My job search 'Blog'

[Mercenary]

I thought I might put together a little bit of writing about how my job search is going here in northern BC. I would like for this to become source of information for those fellow drivers who are in the same boat as I.

First a bit of background....

To say I've always liked trucks is a bit of an understatement. I grew up around the logging and sawmill industries and that is where I ended up. I worked as a loader operator loading log trucks just after graduation in 1992. From there I moved on to the sawmills where I received my Millwright ticket in 2001. In 2003 I moved over to the pulp and paper industry and worked there until March of 2008 when the paper mill I was working at shut down permanently. In fact ALL the mills in my little town shut down within 6 months of one another.

As a result of a nice severance payout from the paper company I decided to get my class 1 license and pursue a career on the road. I looked around for a school that was accredited and offered a job placement program. I found one in Courtenay on Vancouver Island. The course was 120 hours in length and covered a variety of situations that the average trucker would be dealing with on a day to day basis. I passed the ICBC road test with ease and found myself to be a class 1 licensed driver by the end of May 2008.

The job placement program was a real joke however. I felt that this portion of the program really lacked any true professionalism. The school didn't work with any companies that offered positions to newbie drivers as I was first lead to believe when I signed up. All they really offered was references and recommendations when I was looking for work. The first trucking job I ever got had nothing to do with the job placement program from the school.

So after having few job prospects by the end of June 2008 I answered an ad on Canada's job bank for a company called Sanjel. Sanjel is an oilfield service company with offices all over Alberta, Saskatchewan, BC, and the US. They even have offices overseas. I went for an interview in Grande Prairie Alberta and was working full time by July 3rd. This is where I made my first mistake. I was so excited about finding full time work I didn't ask any questions on what the job actually entailed. I had signed on with a company where trucking isn't their primary business. Rather, as it turned out, trucking was a necessary evil where we would haul equipment to oil patch leases, sit on those leases for hours at a time doing fracturing work and whatnot, and then high tail it back to the shop. Driving took up about 20 to 30 percent of my job. I was stuck. I signed a 6 month apartment lease when I moved to Grande Prairie so I wasn't going anywhere for a while.

I bounced around a bit while at Sanjel going from division to division. As a member of the fracturing crew I drove sand trucks. I would haul sand in pod type tankers to location and then we would remain and perform the job. Long hours of sitting on location took their toll as I knew this wasn't the job for me. I made the switch to the cement division in late September of 2008. What we did there was cement the well bore casing into the well. This involved a bit more driving but I was still only doing about 35-40 percent driving by this point. While on lease we had to do heavy manual labour by stretching out heavy lengths of pipe from the trucks to the well head and hammer each section of pipe together. Due to safety concerns we couldn't have the trucks parked too close to the well head so we often had to run pipe hundreds of feet across leases to reach the well head. Cement dust ran thick when we were working and you often came back from a job coated in the stuff.

By December of 2008 I had moved over to the Nitrogen side at Sanjel. As a nitrogen tank truck driver I was up to about 40 percent of steady driving but still sitting for long hours on lease and still stretching out long lengths of piping. However the jobs were much cleaner and we often ran down to Red Deer or Ft Saskatchewan in Alberta to pick up product or deliver loads. By this time however, the economic crisis was in full swing and by the end of January Sanjel started to lay off people. They also began to cut back our wages and job bonuses. I managed to cling to my job until the end of April where breakup meant the end of work and the end of my time with Sanjel. I definitely had mixed feelings about being laid off. On one hand I wouldn't have to perform the heavy manual labour that was needed on leases. But that was that and by the end of May I was back in Mackenzie.

So here I am today. Its been almost 5 months since I turn a wheel. I have had a couple of prospects that didn't amount to much but I do know a couple of things....
First: I really enjoy driving a truck. Oftentimes you will hear people say that they were meant for a particular job. Well I am one of those. No matter what job I am doing I will always want to be behind the wheel of a truck more.
Second: It is very important to find out ALL the job details before you commit to working for a company.
Third: Find out what you are willing to put up with while working. There will always be an amount of BS at any job but if you can balance the BS with the good stuff in your mind then you will be a happy camper.

More to come.....

[Gummiente]

I'm going to bookmark this thread. Keep it coming! :cheers:

[Mercenary]

So there are a number of resources I utilize in my job search efforts. One that gets most of my attention these days is Canada's job bank...
www.jobbank.gc.ca

Plenty of trucking jobs on this list from all across the country. Its not limited to a particular sector of the industry either. You will find long haul jobs, oil patch jobs, logging jobs, and anything else to do with trucking jobs as well. I have found that the bigger companies like Bison and H&R will post jobs on here on a regular basis too.

Being from a small town that is fairly isolated we don't have many trucking companies that have terminals here. We also lie 30 clicks off the main highway too so any trucks that do come here are few and far between. As a result I have found that I need to leave the friendly confines of my little town and branch out into the real world. Places like Grande Prairie just across the Alberta border and Prince George 2 hours south have quite a few terminals as well as more than a couple companies that have their head offices there. Grande Prairie is ground zero for the northern Alberta oil patch whereas Prince George is logging and sawmilling central for BC. Alberta was the first to answer the call and that is where I ended up initially. I am hopeful that BC will come through and a company will be willing to hire a good driver with my limited experience.

Another resource for jobs in BC and specifically north eastern BC is this one....

www.jobsearchonline.bc.ca/index.htm

This one quite often will have ads for drivers across a few industries like logging, mining, and oil and gas.

One other worth mentioning is the websites known as job shops. Grande Prairie job shop is just one of many city specific sites on the web that advertises many different types of jobs. Every now and again you will find driving jobs on them as well. They are a good resource for finding jobs that might not necessarily make it to the main job bank web sites.

So....I have a couple of prospects that I am waiting on right now. There is a tank haul job that I am waiting on that is located in Ft St John. I spoke with the manager last week and expressed my desire to have some sort of assurance of daily work. Some of you might recall that I turned down a super b tank job in Grande Prairie because they couldn't guarantee daily work. The Ft St John job would be a camp job where I work 2 weeks in and get one week off. Camp jobs are the ideal as there is no real outlay of cash on my part initially. No need to rent an apartment or hotel room and all the costly hookups that are associated with that approach. Another job I am looking at is one in southern Saskatchewan hauling crude and water. This one is iffy simply because of the distance I would have to be from my family. I have my wife, a house, and quite a few relatives here in Mackenzie and it would drive me nuts not to be able to see them on a somewhat regular basis. 26 hours one way drive is a little much for a long weekend :)

I am certainly not waiting around for either company to get back to me. Come Monday you can bet that I will be back on the web, looking at job websites, and faxing off more resumes.

More to come.....

[maan]

I know when I started out decades+ ago, I was prepared to do whatever it took to get that first coupla years experience after a fresh licence; available on call 24/7 etc..

Worked with an agency, pay was lousy, hrs irregular, drove whatever.. & i'm talking 5 tons..

Young & single helped..

Not much demand (or good jobs/pay/hrs) out there with a fresh licence, in good times.

[Mercenary]

So things are going slowly it seems. There always seems to be something that comes up to change the direction of the search these days. This time it happens to be my wife. She is a paramedic here in our lovely little province of BC. Paramedics who live and work in the sticks (like we do) don't tend to make alot of money. It is downright criminal how little she makes. Anyway she decided that a change was needed. As a result she plans on taking a job in another town about 5 hrs away for more money and, more importantly, more experience.

So what does that mean for me? Well, for starters, it makes things difficult as far as looking for work in other provinces and towns. With us owning a house here in Mackenzie and her needing to rent a place where she will be working in the future I need to focus my search more locally. We would not be able to afford the mortgage here on the house and then pay rent for two apartments elsewhere. We would be paying close to 2500 a month just in rent and mortgage payments which is too much at this juncture.

Another aspect that I will need to really look at is getting a camp job. This would likely be our best bet simply because it eliminates the costs associated with maintaining 3 households essentially.

Obviously I could look for work in the new town where my wife will be at. And this will be something I will look at once she gets out there and established in her new job. I don't know what kind of job prospects there are out there as it wasn't one of the areas of the province I was focused on. Time will tell what it will tell.

More to come....

[Mercenary]

My wife and I will be taking a trip tomorrow out to the new 'town' to check out her new surroundings. Its a small town that has been hit fairly hard by the economic crisis. However that doesn't mean that there isn't an abundance of work for her out there. Some jobs are in demand no matter what the economic climate is.

So I have found that in order to be successful in any job search you need to back up your actions. What I mean by that is just emailing and faxing out resumes isn't enough sometimes to bring about good job prospects. Don't get me wrong, there certainly is times where you will only be able to fax or email but oftentimes you need to do more to get that choice job you are looking for. A follow up phone call will go a long ways in opening doors that might not be available at the time. Finding a company you want to work for and pursuing a job there with effort will garner results eventually IMO. If you have the time and the money, a personal visit to the terminal or office should put you on top of the list of potential candidates providing you hold the proper qualifications yourself.

To that end I have been quite busy over the last couple of days. Unfortunately I have been playing telephone tag with a couple company reps but that should work itself out eventually. A quick phone call to the right person also lets them know that you haven't given up and are still interested in a position there. One phone call to a pipe haul company in Grande Prairie let me know that things have slowed down there a bit and they aren't hiring right now but they should be in the near future. Time will tell. Another phone call to a company in Ft St John got me a promise of a return call by Monday. That prospect remains the most promising right now as it is a camp job, 14 days in and 7 out, and still close to town so I can come home on my days off. I am hopeful that something happens there.

More to come.....

[Mercenary]

So the Ft St John job is a bust. I called the guy this morning and I said....

"So I guess since you didn't get back to me that means there's nothing going on eh?"

Yep. Nothing. He didn't call back as promised on Monday so I knew something was up. So frustrating.

So now I am concentrating on getting my FAST card. Just another feather in my cap for when I look for jobs. Having the FAST card will open up so many more doors than I had previously. Perhaps it will even translate into a job in southern Saskatchewan hauling crude.

More to come....

[Mercenary]

I cannot stress enough the importance of getting job information straight from the horses mouth. Oftentimes a recruiter or potential employer will gloss things up if they want to hire you. Promises of a certain level of pay or fixed amounts of hometime can cloud the judgment of even the most savvy veteran. Then reality hits. The job is nowhere near as lucrative as they made it out to be. Disappointment and financial ruin abounds.

OK, maybe it wouldn't be that harsh. However the dissatisfaction one feels when you expect one thing and get another can be crippling. I've been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. I thought I went in with my eyes wide open only to find that the job itself was not what I really wanted or expected.

If you have the opportunity to sit down with current employees of a company that you are looking to hire on with then, by all means, DO SO. They can provide insight into what the job will be like and what kind of money you can expect. Ask as many questions you can think of pertaining to the job. Most folks won't have a problem telling you like it is and what will be expected of you in the field.

More to come.....

[Mercenary]

My FAST card adventure.....

So it was almost painless. You have to factor in the 24 hour round trip to get it but it all went smoothly. Initially I was concerned that I needed a passport to cross the border and I even went so far as to cancel my first interview because I didn't have a passport. However a quick call to the NEXUS/FAST office in Blaine settled that. My birth certificate and commercial drivers license would be just fine.

Once I crossed the border, the FAST office was right there. I pulled in 15 mins early. I ended up waiting about a half an hour for the interview as the place was fairly busy. The actual interview was short and mainly consisted of the guard explaining the FAST rules and taking my picture and fingerprints. He was wondering why I was getting a FAST card because I am unemployed but once I explained that companies were looking to hire FAST card drivers he seemed OK with that.

That was it. I crossed back into Canada and proceeded 12 hours in a northernly direction. The card should show up in a couple of weeks.

More to come............

[Pipeman]

I tried to buy out Slurry cementers in the early 80's but someone else got them and that's when the name was changed to Sanjel.

[Mercenary]

They've grown a wee bit since the early 80's eh Pipeman. Sanjel's gone international in the last few years or so.

Its a good company but there just wasn't enough driving time for me to go back there.

[Pipeman]

When I tried buying them from Lyle Abraham they only had about 10 trucks.

[Mercenary]

Its been fairly quiet over the last few days. Prospects right now seem to be slim. I've nearly worn out my fax machine faxing out resumes all over the country side. Its tough not having a great deal of experience when looking for work.

I'm still waiting on my FAST card but it has only been a few days since the interview. There are a couple of carriers that I have looked at seriously lately. Challenger Motor Freight and Bison both have opportunities right now but I haven't heard back yet. H&R seems to be looking for guys but what they say on the web site and what their recruiters say are two different things.

More to come.....:duh1:

[Mercenary]

I have to admit that I am a wee bit frustrated this week. Sometimes things conspire against you to keep you from what could be a great job. Take, for instance, the opportunity I had up in a little northern BC town called Ft. Nelson. A company is looking to fill a seasonal bulk driving position. A job that I have experience in. However they do not provide accommodations or have any lines on places to stay in town. That would leave me with the only option of renting an apartment. An expensive proposition in Ft Nelson. Furnished 1 bedroom apartments are going for over a grand a month. Unfurnished is cheaper but still expensive. Add that cost to the mortgage I carry on my home here in Mackenzie and it quickly becomes unprofitable even at the 25 dollars an hour the company is willing to pay.

I had applied for the job at the company website thinking that if it is a seasonal gig they must provide some sort of housing for their guys. Not the case.

So here I stay. Willing but unable to afford to work in Ft. Nelson for the winter.

More to come.....

[Mercenary]

So I want to give a shout out to all you truckers and trucker wannabee's (like me) for a Happy Halloween. I hope you got all the candy you can handle.

I thought I might talk a bit about what it is like in the oil patch. Now I only have 10 months worth of experience and I am by no means an expert in anything out there but I did do the job for a bit. It is definitely not for everyone. I worked for an oil field service company called Sanjel. I started out in the Fracturing department. Fracturing is where you pump sand or other prop-pants down a well to widen cracks and fissures in between gas or oil pockets to allow them to flow better into the well. This is big business and can turn marginally producing wells into high producers depending on the formation you are pumping into. It also pays quite well. I made some of the best money in my life fracturing and I am a certified Millwright. Fraccing money beat Millwright money hands down. I began work with Sanjel on the Iron truck, which is to say the low guy on the totem pole on a frac crew. The work was very labour intensive for a guy like me who isn't in the best shape. Lifting and lugging heavy iron was not my idea of fun. After a couple of weeks I moved on to the sand trucks. I hauled sand to the locations and usually put it into big storage trailers called Sand Basses. Drove my first set of super bees doing this job here.

Still, I just wasn't driving enough and my body couldn't hack all the heavy lifting I had to do. To most of you guys it probably sounds like I am whining but I am just telling you like it is.

Anyway I decided to move from Fracturing over into the Cement division. Cementing is a totally different animal. When a rig drills a hole in the ground they insert pipe into that hole to act as the oil well or gas well. That pipe needs to be cemented into place and that is where we came in. I drove a bulk cement truck hauling upwards of 30 tons of cement at a time. We usually only hauled about 25 tons but I had a few of the 30's. Again we would drive to location, rig in heavy iron ( but not as heavy as frac iron) and do the job. Usually quick and usually easy. Good money too. Cementing was a lot of fun for me but I was convinced that I could get more miles under my belt if I moved over to the Nitrogen division.

Nitrogen was a different game again. You never really knew where you stood when you worked nitrogen. For starters you could be working with the frac crews OR the coil tubing crews. The job could take 1 hour or 55 hours (my record for being stuck on location) It was a strange job. Plenty of heavy lifting when rigging in (my 'favorite') While I was there it seemed like there were a lot of screw ups. Nitrogen pumps left on only to burn out. Equipment not taken care of. Truck chains so stretched out that they were useless and on and on. It was just really sketchy in my opinion. Lots of unhappy people in this division too which makes it hard on everyone. I will say this about nitrogen though. Its clean and really simple to work with. Its a cryogenic fluid so you need to wear your protective gear but once you get the gist of it, its all smooth.

When we weren't in the field we were expected to be in the shop. This drove me crazy. Taking off wheels, replacing brakes, and doing work that the mechanics should have done is not my idea of a good time. It always seemed to me that we were fixing crap that others didn't want to deal with. To top it all off, you could be in the shop doing mechanic work all day and then you might get called out in the middle of the night for a job. It was a goofy setup. Why Sanjel subjected their drivers to that kind of treatment is beyond me. We had enough on our plates to deal with.

So, in closing.....oil patch service work is not for everyone. It certainly wasn't a good fit for me. There simply wasn't enough every day driving activity to keep me interested. There were plenty of policies and rules that I disagreed with and not enough respect given or earned. If you enjoy heavy lifting, chaining up every drive on your truck to run in deep mud, sitting on locations for hours on end, and dealing with young guys who think they know it all then you might like the oil patch. However, if you are like me and like driving day in and day out then I would advise you skip the patch.

More to come....

[Mercenary]

Some companies out there don't care what kind of driving experience you have received over the course of your working career. However there are some out there that don't want to consider you for a position in their company because you don't have the 'right' kind of experience. For some it is a no brainer. Would you want a OTR driver running down logging roads hauling logs? Would you want a chip hauler pulling liquid dangerous goods loads?

Most of us here are more than capable of hauling these loads with a little practice. However there are still going to be companies out there who won't look at you because you don't have that experience. I was recently turned down for a job because I didn't have Van experience. Who cares that I drove loaded bulk tankers down some of the worst roads known to man, I didn't have what they wanted and that was that.

Economic times are also a good indicator as to why a company might turn you down as well. If there is a glut of qualified drivers out there, a company doesn't need to train up a rookie when they can hire someone who has done the job before. Really, if driver A shows up at your reefer company door with 10 years OTR reefer experience why would they even look at a guy with a years worth of tanker experience unless they absolutely had to. Heck, even I would hire the guy who was better qualified. That is the way the game works.

What we as new drivers are responsible for is finding that company out there who is willing to give rookies a shot. If you want to haul tankers then you need to focus on tank truck companies. If OTR is where you want to be, then you need to hit up the OTR companies big and small. Common sense.

Now there is always going to be a time when you can't always get what you want. Sometimes you need to take a job that might not be ideal at the time but you have to pay the bills. These jobs are valuable and you will gain irreplaceable experience in the long run. You might even find that you like whatever section of the industry you find yourself in at the time.

On a different note. I was happy to find my FAST card in my mailbox today. That was....well....pretty FAST :) Having that will open up a few more opportunities for sure.

More to come...

[Mercenary]

Nothing much happening on the home front these days. I am getting plenty bored watching the tube and wandering around on the net. At least the time off has given me the opportunity to tackle some projects around the house.

I am getting a bit concerned that companies are bypassing me because I have been out of work for so long. It may be that they look for folks with the most recent experience first and foremost. I have no way of confirming this though, its just a feeling because the phone has been so quiet for so long.

Still keeping my chin up though.

More to come....

[Mercenary]

Zilch, Nada, nothing. That has been my phone for the past week. Follow up phone calls have gone unanswered. Resumes disappear into cyberspace.

There seems to be plenty of jobs out there for the driver who has 2-3 years experience. However, what no one can tell you is how the green guy can get those golden two years under his or her belt. This was probably a lot easier when times were good and there was a so called DRIVER shortage out there but without the freight moving like it used to it can be a nightmare finding a reputable company to drive for.

I guess if one way of doing things isn't gleaning any results then it is time to change the approach. Not too sure what I am going to do differently but I have to do something before I go stir crazy due to boredom.

[Annie]

I have over twenty years experience in this industry on the operations side. Not as a driver. However, I am working on that ticket now. I know some awesome drivers. What I have to say to you is, keep an open mind and make yourself more available. Even I know that for about two or three years, I can't tell people what I want, no matter who I know, I have to do what they want. I know guys that live 8-10 hours from their home terminal and live out of their truck when they are away from home. No hotels or apartments. Kinda the whole point of having a bunk. Part of the job. I sympathise with you, don't get me wrong. My license is coming easy to me from working with all those awesome drivers I have worked beside.

[Mercenary]

So I hit the 4 trucking companies up again this morn. Well, I attempted to talk to them anyway. 2 were shut down for whatever reason. Kinda slow I guess. Anyway there is a faint glimmer of hope with one of the smaller outfits. I might get an opportunity to run a dump truck for a while which won't hurt my feelings at all. 25 bucks an hour and all in town local work. Hopefully I will find out in the next couple of days.

If that doesn't pan out I plan on focusing my attention on Challenger Motor Freight. These guys actually wanted to hire me last year as a newbie fresh out of school. I decided to take the job with Sanjel instead because it was much closer to home. The experience I gained working at Sanjel is invaluable and it was the right move at the time given the circumstances.

DCT Chambers is also a slim possibility as they are looking for 4 guys in Prince George right now. I have faxed them my resume about 5 times now with no hits. Its difficult getting the guy in charge of hiring on the phone but I'll keep at it.

More to come....

[Mercenary]

So there are things happening now. My wife spoke to one of her paramedic friends who just happens to own a couple of trucks. One is sitting idle in his yard because he can't find anyone to run it. I guess the people he has talked to don't want to go long haul. She said I would jump at the chance to go long haul and she was right. Spoke to him this afternoon and passed off a copy of my Resume and abstract.

California, Arizona and back to the great white north. How perfect would that be. That FAST card of mine is looking better and better :)

Time will tell. Its up to him now I guess.

More to come....

[ralph]

That would be a sudden change...positive though. Hope it works for you, remember California does just about EVERYTHING different than the rest of the normal world!

[hellcat_99]

That would be a sudden change...positive though. Hope it works for you, remember California does just about EVERYTHING different than the rest of the normal world!

& then some Ralph.
Good for you. I hope you get the job. It's a great run. I love Phoenix. Had to spend New Year's there a couple of yr's ago.:dont_know::devil[1]:
Holly

[Mercenary]

So a bit of an update....

Everything looks good as far as me being hired on with this fellow my wife met. It sounds like he wants to semi retire from trucking and commit to being a paramedic full time. I can run the truck for as long as I want and when I need a break, he'll take over. There are a couple of formalities left to take care of. He wants to speak to the company he is hired on with to see if my lack of experience will be an issue. If they give the OK then I need to do a drug test and I am in. He wants to do a few runs with me to show me the ropes which only makes sense.

The main run is from Edmonton to California, back up to Vancouver, and then up to Edmonton. The truck is an 06 Pete but I am not sure of the model.

Hopefully I find out one way or another on Monday.

Fingers crossed......

[Mercenary]

Arg! More hoops to jump through. Buddy talked to the safety officer of the company he is working for and he says that it is up to the insurance company if I get the ok to drive for him. Then its off to Calgary for a road test and drug test. So much red tape. I just want to go back to work. I guess its a good sign that he keeps calling to keep me in the loop.

There is another company I am looking at as well. They have a branch right here in town but they need guys with 3 years off highway experience. The branch manager would like to hire me as right now they are hiring guys from out of town because they can't find local guys. His hands are tied because of the 3 year requirement. I plan on speaking with the operations manager on Thursday to see if there is something he can do about the requirement.

On a related note, there is a gold/copper mine right near my home town that just got the environmental go ahead. Construction to start in the spring of 2010 with production starting in 2012. Good news for truckers as all the ore is to be hauled to the rail head about 40 miles away. Hey Gummie, come out west for a trucking job!!

It still looks like things are hopping in southern Saskatchewan too. Its a long way to go for work but I am pretty well willing to go wherever it takes.

More to come......

[Gummiente]

Hey Gummie, come out west for a trucking job!!BC is just a bit too far west for me, Sask is my home province. :) Gotta stay in Ontario for now, the wife has too plum of a job to give up.

[Gummiente]

deleted by Gummiente

[Mercenary]

I am nothing in this industry, but honestly, you make me want to puke wanna be driver.

That's a little weird?? I do hope that wasn't intended for me.:blue[1]:

[Gummiente]

That's a little weird?? I do hope that wasn't intended for me.
It wasn't, Merc. Check your PM's.

[Mercenary]

So I had the opportunity to speak to the operational manager at the local trucking company today. He was straight up with me and explained that because the drivers were unionized his hands were tied too. They require 3 years experience and if they bent the rules for me then they would have to bend the rules for all the new hires.

So it was a bit of a disappointment. However I did get a call back on another outfit who is looking for drivers with 1 year minimum. It would be hauling chips and I would have to move to the big city but I will definitely take it if offered.

I still haven't had a call back from my long haul buddy. I know he was headed to California so it might be a few days before I hear from him.

I also bit the bullet yesterday and applied for a Millwright job at one of the local sawmills here in town. They are just in the process of starting up again after a long lay-off and undoubtedly lost many of their tradesmen. Haven't heard anything back yet but a guy has to do what a guy has to do.

So if it comes down between the trucking or the Millwright career....well the trucking will win hands down. I will go back to Millwrighting only as a stop gap and keep trying to get my trucking career on the road.

More to come....(the saga continues)

[Mercenary]

I have just discovered that due to working in the forest industry for many years I am entitled to some government money to put towards education. This isn't really news to me as I always knew the money was available. What I didn't know is that I was entitled to some even with 2 great skillsets. I assumed it was for the workers who didn't have the chance to gain an apprenticeship or other highly marketable skill while working in the lumber industry.

I am thinking of taking some distance learning courses. Well, one course in particular has piqued my interest. I can find out Monday about the cost and the requirements.

This is a bit of a shift from my current career path. I think I am doing everything I can to find a driving job but it just is not happening. Some might say 'be patient'.....well its been 7 months and counting. A guy has got to work.

I love trucks. However I need to do something to move forward.

More to come....

[red_5.0]

Have you ever considered moving to where there are jobs? Mainly the larger metropolitan areas? There's always highway work to consider too.

Not a dig, but after 7 months, you do what you have to do. Sacrifice is not easy.

[Mercenary]

Red: That is a good point. Moving would most likely solve my job problem. However it opens up a host of others. Mainly what to do with my house. Prices have dropped so drastically here that we now owe more than it is worth. Anywhere I go I will need to rent a place and that will set me back between 6 to 8 hundred a month plus utilities. Plus I would have to come up with first and last months rent and perhaps a damage deposit. We also have two big dogs to worry about as well. Moving is just not that simple.

We will do it eventually. It is pretty well a given that I need to get out of town. We just need to get all of our ducks in a row before it happens. We would like to move on good terms and somehow keep the bank off our back in regards to the mortgage but I will give the house back to the bank if it comes right down to that.

[Gummiente]

but I will give the house back to the bank if it comes right down to that.
I truly hope for your sake that doesn't happen.

As for moving to chase down a job, I don't envy you that. I had to do it last year; in March of '08 I started my new Millwright job and we sold our house, moved up here and bought a new one. Then this past June I got permanently laid off.
:duh2[1]:

[bikerboy]

I truly hope for your sake that doesn't happen.

As for moving to chase down a job, I don't envy you that. I had to do it last year; in March of '08 I started my new Millwright job and we sold our house, moved up here and bought a new one. Then this past June I got permanently laid off.
:duh2[1]:

at least you are in southern ontario, which is the heart of the canada-US trade industry, your only problem right now is experience. I have 6 years experience now and jobs practically fall in my lap, and i get called and offered good jobs.

so thats something to look forward too.

[ralph]

at least you are in southern ontario, which is the heart of the canada-US trade industry, your only problem right now is experience. I have 6 years experience now and jobs practically fall in my lap, and i get called and offered good jobs.

so thats something to look forward too.

If I had $17.00 an hour job offers like you BB to look forward to I'd turn my phone off!

[bikerboy]

If I had $17.00 an hour job offers like you BB to look forward to I'd turn my phone off!

i get more then that, 20 currently and my living is cheap.

[Pipeman]

i get more then that, 20 currently and my living is cheap.If all I made today was $20.00 an hour, I'd live damn cheap too.

[Gummiente]

If all I made today was $20.00 an hour, I'd live damn cheap too.
I was making $21hr for a 44hr work week at my last Millwright job. :noclue:

[Pipeman]

I was making $21hr for a 44hr work week at my last Millwright job. :noclue:True, but did you have to eat in restaurants? Or did you go home after work?

[bikerboy]

what does that have to do with anything?? i go home at night too, and you said 20 was not enough, and now you are saying 21 is enough for a millwright??

[Pipeman]

what does that have to do with anything?? i go home at night too, and you said 20 was not enough, and now you are saying 21 is enough for a millwright??

What area do you live in what area does he live in??

Cost of living in yours and his area have a lot to do with it.

You say you have 6 years experience, why in hell would you work for $20.00 an hour???

You must like the lifestyle because you sure as hell couldn't raise a family on $20.00 an hour.

For 6 years experince and no claims, no tickets etc, you're selling yourself way too short.

When you see these fellows that are working on pipelines in southern Ontario, they get paid a much higher rate and if they have to report to work further than 40 kms. away from their home, they get a Tax Free Subsistence Allowance of $150.00 a day paid 7 days a week whether they work 7 days or not.

Base that on a 10 hour day which is what they normally work and they get $15.00 an hour net just live on. 7 X $150.00 = $1,050.00 a week.

[bikerboy]

unless i move to the city, no one pays more around here, well maybe the milk haulers do, but you have to work wknds doing that.

and cost of living is fairly cheap here.

[Pipeman]

I recall a customer telling me one time that my rates were very high.

I replied, "Im here to make money, Ive already got friends".

I had good equipment, provided above average service and got paid high rates for the combination.

[Mercenary]

I have to say that its a pretty crappy world we live in if a guy can't make ends meet at 20 bucks an hour. Mind you it might be an alright life if you can make a go of it. 20 bucks an hour at 8 hrs a day over 5 days a week. 800 a week which is 3200 a month. Minus about 40% for taxes and you take home 2 grand a month. Now if you can bump that up to 10 hours a day times 6 days a week...then you are taking home nearly 3 grand a month with 40% tax.

So 20 bucks an hour can work given the right situation. Might not work for everyone, that's for sure, but it would be ok for me.

[SpiritRoad]

So 20 bucks an hour can work given the right situation. Might not work for everyone, that's for sure, but it would be ok for me.

It would sure work for me better than the ZERO bucks per hour I'm making now. :flyswat[1]:In 2006 I was making around $19.25 an hour and life was pretty good. It depends on your personal requirements.

Dave

[Mercenary]

So I remain in limbo until after the holidays. I need to go to Calgary for a road test and drug test for a job with an O/O who is working for a company there. It would be a sweet gig as it sounds like a dedicated run from Calgary to the States and back with a few stops in between. The O/O is a paramedic and wants to do that pretty well full time while I drive his truck.

However the safety officer is the one who does the road testing and he isn't back to work until the 30th.

The money for retraining ex forestry workers is there. I just need to take it. However I am going to wait until I find out what happens with this O/O. If this job falls through then I am definitely going back to school. My class 1 license isn't going to disappear so I can get retrained in something else and try for some local work in the spring or so. The economy is still down the tubes here so maybe when it picks back up again there will be more opportunity locally.

[Gummiente]

Merc, would you consider working as a driver for the Vancouver Olympics? I just found this listing on DriverLink (http://www.driverlink.com/mydl/results/jobdetails.asp?From=Search&IsProspects=0&DJId=9371&JobPostingID=9376).

[Mercenary]

Certainly I would go down there for that job. I'd be great. They pay for everything.

Looks like they want 2 years bus driving experience but if they get desperate enough they might look at guys with less.

Thanks for the heads up Gummie:18_1_35[1]:

Well. Just gave them a call and the 2 year minimum is mandatory. I'll keep my eye on it though. As they get closer to 'go time' they might lower their standards. LOL

[Mercenary]

I just spoke with the O/O who I am trying to gain employment with. I needed him to answer a couple of questions for me to help me make my mind up as to wether or not I was going to work for him. I liked the answers he gave me. Now I kept in mind that he might just be trying to paint a rosy picture so I would hop on board but if it turns out to be the way he says it is then it should be a good gig.

I specifically asked him about handbombing loads and he said he doesn't do it at all. The shipper and receiver always use fork lifts. He might help out every now and again if a pallet falls over but that is usually taken care of by the receiver.

He wants to pay me 40 cents a mile. I told him that if I can bring home 2 g's a month then I'd be happy. He is confident I will be making more than that.

The company supplies the fuel cards and log books. I kinda expected that already but its good to find out for sure.

I also asked him how many pick ups and drops can I expect to be doing for a typical load. He told me that the most pick ups he has ever done is 9 for a load and he only makes one drop. The receiver takes everything he hauls.

He also told me that they are really busy. More loads than trucks right now. He also picked up a new steady run into Arizona so how cool will that be in the middle of February eh!

So hopefully, HOPEULLY I can get the road test out of the way early in the new year and I'll be off.

More to come.......

[ralph]

How much time (once you are loaded) are you allowed to get to Calgary? That would be an important question.

[Mercenary]

You know Ralph I didn't even think about that one....that is a good question. I'll ask him that next time I speak with him.

[Gummiente]

Good luck, Merc! I'm looking forward to hearing good news.

[ralph]

Nogales, Az to Cowtown is 1725 miles. You will need a re-set at some point in time on a round trip so you would have to make it before you load your produce in Nogales. Let's also say for example that your complete first day (Monday) is used up (14 hour clock) deadheading from del to p/u and sitting @ the dock to load. So you take your mandatory 10 hour break and you have available hours on your book and you're ready to roll, it's Tuesday morning. At the VERY BEST you are going to be in Calgary Thursday evening/night, the produce has been on your truck since Monday afternoon...I don't know a whole lot about the produce biz BUT I don't think they are going to settle for that in Calgary.

Rodeo Joe, it's only 100 miles further to Vancouver...would that be acceptable for your customer?

Mercenary, I am NOT trying to beat you up...I have sent you links to jobs in your area to try and find you work. I just don't want to see you end up in a pile if MANURE!

Is my thinking flawed...anyone?

[Mercenary]

No worries there Ralph. That's why I hang out here. You guys have the knowledge when it comes to this kind of stuff.

The O/O I am talking to seems to be doing alright for himself anyway. He isn't driving team and seems to be making his deliveries just fine. I know that this might not be the most ideal job out there but the experience will be priceless down the road if I can make a go of it.

Ultimately my goal is to be hauling fuel or other bulk commodities up north here. Runs into the Yukon, NWT, Alberta and northern BC would be right up my alley. Some sort of ore haul would be great too. However that same old nemesis keeps popping up. The lack of experience really hinders a guy but it seems most prevalent in the trucking industry. I am aware that you have to put up with some crap sometimes in order to get where you really want to be.

[Pipeman]

Nogales, Az to Cowtown is 1725 miles. You will need a re-set at some point in time on a round trip so you would have to make it before you load your produce in Nogales. Let's also say for example that your complete first day (Monday) is used up (14 hour clock) deadheading from del to p/u and sitting @ the dock to load. So you take your mandatory 10 hour break and you have available hours on your book and you're ready to roll, it's Tuesday morning. At the VERY BEST you are going to be in Calgary Thursday evening/night, the produce has been on your truck since Monday afternoon...I don't know a whole lot about the produce biz BUT I don't think they are going to settle for that in Calgary.

Rodeo Joe, it's only 100 miles further to Vancouver...would that be acceptable for your customer?

