Oil Fields
Topic 696 | Page 1
It's hard to get really good information from the oil fields, but from what we hear most jobs want at least a little bit of over the road experience first.
Also, most of the jobs involve more than just driving. There are a lot of jobs that involve working at the job sites doing various types of physical labor.
The biggest hurdle, at least up in North Dakota, is housing. Everything is super expensive and housing is nearly impossible to find. So a lot of the "big bucks" you can make up there goes right back into the outrageous living expenses.
I would definitely speak with some drivers, call some companies, and try to make some connections before heading up there. Texas has some good potential. North Dakota has incredibly harsh winters and the housing is really expensive.
Do a bunch of research before committing to anything.
Over The Road:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Great advice. I am currently in Utah so I will check the Vernal/Roosevelt area then take a look at Texas. Quite honestly I was hoping to find something that will get/keep me home for longer stretches of time until my daughter heads back to college in August, then I am free to go anywhere. Oil field operations seem to offer 2 week on 1 week off options. Anyway thanks for the reply. BTW your Hazmat training is toughest (lots of info to retain) of all so will take some time to get through but since I won't have the CDL for a couple of weeks (and the application process) I have the luxury of taking it slow. I do have the Tanker and Doubles/Triples endorsements.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
Doubles:
Refers to pulling two trailers at the same time, otherwise known as "pups" or "pup trailers" because they're only about 28 feet long. However there are some states that allow doubles that are each 48 feet in length.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
I'm not sure if they hire out of your area or not, but Roehl Transport has tons of great home time options. That's the link to their company-sponsored training information but it includes their hiring zones and all kinds of other information about the company.
If they don't hire out of your area, check with the major dry van companies like Swift, Schneider, Werner, US Xpress, etc. Dry van companies tend to have a lot of regionalized freight and dedicated accounts that can get you home more often.
We have a list of Trucking Companies that hire inexperienced drivers so have a look at that list. Also take a look at our list of Company-Sponsored Training Programs. It seems you're already working on getting your CDL so you don't need the training but those companies will hire students out of private school.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Great topic this is my field of interest as well.
Fact is no matter what you haul into a oil site there will also be manual labor involved. They sneak a little sentence is saying ".....and other assigned duties" meaning if you are asked or assigned to work with a crew to unload your truck or they need help with something you have to help them. Since manual labor does not count towards driving you only have to show it as on duty. So basically you will be driving and working on site also.
The rates they charge for room and board in the oil fields are nuts. Its great to say you made 10,000 or so a month as long as you don't tell it cost you $8000 just to live in that area.
And since most OTR oil field drivers are paid cpm at or around .30 to .40 cpm how are you going to feel when you are asked to pay $7.50 to $8.50 for a hamburger from McDonald in the oil field? Yes even the national chain companies charge more in the oil fields.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Fact is no matter what you haul into a oil site there will also be manual labor involved. They sneak a little sentence is saying ".....and other assigned duties" meaning if you are asked or assigned to work with a crew to unload your truck or they need help with something you have to help them. Since manual labor does not count towards driving you only have to show it as on duty. So basically you will be driving and working on site also.
The rates they charge for room and board in the oil fields are nuts. Its great to say you made 10,000 or so a month as long as you don't tell it cost you $8000 just to live in that area.
And since most OTR oil field drivers are paid cpm at or around .30 to .40 cpm how are you going to feel when you are asked to pay $7.50 to $8.50 for a hamburger from McDonald in the oil field? Yes even the national chain companies charge more in the oil fields.
You can make money in the oil field if your smart. You gotta pick the right company. If your scared of hard work you should look elsewhere. As far as food goes dont eat out. I been eating ham sandwhiches for about two months . It can be done
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
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Choosing A Truck Driving Job Choosing A Trucking Company Roehl Transport Schneider National Swift Transport Trucker's Family Matters US Xpress Transport Werner Enterprises
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I am about 2 weeks away from obtaining my CDL and wondered if anyone knows what the oil field potentials are fresh out of school.
Thanks
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: