on your person. Most guys clip them close to their nose, on their shirt collar or hard hat brim. They are about the size of a pager, yellow in color with a metal clip on the back and a small sniffer on the front.

Hope that helps!

Mike

Really? Unreal up here too, rooms in basements are going for up to $1500 in Williston, 3 bedroom ranches up to $5000 a month and you pay the utilities. And they aren't nothing to write home about... But, more housing is coming on line, man camps are popping up as well as apartments with more reasonable, ie., affordable rents. It is the little guys putting the screws to us up here, they see us as a once in a lifetime cash cow. It is not cheap to live up here, Amazon Prime is your friend... My toilet paper will be here Friday ;)

Are things going a little slow up there right Now? I was reading a driver job on some site today and the employer was warning that sometimes U could be sitting because things could be slow from time to time. Is that just this outfit or can that be all around. ?

Right now things are just ramping up from what little winter we had up here. So yes, it can get slow at times right now. But, that depends on what you are hauling and who you work for. Water hauling is hit and miss through the winter, right now they are just starting to get busy. Crude, is pretty steady eddy, but they slow down now and then because we have so much oil up here that storage and pipeline capacity do get a bit overwhelmed, but you will not sit long, maybe a day. That Keystone XL pipeline cancellation kind of hurt us as we were going to tap into it. Any construction driving, side and belly dumps, they are just starting to really get busy, they will be balls to the walls until this winter. Frac sand the same, ramping up, as there are around 400 wells scheduled to go in this year, and they will frac as many of those as they can get too.

Right now is the time to get up here, because it will be a real zoo up here in a few more weeks.

mike

Mike- thanks for putting out great info on what's going on up there. I've just completed my CDL and all endorsesments except hazmat...just passed the test for that and waiting for background check to clear. Here's my question- I'm considering the Texas oil fields to start for experience but know the money and hours are better in ND although housing- if you can find it- and general living expenses are higher there. That's sort of my reason for the TX route- it's probably cheaper to live and it's also easier to fly back and forth to FL (home). If Texas doesn't pan out (I'm there looking for driving jobs from 4/17-4/24) will it be too late to find work the first week of May in ND? I would pack up my car and drive from south Florida to ND and make the rounds pounding on doors there if nothing turns up in TX. I'm open to working in ND but have concerns that I may be too late by May...obviously no housing or job set up prior to coming so any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Briefly...a bit of background on my MVR & personal history- clean on both with a solid job history and a great work ethic. I don't believe I will have a hard time getting hired if I can get in for the interview. How feasible are the prospects for rookie drivers with no experience? Thanks again for the great info put on here!

If I were you, I would give SOS Staffing a call and see what they tell you. I know of some drivers that have been hired with as little as 3 months OTR. And, I have heard on the radio up here, 550am out of Bismarck ND, that SOS Staffing is finding driving jobs for guys like yourself. I have a link to their Minot office on this page(5) or on page 4 of this thread. Give them a call and see what they say.

As far as Texas and Oklahoma, they are advertising for drivers up here. I know they are looking for guys around the Odessa area and also around Hobbs New Mexico. One thing I have heard more than once down there is that you will more than likely need to find and rent your own place. And then the pay, if you can get in down there, I think you will be looking at a wage of $15 to $18 an hour seeing as you have no experience. Up here in ND, if you get hired, I would say you are looking at $20 an hour w/OT with free housing. But, in your case your best bet is to get hired on somewhere and get at least 3 or 4 months under your belt and keep a clean record, no spills, no tickets and NO accidents. If you can do that, you should not have to difficult a time moving up the food chain.

As far as getting hired during certain times of the year, don't worry. We have allot of turnover up here. Many come up, few make it. Not that the work is hard on the trucking end, it is not. Most guys can't handle being away from home for more than a few days or week or two. They crack, pack their bags and run back home to momma!

Mike

Justruckin what are the chances of me being hired up there for driving? Female and no don't much care about the man camp thing. Would need a place to live that's not in some dorm or whatever. I have been following this thread and applying at a couple of the companies you listed. Still in process of applying to a couple other companies. Just started late last week so hopefully I might hear from someone. Are they hiring females? What suggestions or ideas have you got?