Mercenary, I am NOT trying to beat you up...I have sent you links to jobs in your area to try and find you work. I just don't want to see you end up in a pile if MANURE!

Is my thinking flawed...anyone?

Very good advice Ralph.

[Mercenary]

Well the job with the O/O fell through. Turns out he had some issues with his truck and he's not sure he can afford to hire a driver after the repairs. Not too sure what happened as I was too disappointed to ask.

So I have decided to go back to school. I plan on enrolling for the fall semester at the college in Prince George. It means going back into maintenance but sometimes you just got to bite the bullet and take things as they come. I'll still try and put the class 1 to good use with seasonal jobs and maybe I can pick up some work on the weekends but for now the OTR plan is on indefinite hold. I can take solace in the fact that the tuition will be paid by the worker retraining program.

See you on the roads guys. This is my last blog entry.

[Gummiente]

Merc, that truly sucks. I wish things had worked out better for you, but it seems the economy just isn't ready yet. I hope that some day we'll meet, when we do I'll buy the coffee.

Stay safe, my friend.

[Mercenary]

Well hold the phone.....

I know I said I wouldn't be posting here anymore but I do have an interview with a trucking company. Its an outfit up in Grande Prairie who mainly deals with nitrogen and CO2. I'd be maintaining their trailers, putting that Millwright ticket to good use.

Its not driving for now, but perhaps when things are hopping in the patch and my end is slow then I can get out for a few runs.

The interview is on Thursday so I'll let ya all know what happens:1hi5:

[Gummiente]

I'm rootin' for ya, man! :hi5[1]:

[Mercenary]

Well its all over but the cryin. Not sure when I will find out if I got the job but I should know by sometime next week.

Now the waitin starts.

[Mercenary]

So I didn't get the job.:blue[1]:

It's not all bad though. I talked to the manager there and he was saying that they should be hiring more drivers after breakup this year. Things are picking up again in the patch so it looks like they will be going all out again by this summer.

[Pipeman]

So I didn't get the job.:blue[1]:

It's not all bad though. I talked to the manager there and he was saying that they should be hiring more drivers after breakup this year. Things are picking up again in the patch so it looks like they will be going all out again by this summer.Personnaly, I don't see a turnaround until at least the fall of 2010.

[JReid]

Now the waitin starts?
Maybe it's time to relocate. NO MORE WAITIN for them to call.:map: Edmonton maybe?

[Mercenary]

Its just so tough to pull up stakes when you have to worry about a mortgage back home. I would love nothing more than to put this town behind me. Not because it is a bad place to live, quite the opposite but no gainful employment is tough to deal with. However when you can't sell a house for what you owe its hard to walk away.

We would need to cover 3 housing payments. The house here, my wife's apartment in Prince George and a place wherever I end up. The logical choice now is to go to Prince and try to find something there but then to find a place that will allow our two dogs is an entirely different matter.

I am still optimistic. I will find something that will suit my situation to a 'T'. For now I can afford to be picky and wait for the right job. Things are beginning to happen here in Mackenzie too. Logging has picked up as one of the major mills is putting on a second shift.

As the song says....the waitin is the hardest part.

[Mercenary]

As I kick my job search into overdrive I thought I might resurrect my blog for the time being....

I have a number of pokers in the fire now. However the common theme is experience, experience, experience. I just got off the phone with a chip truck company in Prince George and they want guys with chip truck experience. Well how the heck does a guy get chip truck experience if they won't hire newbies?

Bad news from Can Am. They tell me they have enough guys for the time being. They'll keep my resume on file if something shows up.

Break up is coming to the log haul industry. Talked to a local guy here in town with a few trucks and he said they had a piss poor winter. He barely kept his regular guys working so he isn't looking to hire right now. Perhaps in the summer.

Trying to stay local as we still have the house here in Mackenzie. House prices are creeping up so we are hopeful we can sell in the summer.

[Mercenary]

Made it down to Prince George today to hand out some resumes. Right now isn't the best time as spring break up is starting soon so many of the logging outfits are looking to lay guys off. It wasn't all bad as I got some face time with some dispatchers and picked up a couple more leads.

A few outfits gave me a flat out no due to my lack of experience. They couldn't tell me where I could gain some of that 'valuable' experience just that it wasn't their policy to hire newbies. Keep on truckin I guess.

[Mercenary]

Not too much happening on this front lately as spring break up is well and truly here. I'm going to attempt to get back into the oil patch over the summer but I need to lose that 50 lbs first. Wife's on board with the whole diet and gym thing so hopefully we can make it stick.

Probably head up to Grande Prairie mid-May or so to hand out some resumes. Checked all my patch tickets and they are good for another year yet.

[Mercenary]

Well it finally happened. I got a job and its a good one too. I'll be hauling Nitrogen and CO2 for a company in Grande Prairie called Ferus. They haul bulk tankers all over Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and the US. I will be sticking around the Grande Prairie area mostly.

Good money at 27.50 an hour. No shop days as all the trucks are taken care of by the mechanics. They do everything but the lights and the little things the drivers can take care of easily. They are even hiring a wash bay attendant. How cool is that?

We're guaranteed 120 hours a month even if you don't turn a wheel. Trucks are a hodgepodge of makes. KW, Petes, Freightliners...I saw many different badges in the yard.

Its a bit of a surprise because many of you know that its spring break up here in the north country. I didn't expect to hear from anyone in the patch until at least June. But the new boss figures they will be busy right through breakup this year so they need more guys.

I gotta say I'm looking forward to getting back behind the wheel.

:Trucker:

[ratfink]

Congrats Buddy, hard work always pay off.

[Mercenary]

I'm hoping Ferus can be my home for a while. Short of hauling ore from the local mines, tanker hauling is where I want my career to go. I just like them.

If it is a short term gig then it still counts for valuable experience.:hi5[1]:

[Mercenary]

So there are a couple of hoops to jump through before I can start work. First off is the drug test, which should be a no brainer. Never done drugs so unless they nail me for caffiene I should be fine there. I am a bit nervous about the road test as I haven't turned a wheel in nearly a year but I am confident it will come back quickly. I just have to remember what kind of vehicle I am in after all.

I plan on renting a furnished basement suite up in Grande Prairie. It is a bit more money a month but they usually include all utilities as well as perks like cable TV and the internet. I have a couple in mind already.

So I am at a bit of a stand still. Going to call Ferus tomorrow and see if I can schedule my roadtest for Tuesday. I need to get that out of the way before I commit to renting a place. It would suck if I signed a 6 month lease and not get the job because I failed the driving test....

[Mercenary]

I took Ferus's road test yesterday evening. It was kinda a whirlwind trip. I shot up to Grande Prairie and tried to look at some apartments while I waited for my road test appointment. I took a look at some potential candidates and finally settled on a one bedroom fully furnished suite in a nice neighborhood.

I got back to the Ferus shop at around 5:15 for my 5:30 appointment. The driver trainer had a guy on the road already so he wasn't ready until 6:30. Its getting late and I still have to drive back to Mackenzie. No big deal I suppose. Anyway we do our introductions and have a little chit chat before we head out to the truck for the test.

