Day to Day in the Bakken

If you find a job with one of the larger companies i.e. Halliburton, Sanjel, Schlumberger you would likely have housing and food service.  If you find a job with one of the smaller companies logistical support is a bit of an issue.  Many people especially drivers employed with small companies and owner operators find issues with logistics.  Places to park a truck are expensive.   Showers are hard to find.  Several of the water houses have showers some have a washer and dryer.  The water depot in Trenton has a shower and washer/dryer.  The depot at Powers Lake has a shower.  The Krabseth depot which is on hwy 85 about 25 miles North of Williston has a shower and plans to put in a coin operated washer and dryer.  My recommendation for use of any of these is to bring showers and close your eyes when you step in because they are not the cleanest.

There is a community center in Williston that has community showers for $3.00 I believe it is called Ray Family Community Center.  Shower is cleaner than the depots but not much cleaner.  If you have a membership with Anytime Fitness you could shower there.

In Williston there is an Albertsons, Walmart and Economart.  All three are good places for grocery shopping. Unless you need something from Walmart though I would recommend one of the other stores.  Walmart is plagued with long lines and empty shelves due to a lack of employees.

If you arrive ad need to get work clothes, i.e. boots, gloves (snivel gear) heavy socks there is a store called Home of Economy.  This place is great.  They sale high quality products at a surprisingly reasonable price.

Who to work for

There are so many employers up here to chose from.  I encourage people that are looking at coming here to take your time.  If you have a job keep it until you have a secured offer here.  Don't drive here hoping to find a job and go to work.  There are a lot of people unemployed and sleeping in the Walmart parking lot.  It is worth taking your time.  There are employers here that offer good pay, good benefits and a positive working environment.  If you find an employer that sounds good google them see what is out there about them.

There are employers here that will pay for your housing and meals.  There are employers that will pay for your travel to and from your home.  Then there are many that have no benefits and no guarantees that you will work.  They will coax you up here with stories of high pay and it may or may not happen.

A great place to look for jobs in the Bakken is at the following link.

http://www.ndoiljobs.com/

This link has jobs for everyone.  From clerical positions to truck driving, frac operations, heavy equipment operators and much more.

If you are looking for a job with a company with high standards in hiring and safety check out MBI otherwise known as Missouri Basin Well Service.  http://missouribasinwellservice.com/career/

Before I call it a night I am going to add some links to some good employers in this region.

http://www.sanjel.com/careers/careers-overview.cfm

Sanjel is a large company that is AMERICAN and very family and employee oriented. I have heard nothing but good things about working for this company. I personally know someone who worked for this company and he praised them when his son who also worked for them was in a non work related accident and the company stepped in and really helped them out.

http://powerfuels.com/index.php?display=employment

These guys are the big dogs in moving things in the oil patch. I have overheard conversations from employees and they don't seem to have any complaints.

Before I post this next link I want you to know this is a NEGATIVE post.

https://keyenergy.tms.hrdepartment.com/jobs

This is for Key Energy. Now if a guy is just looking to find a way in to the oil patch maybe this would be ok. I have spoke to employees of this company and they feel as if they are nothing more than a Cog in the big wheel and no one even knows they are there. I dont have a lot of info on these folks but what I have is they dont care about their employees. If someone reads this and can contradict that assessment I welcome it.

I am tired now so more to come thanks for reading and again feel free to post your thoughts. Especially if you can give someone some helpful advice.

Introductions

This blog is for all those who are interested in what is going on in the North Dakota oil boom. I encourage people to comment as I think it is important for people to understand the intricacies of the oil patch. I gave up a successful yet poorly compensated career in the public sector to come to the North Dakota oil boom. I decided that working for State Government during a recession wasn't going to get me where I wanted to be. College degree, student loans and no money to pay them off. Wife and three kids, car payment and big dreams and that's all they were was dreams.

So hear I am living in a 5th wheel near Williston North Dakota. I spent fourteen years in law enforcement and have a degree in Psychology. I did not have people beating down my door to pay me six figures. I decided to investigate the oil boom. I had heard of 18 year old kids coming out here making 80000 plus a year. I am far from 18 and didn't desire to do back breaking work in the oil field but wanted to make 80000 a year so I started checking the ads. I applied to multiple companies and get several responses. The one I took was to a small trucking company. The Truck Boss had a charismatic way about him so I bit. I went to North Dakota to haul water. The pay was not promised to be awesome but I was told they were making between 8 and 10 thousand a month so I was game. I have been here six months and now am the truck boss and make a pretty good salary and actually work for some pretty decent people.

There are a lot of good people and good companies in the oil patch. On the flip side of that there is exactly the opposite. This place is cutthroat. Many of the locals are leaving and the ones that are staying are capitalizing on the boom. They are greedy and are finding everyway they can to squeeze a dime out of people coming in. I want to bring my family closer but can't get within two hundred miles for under 2500.00 a month for rent. 2500.00 is cheap within a hundred miles of williston for a three bedroom house or apartment. There are people renting out small campers for a 1000.00 a month. It is sickening.

I am worried if I make these posts to long no one will read them so I will to add things daily about living and working in the Bakken. If you have questions I will try to answer and if someone else reads this maybe they will.