Yes, companies do hire women up here. Most of the gals I see are hauling rock and gravel in side dumps, a few on water, but can't say I have seen any hauling crude, but there must be some. I would hunt around for the side dump jobs, Root Construction in Cartwright and S&S in Watford come to mind. There is also a family run business down in Dickinson that sometimes has openings. I'm sorry, but I cannot recall their name, but a quick google search you should be able to find them under excavating, and they have housing. And I would stick with the construction side, because they primarily work during day light hours, and there are normally allot of people around and you will travel in packs. Most of the guys I have run into hauling side dumps are pretty good guys. Bottom line, I think you see more women in the side dump end of things because it is probably one of the safer jobs for a gal up here due to the daylight hours and the way they travel in groups. I hate to say it, but there are more than a few nut jobs up here that I would not trust with a goldfish.

Also, give Jayda at Waggoners a call, (701) 572-1402 They are just a few miles south of Williston off SR85 and have "very" nice furnished housing. They do hot shot and some local and OTR stuff up here. They start you at around $24 an hour with OT. Give her a call, I just saw an ad for drivers here the other day. Very safe place to work and a good starting point for a newbie to the area. And she does hire women.

As far as the housing, not many trucking outfits in man camps, most are private or two man trailers and some in real houses. I would run down these ads here too, north dakota transportation jobs classifieds - craigslist

Craigslist is going to be really humming here in the coming weeks. The main thing is that they want you here asap.

I hope this helps.

Mike

Well I was alittle down on the man camp thing too until i seen some videos of what there like there not that bad, and do have some women in a few. From what ive been seeing there is no place to rent up there that would make the move worth it. I was concidering a motor home but as others on here have said the rv parks are starting to stick it to everyone too. Check this out> Google> Lady roughnecks in north dakota man camps} and see if that video gives u a better idea. along with a lot of other helpfull vids. Just trucktruckin had a Q for U but U seemed to have answered it in your last post. I will be delayed a couple months before looking for job up there but glad to see Jobs will still be there come June. WONT THEY?:)

Justtruckin glad u pointed toward the safety issue for women up there. Ive been wondering about how safe it would be to have girlfriend come over on days off and if she would be ok if she went around shopping and what not by herself. I know she was also kind of thinking about some work up around williston. But just the other morning on the news I seen they found the body of a MT woman,school teacher up there. last seen jogging in MT. I see u put emphasis on daylight and traveling in packs. Im fine, but the female is not the brightest bulb when it comes to bad situations.

Well, its not that bad up here, but we do have a fair share of jackasses. And the gal in Sidney MT, the school teacher, that was a shock to all of us. They do have the perps in custody, both were registered sex offenders. And I will tell you, more than a few of us carry up here, yes at work and in the truck. Some of the places you can go are pretty remote, and allot of times you will be by yourself. Personally, I have not had any problems up here, but bringing my wife up here to live, is not on my list of things to do. This is still pretty rough and tumble up here, not your normal suburban neighborhood. About all there is to do up here is work, sleep, eat and have an occasional drink. Just getting groceries can take up to half a day with the travel times. I look at it for what it is, an awesome paying job with allot of downsides... Thank God the money makes it worth it all, because no one in Michigan is going to pay me what I am making here for the work I do. I'll make in a night what most guys will make in a week, and yes, it is worth it.

The man camps are very nice, if your company is paying for it. Just not any trucking companies up here that I know of that house employees in them, as it is very expensive. And yes, plenty of work up here, at least 10 years if all keeps going the way it is, if not more. We have the possibility of over a trillion barrels of recoverable oil up here, and are only on our millionth barrel. ;)

Thanks Justruckin and keep on putting the posts on. You've been a big help in even getting started on jobs up there. Going blind before hand being here in Georgia. I know I would be in for a big surprise with the way the world is today. But like you I need the money and am willing to work hard for it. I will check out a few places you mentioned. Your posts on the cold and clothing needed was a big help too. It would be quite an experience and one I would enjoy. Always wanted to be up there in the midwest and Idaho and Montana are beautiful. This will give me the opportunity. Funny how some of us have trucking in our blood. I tried to leave and need to go back. Can't stand staying put.