We're not going too far so we do a quick pre trip and find a couple items that need repair right off the bat. One of the braces for the dolly legs is cracked right trough and there are a couple other smaller items. The trainer says that the trailer will be put out of service once we finish the test because of the dolly leg, which only makes sense. This is one of their older units so there are a couple leaks and things that need to get fixed but won't put us out of service for our immediate concern.

So, back behind the wheel. The ol girl sports a series 60 Detroit and a 18 speed Eaton Fuller, a combination I am intimately familiar with. I am still a bit nervous because I haven't turned a wheel in almost a year. So into gear I go and away we go. It all came back to me. It was like I had never left. We drive through Grande Prairie and out to the highway. No issues. Shifts are smooth. Flow through traffic is good. Everything goes great.

We head down some of the dirt roads that surround Grande Prairie because he needs to gauge my off highway performance. I've never believed on beating up equipment on dirt roads so I drive like I normally would. The trainer is impressed and he doesn't think I am rusty at all. We're out for an hour and a half by the time we get back to the shop. He has me do a drivers side back up which is definitely not my strong suit and I struggle a bit there but nothing to write home about. My straight backing is spot on.

So afterwards he gives me the whole spiel about the company and what they are about. There are some aspects that I really like, mainly no shop days and the mechanics do all the servicing and heavy maintenance. The company also has a policy where your raises are built in to your accumulation of hours worked. Get past a certain number and you automatically get a raise. Full benefits after 3 months and a bunch of other perks I won't go into now.

So I am excited to get back behind the wheel. I have to do 8 days of classroom training starting on the 20th. I have my place up in GP. I'm ready to go.

[Pipeman]

I'm glad things are working out for you.

Good luck with the job and like I said, let me know when you get out this way and we'll have a brew.

[ralph]

I'm happy for you! Nothing like a new job to put a jump in your step.

[Mercenary]

Well day 2 is in the books and I have to say I am impressed so far. Ferus as a company is only 6 years old so they have a fairly modern fleet. Its a complete hodgepodge with Western Stars, Petes, Kenworths,and Freightliners. They have a bunch of brand new tractors in reserve right now waiting to go.

Right now we are day 2 of 7 of in class training. Things like Hours of service, TDG, WHMIS, and all that good stuff. I unfortunately discovered that my GODI ticket is no good but Ferus is putting me through the course on the 5th.

Ferus is a transport company first and a N2 and CO2 producer second. All the emphasis is on the drivers and our safety. There seems to be a big push on in my little section of the patch focused on safety. Of course that puts huge responsibility on the drivers but that is the way it should be though. We will be running cycle 1 and when you are houred out, you are done for 36 hours. Period. No questions asked. If dispatch is being difficult we have a 24 hr direct line to the compliance officer and he said to use it. Time will tell, of course, but I am really hopeful that this is the case.

Lots of differences between Ferus and my old company. I have a buddy from my Sanjel days working with us at Ferus and he really likes it. Tells me its like night and day between the two. You can run hard for 5 days and hour out...take 36 hours off to reset and then keep going, OR you can try and set the pace a bit and stretch it out over the 15 day work schedule. Point is there is a bit of control as to how hard a guy can run.

I like it today. Six months down the road I might hate it. I hope not because there is a lot going on behind the scenes that a guy can get in on the ground floor if he minds his p's and q's.

I'm hoping for a long career.

[Pinner]

You can run hard for 5 days and hour out...take 36 hours off to reset and then keep going, OR you can try and set the pace a bit and stretch it out over the 15 day work schedule. Point is there is a bit of control as to how hard a guy can run.


You need 24hrs off after 70 right?

[Mercenary]

Ferus wants us to take 36 hours off for a reset. I thought it was 24 too but that's the way they work things....

Lots of stuff to learn lately. That Quallcomm is going to take some getting used to because of all the different macros we use on a day to day basis. Its easier for guys who are a bit more computer savvy though.

Talked to all sorts of drivers too and, for the most part, the feedback about the company has been positive. Making good money running the 7 day/70 hour cycle. Good benefits and so on...

[Pipeman]

It won't take you long to get used to the Qualcom.

[Mercenary]

Well all the in class training is over and I spent a week on the road training with a fellow driver. We tried to maximize our days and we houred out in 5 days. Management put all us new drivers in the C02 division which is a bit of a departure from hauling Nitrogen. Lots of miles as we load out of Ft Saskatchewan, Rimbey and Elmworth.

Got to train in a brand new 2011 Peterbuilt tri drive with the Cummins motor. Very nice truck. We put on about 3 thousand klicks in 5 days which were mostly highway miles. Most of the oil patch leases we are delivering to right now are close to the highway so we aren't spending too much time off highway.

Delivering a load is great and quite a bit different to what I was used to with Sanjel. With Sanjel you'd head out to a lease site and could be stuck there for days while the pumper truck took a load off you once every 12 hours or so. Ferus is strictly load and go so we usually are on and off a lease within an hour or so. Longest time spent on location with Sanjel was 55 hours. With Ferus....1.5 hours :)

Everyone I have worked with seems to be relaxed and laid back. Most are eager to show us newbies how things are done which makes working with the guys that much easier.

Day one of 6 days off and I am already looking forward to getting back at it.

[ralph]

Day one of 6 days off and I am already looking forward to getting back at it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6dsBHXzvSs

Red Sovine sang about your ailment.....LOL!

[Pinner]

Back to the oil patch eh, 2 sets of triples and still spinning up the hill.. tridem load. One thing nice with Ferus, you won't have to drive around in a convoy like all them other idiots in the frac buisness...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frLISM0uKPM&feature=channel

[Mercenary]

Yea that is nice Pinner. That video you posted is right on the money. Makes those ice road truckers look like sissies!!

There is still plenty of work going on even though it is 'break up'. I guess Encana wants to shut down for a week here in a bit just to take a break. Not too sure if it is going to happen or not but time will tell.

[Mercenary]

So Encana has shut down their operations for a week. I'm not really all that happy as I have been sitting here in town doing nothing for two days so far. However we do have a couple of other jobs on the go so I am hopeful that I will get the call to go out sometime tomorrow. If not, its not a big deal as I am still getting paid. Quite a difference though....if I was still with Sanjel I would be required to be in the shop working on trucks all day instead of having the day to myself with Ferus.

I learned a neat little tidbit the other day about one of the copper-gold mines near my hometown. They are set to shut down production sometime in 2011 after they run out of ore. They did a bunch of work on another ore body not too far from the original a few years back and were all set to start mining that one when the mine application was denied due to big time environmental concerns. Well now they are considering mining underground as opposed to open pit mining which is much more environmentally responsible. Anyway this means that the mine life could be extended for another 20 years. That's 20 more years of trucking the ore from the mine to Mackenzie. Good trucking jobs to be had if that is indeed the case.

There is also another copper-gold project on the go which is much closer to my hometown. I'm not too sure how they plan on getting the ore out of there or even where they plan on hauling it but its a hope that they will haul it all to Mackenzie. More good trucking jobs :)

THEN there is always the possibility of hauling wood chips from the sawmills that are just starting to come back on line in Mackenzie. Even more good trucking jobs.

A lot of things need to come together before any of this stuff happens but its good to keep an open mind.

