Posted: 9/9/2012 2:51:55 PM EDT
| Any one else on the eagle ford having problems getting oil haulers to there locations? Im on a pad site doing production testing and cant keep this well open because my tanks are full and they wont get out here to haul it off. |
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DOT did away with well site off duty for Vac trucks. Now they can only work 70 hrs a week. get used to it for a while its killing all of us. There's a slight loophole. If you have a sleeper you can log sleeper which is essentially off duty. You'll now find more of these guys running sleeper trucks for that very reason. Even if they're still home every night. |
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So as to not use bandwidth starting a new thread, can I ask a question(s)? I want to go to work in S. Texas. My family is originally from there; Kenedy, Sinton, Corpus, Karnes Co. The g/f unit lives in SA, I live in Austin. I own an excavation company but I spend more time now chasing business, most of which are false echos and BS mirages, to stay busy than actually working. I want out of Austin for obvious reasons and don't really care if I go back. I hear a CDL is good to have to gain entry in the oil patch. I have equipment such as a Cat 416B rubber tire backhoe and have driven 6-8 yd. dump trucks but nothing like a tanker.
How would I learn to get my CDL? I assume I would have to go to school and then what? I'm wondering if I should sell what equipment I own and buy a travel trailer to live down there. |
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How would I learn to get my CDL? I assume I would have to go to school and then what? I'm wondering if I should sell what equipment I own and buy a travel trailer to live down there. No, it's really scary easy to get a CDL with endorsements. Step 1: Get a copy of "Bumper to Bumper the complete guide to tractor trailer operations" and read it. Step 2: Go to the DPS office and take the writen (computer) tests. Be sure to tell them you want to take all of them in one sitting (except the school bus and passenger those require a school bus and whatnot to test), there will be something like 8 separate tests to go through. Pass the tests and get your CDL learner's permit. Step 3: Call up your friendly neighborhood "Rent our truck for your CDL test" place and schedule a date and location with them. Listen to them as far as the best DPS office to take the test at in your area since they deal with them regularly and know which has the best road course and sane examiners. Step 4: Meet the truck guy really early at the DPS office on the date scheduled. Hop in the drivers seat with the truck guy instructing you and take the truck for a spin around the test course. Step 4a: Back to the DPS office to wait in line to get an examiner. Step 4b: Drive the test course with the examiner. Step 4c: Assuming you pass the test, wait in line at the DPS again to finish the paperwork and get you paper CDL. Be sure to get the paperwork for the hazmat endorsement. This gets you to your class A with everything but the hazmat endorsement (and passenger and school bus). Step 5: Go online and schedule an appointment for fingerprints with L1 or whatever they're called now. Step 5a: Get the fingerprints taken. Step 6: Your real CDL arrives in the mail, without the hazmat endorsement. Step 7: A couple letters arrive in the mail from DPS and TSA indicating your hazmat endorsement has been approved. Step 8: Your new CDL with the hazmat endorsement arrives in the mail. Step 9: Go to your doctor, or CVS minute Clinic, Conetra, etc. and get your DOT physical. Step 10: Find a job driving a hazmat tanker. Total cost ~$800 or so by the time you're done. |
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How would I learn to get my CDL? I assume I would have to go to school and then what? I'm wondering if I should sell what equipment I own and buy a travel trailer to live down there. No, it's really scary easy to get a CDL with endorsements. Step 1: Get a copy of "Bumper to Bumper the complete guide to tractor trailer operations" and read it. Step 2: Go to the DPS office and take the writen (computer) tests. Be sure to tell them you want to take all of them in one sitting (except the school bus and passenger those require a school bus and whatnot to test), there will be something like 8 separate tests to go through. Pass the tests and get your CDL learner's permit. Step 3: Call up your friendly neighborhood "Rent our truck for your CDL test" place and schedule a date and location with them. Listen to them as far as the best DPS office to take the test at in your area since they deal with them regularly and know which has the best road course and sane examiners. Step 4: Meet the truck guy really early at the DPS office on the date scheduled. Hop in the drivers seat with the truck guy instructing you and take the truck for a spin around the test course. Step 4a: Back to the DPS office to wait in line to get an examiner. Step 4b: Drive the test course with the examiner. Step 4c: Assuming you pass the test, wait in line at the DPS again to finish the paperwork and get you paper CDL. Be sure to get the paperwork for the hazmat endorsement. This gets you to your class A with everything but the hazmat endorsement (and passenger and school bus). Step 5: Go online and schedule an appointment for fingerprints with L1 or whatever they're called now. Step 5a: Get the fingerprints taken. Step 6: Your real CDL arrives in the mail, without the hazmat endorsement. Step 7: A couple letters arrive in the mail from DPS and TSA indicating your hazmat endorsement has been approved. Step 8: Your new CDL with the hazmat endorsement arrives in the mail. Step 9: Go to your doctor, or CVS minute Clinic, Conetra, etc. and get your DOT physical. Step 10: Find a job driving a hazmat tanker. Total cost ~$800 or so by the time you're done. Thanks man. 
