Oilfield vs Highway Trucking in 2021: (Pros and Cons, Work Schedule, Pay, Hometime)
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2024
- Is it more worth it to become an oilfield trucker or OTR highway trucker in 2021?
Working in an oilfield and highway trucking are two occupations that are very similar and see a lot of overlap. Many truckers are ex-oilfield workers and vice versa.
Both the oilfield and trucking industries have very similar working conditions; you'll be away from home for long periods of time, you'll be working long hours and both involve the operation of a truck.
Dave has worked in both industries and has now decided to work as an OTR highway driver. He will discuss the pros and cons of each option and weigh in on why he made a transition, and the similarities and differences between the two industries.
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Soundtrack:
Sun Dog - Tiger Gang
Pop Filter - Alternate Endings
Soulplusmind - A Step Back
I did over the road for 3 years and now I’m at 3 years in the oilfield. Personally I like the oilfield better, you get paid by the hour. I clear more money in the oilfield than the road by a mile! I haul water.
Are you o/o or company driver?
Hey man, I've not agit a CDL, but am considering getting in oil field work. How's the work?
i just got my cdl and tanker endorsement , how do i get started do i need experience ?
It sucks because I'd love to do the job but now that I have kids, I'm not willing to miss watching them grow up.
My childhood friends dad would get a homework packet for his kid and take him out for a week with him sometimes lol
There’s a lot of occupations or career fields you can do and make a killing. I’m a Financial Advisor and am able to financially provide for myself and my 4 children with 0 assistance. However, it’s stressful at times and a lot of exams and compliance rules. I chose this field because I’m able to balance work/life and see my kids grow up. I salute truck drivers/oilfield workers because that is not easy at all and it’s tremendous sacrifice. Let’s not mention the idiots on the road that don’t respect truck drivers and cut them off.
After spending the last decade in the Alberta Oil patch, I can confirm... it's a horrible life. I'm making the transition to OTR right now. Stability is huge! I am looking forward to only working 10-14hrs a day!
A law should be passed to only work 8 hours each day.
@@eurostep2530 uhh no please.
@@eurostep2530 yeah I mean if you absolutely hate home time.
@@eurostep2530 fck no
Sarcasm
I've never had oil or similar companies refuse to pay me, I've had to sue 3 trucking companies to get my pay out of them.
I like how they show the clip of the truck chomped by a low bridge just as he says, “you’ll have more fun”.
$130k is a little high for a frac hand. In Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico or Louisiana anyway. It’s more like $80k to $110k. It’s possible to make more but usually you have to get promoted to supervisor or have 15+ years of experience. I’d be careful with a company that will pay you more than $110k without lots of experience. You’re probably going to be used and abused if you do. Not that any frac job is going to be easy. I did it for 8 years and honestly it’s not worth it anymore. Inflation has killed the value of that $100k.
WoW Soo True, I've been working in the Oilfields of North Dakota for about 10 years, came off of OTR Trucking because I was Tempted by all the money I could make in the Oilfields...and from 2012-2015 I was grossing over 6 figures driving a Tanker Truck, then the first Oil Boom WENT Bust and everyone's pay was cut, so I got into Fracking moving all there Heavy equipment while living in a man camp for 2week hitches with maybe 6 days off...then when the Covid19 crash happened, I was laid off last summer and thought the Sh#% was literally hitting the fan, I'm talking "Walking Dead" end of the world stuff...year later everything seems to be calming down somewhat...and I'm starting to distrust the Oilfield, what with all the EV Trucks and cars being produced, the oilfields days are numbered...I'm starting to think that being OTR is a better bet for me in the long run...those long hours in the Oilfield and big paychecks just AINT worth it anymore...I Need a change of SCENERY, 20 years driving a Truck OTR, Local, Overseas, OTR, Oilfield and NOW back to OTR where I First fell in Love with Trucking. ANYONE Can Learn How to Drive a Truck over the Road, BUT Not everyone of those anyone's can actually sit and drive the Truck for months on end...with all the new technology out here there are just too many distractions for the new drivers coming on...just my 2 cents...
what did you do overseas?