I just can't believe I read Driverj saying something about "the female not being the brightest bulb"..... How long has that guy been driving? No I can't do what a guy can do in a bad situation. Don't exactly put myself in the bad situations. I do the best I can to stay out of them. Yes, being up there is a tough one to start with, but I have driven for awhile and been on the road with other guys way back when. I can take care of myself. I know there are real nut cases there just as there are everywhere. What the drivers use to do way back when was look out for each other.
DriverJ as for being a not bright bulb, well I gotta say you just don't know what you are talking about. You don't know me man.

If you get with a good outfit, ND is actually a very nice place to work. I have been welcomed in by the locals, very nice folks up here. Honestly most people I have met here would make great neighbors. The hardest thing to do up here is to find the right job for you. It took me a couple of tries, third job was the charm, very happy with where I am. And we are moving, going to be on the banks of the Yellowstone River. Who'd a thunk?

Oh, the weather? Been in the 60's and 70's here, might hit 80 tomorrow. And the summers, daylight till near 11pm, sunrise around 4am. Very nice up here in the summer. ;)

Ive been Driveing since i was 16, with a license that is. But commercialy for about 10 years. But i still dont understand what that would have to do with the girlfriend of 18 years and her better judgement of strangers. Its a pretty safe place to live up here in Minneapolis,MN But other places like Atlanta, or LA where I was born or Detroit where mother was born have very unsafe areas. But im sure U as a Loooong time Loveyour Truck driver already know this.:eek1: I guess in 1973 at 15 was my first time driving a vac truck. Didnt want to do it but came with the job. Anyhow im sure u will be just fine up there and to clear things up i wasnt reffering to You, I was reffering to my other half, who I know. When I was new I had deliverys up in williston time and time again all through the whole areas. The only thing U had to worry about were the crooks at the scale house up there in williston. With all that money floating around up there have they cooled down or is the DOT still trying to get all they can up there. I hope that Video was helpfull. Type at Ya Later:)

There is something going on in Pennsylvania that is sure to hit that area also soon. Large OTR trucking companies are going after those water truck jobs. Just this week I have seen Schneider, and Smith Transport advertising for water truck drivers there. They will cut throats to get the business like they do in OTR which sucks. They ruin it for everyone.

I can see that happening maybe in a few years up here, but not any time soon. PA has civilization, we are no where near having the infrastructure, much less the population needed to make it a worthwhile venture for these mega outfits. Who is going to move up here to work for essentially minimum wage that these outfits pay? Companies fight for drivers up here, as few will even consider coming up here to work at the current wages being offered. Simple economics, supply and demand. Personally I am not worried... We don't have what PA has, the population and proximity to again, civilization.

I have a Class A from Georgia and am looking to move up to ND at the end of May. Do you have any suggestions? What company do you work for that has housing?

Eb, look through this thread for companies. I already got one of the posters here a job at my outfit. We are through hiring for awhile as far as I know, actually have two to many drivers, waiting on more trucks... Also, get on Craigslist, you have to check it daily, main thing is to just find a job up here so that your at least here. Than get a feel for things and start looking for a better opportunity. Main thing is to be here, because when they hire you they usually always want you to start immediately.

hey justruckin, I left u a message on other o/op board, but will ask it here too,

Do you know where I can get a 2 line wet kit, pto. purchased and installed around here. Prefer to stay close to minot but anywhere from williston to minot would work.

Anyone who knows where to go, I would surely appreciate it. Thanks

Hello, Mike would you suggest coming up to apply and hope for the best, or are the oil companies responding to applications emailed or sent. thanks Chris

Whats shakken in the Bakken??:D I see the Grass roots Org. from PA was out that way a week ago. Hows the the water and air doing up there? And Hows the fishing doing?

You don't want to do it up here, head to Billings and find a shop down there, or head over to MN or Wisconsin. They will rape you up here.

Get on Criagslist or follow up with one of the staffing outfit links I have already posted. Find a job on the internet, get hired, and get up here. If it works out, great, if not, you will be able to make contacts up here and still be getting paid. It took me a year up here to find this current job, and I am very happy, making some serious coin and have free housing and other perks. Heck, I'm a nine iron from the banks of the Yellowstone River... 2 miles from the shop and town... Sitting here having a beer and looking forward to the weekend... Which I have off. :)

Mike

On Edit: Chris, what experience do you have? Do you have a cdl or are you looking to get into something like a rig job? Let me know.