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Again off topic a bit here but I am trying to change careers and am unemployed right now.
This looks like it might be something I would enjoy for a while. What kind of money and bene's is this? I am an anomalous techie in that I know hard work and have common sense and maybe a sense of adventure. |
| From everyone i have talked to the low ball pay is about 40k on up. i work with some guys that have been doing this work for about 5 years and they get about 150k. Some job can be home every night but you need to live close to you ao. others you will gone from 1 week up to 4 weeks at a time. living on site or in crew house just depends on what you want to do. i have a new safety company on site with us and he needs guys but its contract work, 1099. if you interested i will pass info along. PM for details. i will try and help any arfcomer anything i can to help yall get in on the jobs out here. even if you guys have simple questions shootme a pm anytime. |
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I'm gonna chime in here and hopefully not derail the original intent of the thread too much.
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i work with some guys that have been doing this work for about 5 years and they get about 150k. They're either lying to you or they own the truck and they're paying for the fuel (~$2,000 a week) themselves. Even the KBR contractors in Iraq were only making $120k a year. Company drivers top out at around 70-75k a year after about 10 years on the road. And that's only if you can manage to get hired on at one of the top paying places like Walmart or the Union LTL companies. Both pay about $0.50 per mile. You can expect to drive around 150,000 miles a year IF you work hard and are willing to stay gone a lot. I run 4-6 weeks at a time and make a very descent living doing this but it took a lot of years getting shit on to get here. You'll have to put in some road time with a bigger less desirable company. No one but them will hire someone with zero experience. It's not their choice, it's an insurance requirement. These days most the reputable places won't even look at you until you're at least 25 and have 3 years over the road experience. The bigger places will start you off around $0.30 a mile +/- a couple and you won't be doing 150,000 miles a year as a rookie either. Just won't happen. Figure more around 100-120,000. It's a learning curve sort of thing. My first year I made $0.28 cents miles and I made $27k that year to give you a rough idea. The company recruiters and even the drivers pushing the referral bonuses will lie to you all day long to get you to sign up. The only ones you can even remotely trust are the ones who don't want you to come work for them. They have no stake in it. Recruiters sell you this pretty picture that you'll get paid to see the world and blah blah blah. No...no you won't! You'll see the worst shit holes in the worst areas staffed by the biggest assholes the country has to offer. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but it's not the pretty picture the head hunters paint for you. Think about it...if it was, would they be out there begging for drivers? No! I'll gladly answer anything I can for any of you looking to drive. And I'll tell you the truth about it. I'm not looking for a referral bonus or commission...I won't even tell you who I work for! |
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oh sorry on that the 150k a year are not truck drivers. they are well testers like me. i have seen check stubs. Yes, I think the better opportunities are ones where the CDL is a secondary requirement, i.e. you have to drive some big CDL sized equipment to where you will be operating it. |
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100k inst impossible for an oilfield driver even on a Vac truck. But it would require lots of hours and working through your days off. Some of the drilling rig companies pay more than that but don't expect them to hire you without 5+ years of oversize load experience.
Unlike some poster on here I'm a manager for a oilfield company based in Alice Texas. My division does oilfield rig cleaning and hydro excavation with units that require a cdl. Starting pay is about $16hr plus bonuses. My guys get a $100 bonus a job plus if there's no work they still get paid 40 hrs. The oilfield is different than any other kind of driving. With over 25 years of over the road driving I though I had seen everything. I was wrong. It's a different world with different rules and goals. |
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Thanks wp6529.
I've been looking at getting my CDL as it would be nice to have so that my next RV trailer/rig can be as big as I want. Right now I'm limited to my pickup and a 40' 5er. On the oil thing.. I know the drivers who make the most money have a highly valued skill on the rig.. then they also can work the transportation piece. For the foreman it makes the guy "two guys" as they then don't need to find a CDL to relocate and then he's got good production out of the guy's primary skill set. -Luke |