I think the oilfield would be a good option especially for younger guys to make good money and save, but definitely would have a exit plan
I've done both too. The oilfield life is hard, trucking otr was like a vacation even if the pay wasn't nearly as good.
I will agree do the research but I drove a truck for 15 years and oilfield crane Operator was the best move I ever made
OTR there’s a lot of B1 mexican driver working for .20 cnt for mile they affect the industry for usa drivers
What is a B1 Mexican driver?
B1 is the permit for international drivers in this case for México drivers they cross the border to destination in usa, the problem here many companies they take advance on this an make a lot cabotage
@@nickram822 thats why the local flordia trucking is so bad, the mexicans taking cheap pay effected basically all the port jobs
Mr. Ronin after watching so much your videos I really like you 👍
Switching from oil patch to highway will be an easy transition but if all you have done is driven highway and you are going to the patch the lease roads and the actual sites will be a challenge for you as the actual rules and sizes of the roads and conditions ( I was expected to drive wher I couldn't hardly walk) to deliver sucker rod and pipe.
The correct answer is “FOLLOW THE MONEY”.
Just got back into the oilfields in W. Texas. Did 4yrs in North Dakota during the boom and it was very good to me financially. So far I can’t complain about my new job hauling fuel (dyed diesel) to frac sites/oil rigs. Definitely would recommend it to anyone with at least 3yrs experience hauling fuel and wants to make some good money.
I just got here in North Dakota for cruise hauling in the oil field did I make a mistake coming ?
@@raymickey89 not necessarily a mistake. But I’m not too sure how good/bad the price of crude is. So it may/may not be busy for now. But it’s definitely a good job to know! You can take that experience to any oilfield in the U.S.
You think it's a good time to work in the industry?
@@richallen1 honestly at this moment it is very good. My company is super busy, I’m working 70+hrs a week. Now of course it’s the oilfield so that could change at any time. But for now work and life is good!
@@corycarson88awesome man. You near midland? Hahaha crazy coincidence
Thank you for sharing this. It's very important in career decision making.
I have gone 6 24 hour days with minimul sleep doing wireline in the oilfields. Resetting your time in the field. It made me physically ill after a while.
Sounds a terrible job
Straight forward and accurate. Thank you !
When the oilfield is booming. There is nothing better in trucking
How do you know is booming
You are correct we need to Unite
It’s the only way to root out the bad in this industry
How you get a trucking job in the oilfield as company. I live in Illinois. One yr stepdeck
Great video thank you.
Ohh come on. You make the oilfield look like it's horrible. It is hard work , long hours and pays well. If you do your homework you will be home very day and have steady work .
Very good info
Oilfield is very dangerous, every job application you fill out the whole first page cover sheet is family contact info, who to notify if you die. Trucks flip over, catch on fire, explode....you have to know what you are doing.
What’s tons of money to you may not be tons of money to me lol 100k should be average in regular trucking if I work in the oil field I need at least 200k a year or I ain’t working
Both jobs stress the shit out of you but a hundred grand today is pocket change to 15 years ago. I know cause I've been there and done that. The only that has changed on both is there are more dangerous people to work with.
4-6k em working oilfield. If not OTR.
The average truck driver in the U.S. earns $48k a year. If you're making $100k a year you are in the top probably 5% of income earners in the industry as well as in the top 14% of income earners in north America
Anyone driving truck for $48,000 a year either isn’t working many hours or is getting g taken advantage of
Quit the otr the pays trash. Haul crude oil. And be mindful of how you spend your money the oilfields is up and down some. I wasted 19 yrs otr got overweight ate horrible, I've been a crude oil hauler in Colorado and 8 yrs in ND I'm home daily and make over $130k in 2022.
OTR you live in your truck you might make $77k a year average otr drivers are out away from home 300 days a year for an average of $257 /day.