[Pinner]

Spring breakup will be on for another 4-6 weeks, then things will slowly start picking up... A dry summer, a wet summer ? If it's wet, it will be slow, if it's too wet to build a lease or move a rig... It will be slow.

Only 11% of the Alberta rigs are drilling right now, if Ferus has all the drivers they need for the winter now, don't expect to have a busy summer.

[Mercenary]

Not too worried about the rigs drilling right now Pinner. Thats future work. We deal with fracturing all the stuff they drilled over the last year or so. Still plenty of sites need fracking. There is supposedly a huge backlog of wells that need to be fracked right now so I think we will be really busy here.

Time will tell.....

[Pinner]

We deal with fracturing all the stuff they drilled over the last year or so. Still plenty of sites need fracking. There is supposedly a huge backlog of wells that need to be fracked right now so I think we will be really busy here.


Normaly a well is drilled, completed, tied in, and put into production in quick sucession without any delays... Maybe they want to frac, (refrac) new zones on existing wells, perforate the shale zone and frac for shale gas production...

[Mercenary]

Thats just it. There were consultants waiting between 3-4 months waiting for frac crews over the last year or so. Combine that with all the zones you have to frac these days because you just don't do one frac anymore equals a lot of work backlogged.....

Frikken frack :)

[liner]

I know nothing about the oil patch...so what the heck is fracking??

[ralph]

I know nothing about the oil patch...so what the heck is fracking??

Kind of like "fricking" only different!

[Mercenary]

Liner, when they drill a well (oil or natural gas) they drill into zones. The oil or gas is contained in all these little pockets situated throughout the zones. To get the most production out of a well, the energy company will have the well 'fractured' which basically means pumping a fracturing agent down the well at high pressures to break up all the rocks in the formation. Fracturing creates cracks in the formation allowing the oil or gas to flow into the well and into production piping. To keep these cracks open and keep the oil or gas flowing they will pump down the hole a 'proppant' which is a fancy term for sand. Not your ordinary 'run of the mill' sand though, it can be all sorts of different granular material. Anyway, this sand keeps the cracks open and the oil or gas flowing. I think Pinner has a lot more experience at it so he might be able to explain it better but that is what 'Fracking' is in a nutshell.

The energy companies also use huge volumes of nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide to get better results as well. That is where Ferus comes into the picture. We haul liquid C02 or N2 to the well site and pump it into huge storage vessels called 'Queens'. N2 (nitrogen) expands to 700 times its original volume so when the liquid is pumped down the hole, it expands which greatly increases the pressures in the fracking process. C02 performs similarly. N2 and C02 are used because they are inert gases which means they won't co-mingle with anything else down hole to produce a nastier substance.

Obviously there is a bit more to the whole process but that's it in a nutshell.

[Pinner]

There were consultants waiting between 3-4 months waiting for frac crews over the last year or so.

Well if there has been a shortage of iron for a year already they will really be waiting once Horn River and Montey get going full speed.

Are they rigging up new iron ??

[Mercenary]

You know.....I'm not sure what exactly is going on. I do know that Sanjel was in the Horn all last winter doing big jobs up there and I know that we have a ****load of work in the Tomslake and Rolla areas with Encana and Murphy. I also see all sorts of rigs parked in various laydown yards all around GP.

The powers that be keep telling us to gear up for a busy summer and the winter is supposed to be retardedly busy.....

Again, time will tell. Sure wouldn't hurt my feelings to have a busy couple of years or so....

[Pinner]

You working lots or what? Wondering how much N2 Co2 they need for those real big fracs? Some of them use 10-15,000 M3 of water.

[Mercenary]

Its slllllooooooowwwwwww right now. We parked a bunch of queens on a lease near Tomslake a few weeks ago. The size of the queen directly correlates to the number of cubes needed for the frac. We had 10 60 ton queens up there for a total of 600 cubes. Now you have to take into account the rate of expansion of liquid C02 when it converts to gas so that is like 150 thousand cubes.....

I could be wrong on the expansion rate but it wouldn't be any less than 150 thousand....

N2 expands more so all we need is one queen on lease usually. N2 expands 700 times the volume......

[Pinner]

How many loads would that be? I forget where you haul from.

[Mercenary]

A 60 ton Queen will take 2 and a half to 3 loads depending on the truck and trailer combination. Some trucks haul more but most are around 26 tons a load. C02 comes from 4 different plants around Alberta. The closest to Grande Prairie is at a gas plant near Elmworth. We take loads from two others usually. There is a plant at Ft Saskatchewan and another near Rimbey.

I hear we are going to park our big 90 ton Queens up near Tomslake somewhere next week so perhaps work is starting to pick up again.

[Pinner]

Elmworth would be convienient, you could do 3 loads a day from there to Tom's easy and sleep at home. Road bans tho, hmm. Another month of road bans... You guys in GP got lots of snow on the weekend too eh.

[Mercenary]

LOL...yea...tons of freekin snow. When it all melted the yard damn near flooded out. Almost biblical porportions.

There is one road ban on the Tate creek that is there year round for the benefit of the residents. No trucking past 11 pm until 7 am. I heard they want to make it from 9 pm to 8 am in the future but not too sure on that one yet.

[liner]

I hear we are going to park our big 90 ton Queens up near Tomslake somewhere next week so perhaps work is starting to pick up again.

I hope you're talking about trucks here !!! If not....I'm begining to wonder about you guys working in the oil patch.:laugh1:

[Mercenary]

Well I managed to put in enough hours to need a reset over the last 5 days. I'm off until noon tomorrow. I finally have an assigned unit for this set. Its an 04 or 05 Western Star with the Series 60 Detroit. Many of the guys don't like the Western Stars as compared to the Petes and Kenworths but I like all the room they have inside. The cab is huge.

It actually worked out well as my truck is in the shop for servicing and a couple other minor repairs so this morning would have been shot anyway.

We spent the last few days topping up all the service companies around here as they are all gearing up for some big frac jobs they have coming up in the next few days.

[bigmac]

Merc...you know anything about High Artic energey services ?

[Mercenary]

BigMac: I don't know much beyond what the website is saying. I've seen them around but I am not too sure as to what a job there might entail...

[Mercenary]

The last 5 days have been very busy for us at Ferus. I managed to get 4 loads in over 5 days which doesn't sound like much but 2 were out of Ft Saskatchewan and one was out of Rimbey. The fourth came from Elmsworth which is right close to Grande Prairie. Depending on where the load is going, rounders out of Rimbey can take two days. 6 hours down, 1 to load, and 7 hours back. 68 hours total in 5 days and I'm now on a 36 hr reset which works great for me because I took the 30th and the first off to move into an apartment.

I spent a bunch of money getting an air card for my lap top so I could have internet on the road but I have discovered that I'm not using it much. My money would have been better invested in buying a 12V cooler instead.

One of our drivers got a DUI the other day. Bad times for him and it doesn't look good for Ferus. Thank God he didn't kill anyone. They caught him before he could do any damage and he no longer works here.

Driving an 06 Kenworth with the C15 Cat. I find it much nicer to drive than the Western Star with the Detroit but I do miss the big cab in the Star. Still, the bed is comfy and the air conditioning works great.