Oilfield Work 12-14hrs a day average hauling crude oil $450-575 /day
There are trucking jobs in the oil fields I drove a truck for 3 years I. The oilfield and that all I did was haul pipe or water or whatever was need at the rigs
thanks for all the info
I spent 9 yrs running my trucks/vac trailers in the ND oil fields.. my drivers and myself made obscene money..I am a multi millionaire because of the oil fields.. I also feel like I lost 10 additional yrs off my life.. the oil field will chew you up and spit you out ...
At a certain point you’ll have to weight the opportunity cost of trading your life away for extra money
Paul express. Do you still have empty seat ?. I live in Illinois. One yr stepdeck. Kinda rusty due to pandemic. Ho do I search for a job in the oilfields.
@@stilliraise9201 I sold all my equipment and left the oil fields 7/31/20. now is not the time for a newbie to go to any oil field.
@@445xone that doesn't mean that I can give it a try. After all if you are multi millionaire I can be just half millionaire. Believe me if you were like me with cero points on credit score and unemployed because of pandemic you would like to give it a try to anything. I don't need 10 yrs on oilfields at least enough to stabilize my life.
@Paul PKexpress its been a year since you commented here its have gotten better now?
Good work
Thank you so much 😀
Any idea if there are any trucking jobs where you work just 40 hours a week...? Kinda want a life outside of trucking.
I got my class A 3 years ago and got on with a trash company. I work 50 hours a week. Paid Holliday off and weekends off, time 1/2 over time.
Thank you for explaining
Lived in wy worked oilfeild trucking for 16 yrs dont miss it at all. They either want u to live in the truck 100 hrs a week or lay u off you either broke or got money u cant spend cause u sitting in oil patch at 3am . my ex wife reaped all my work efforts while i froze to death and slept on a steering wheel
Good job
How do you know is the better moment to get into the oilfield? I guess with the situation we live now its not the best time
Hy hello, i want go to Texas to truck driver in oilfields, I'm portugueses may you tell me how type of visa e need and what I need to do see my driver's car accepted in USA please.
Thanks bro
True, refinery people they dont work the whole year and still they get more $$$ than a truck driver. If the trucking industries could change the pay, i mean i think the trucking industries deserves a better pay than refinery companies to be honest, they work the whole year full time. Beginners working in the refinary makes that money "half year"
I'm going to CDL school right now I'm planning on going to the oil field starting next year.I have a connection with hauling Water. I would like to know how physically demanding is hauling water.And they gave me a decent home time schedule to choose from.I would like to know how honest is the pay and how physically demanding the job is.
Which company?
11 or 13 hours ? U.s. it’s 11 drive 14 u can work is Canada 13 on duty hours ?
Do you hire people who are interested in driving trucks but have no experience or license? Do you help with that process and then deduct it from the payment?
There’s companies like Swift, Schneider, Prime and many other mega carriers that will train you to get the cdl through them in exchange for either 9 months or 1 year of working with them.
Am jamaican truck drive and i love to do long haulage trips in usa or Canada. But I dont know how to apply for the work. Can u help me in anyway?
Get to the U. S. and get a CDL and then you can apply to work anywhere for anyone. Good luck, we need drivers.
Thank you for your advice. But i dont know if its possible could we speak off the air . This is my WhatsApp number (18764959606) or am on Facebook (mershell james) can text on messenger
@@mershelljames1955 how is it going for you now bro? I'm a yardie myself. Now driving in NY. My opportunity came thu farm work and luck.
How much does an over-the-road truck driver make on an average with ET transport are there Trucking in Canada or Trucking to the US and back thank-you good video
We have terminals in Canada but we have loads to the US. You can check out our pay comparison video posted recently
What are the qualifications for an oil field job?
A pulse
That and a couple years of driving experience. My job is easy! I haul frac sand to the well. the only time I have to get out of the truck is to open and then close the lid on the sand box and to go into the scale house to get my paperwork. Some places print the paperwork out right on the scale. Typically 5-6 loads a day. I am paid by the load, so the more loads per week the more money I make. I'm a company driver for a small carrier and made $70k last year. The downside is when the well has a break down. You could sit for hours before they have fixed the problem and get back up and running. I have sat on a load for 36 hours in the past. Having a sleeper cab truck with satelite tv makes that part of the job easier. I'm out 3 weeks and get 1 week of home time.
@@69castellano would you recommend or any idea who would be hiring company drivers?. I've got one yr stepdeck. Illinois license. Need a foot in the door . Pandemic screw me up.
@@stilliraise9201 I guess it depends on where you live resource transport is one. They use daycabs. If you have your own truck there's a number of places to lease onto.
@@69castellano is this resource transport have satellites here in Unites States? I don't live in Canada.
can i get oilfield truck job fresh out of school ?
Worked in the oilfield for 10 years, money was good when we were working but the stability of the industry sucked thanks to the weather aand the political climate
Thanks for sharing!
is the demand still there ? and is it on the rise or decline in your opinion
If you want to work the oilfields and have a family, think twice about their well being without you ever around. I know a guy that works in Midland TX and brags about the money and how his wife is a 10 getting all kinds of plastic surgeries. He gets home to find flowers and gifts that she receives at work from other men. Then he tells me to join him out there because I'm not gonna make my dream of becoming an owner operator OTR. I will keep my OTR job and family intact, Thanks but no thanks.
Im in midland .. this oil money making the town be full of shite
😂😂😂
This is nonsense. Oilfield is not all trashy equipment. Depends who you work for. ND and Canada have trashy equipment yes. The environment there chews it up.
Looks like a lonely life being a trucker.
It’s an awesome job for a loner
It is if you're not married. but then again loneliness is a mindset.
I've done both and both are horrible ways to make a living. I started out OTR and went in to the oilfields as a floorhand where I'm at now and occasionally I drive. Both these industries ruin marriages, relationships etc. I wouldn't wish either life on anyone. I will say my life is so much better now that I left OTR, you couldn't pay me enough to go back to that bullshit.
Wow this makes oilfield sound terrible lol. I don’t know any reputable oil and gas company’s in the northeast that don’t have a 2 week on 1 week off schedule or a 28 day on 14 day off schedule. Yea they make us bend the rules A LOT but you do have your guaranteed days off. And it’s consecutive days off like 7 or 14 at a time not 1 or 2. Yea there are ups and downs in the industry but I’ve never heard of anybody with an oil and gas company on their resume not finding a job within a week or two lol.
Oilfield isn’t bad. It goes bust? Yea sure. It’s not the end of the world lol. Make your money and get out. Go back when it booms again. Rinse and repeat. Enjoy life.
Yeah and a lot of trucking companies want you to stay out for 2-4 weeks and come home for 3-4 days, he also isn't mentioning the cost of meals on the roads. I've driven since 96 and I'll stay off otr.
👍
The oil patch in Alberta is slowly coming back, the big projects are going well but the service end is still hurting. It should be noted that the wonderful carbon tax that this government has implemented is to replace the royalties that Alberta use to give out. I now live in Ontario moved back for elderly parents, when we change the government maybe we can get back to doing business instead of dishing out handouts on the tax payers dime and then we can improve the infrastructure of this great country of ours
Great fuccin video
I’ll just cut the bullshit for you. Coles notes: oilfield ,long hrs but you are actually paid for those hrs. Over the road, you’ll get a pancake ass and at times make less than minimum wage. OTR companies have a million ways they can siphon your wages from you. You better be a real man if you want to go oilfield trucking but the pay is good and the hrs are long.
So I have no endorsements, 2 years of local experience. Single no kids and live with family. Oh yeah and I'm 28. Who is paying the best? I'm making 700/week taking offers!
Check out my $2500 per week on Indeed in Alsip, IL.
thats no way to live. i couldnt live in a truck and not enjoy my money and life
I understand what your saying but their men out there who only enjoy working...
Im exactly like him and only take 25 days off a year..
I can't live in a truck for 4 times the money today.
Check into LTL trucking jobs. Lots of $100K+ jobs. And you’re home daily.
I hate Sand Trucks 🛻
Lol prison if you have a family
Sir Please provide e-mail address to apply for truck driver job, I am from India🇮🇳... Thank you
I prefer oil field TRUCKIN dot don't bother me so much on the res