How To Put Your Tanker Trucks To Work In North Dakota
71Hauling Liquids
An email hit my inbox from a truck company owner in the upper midwest. He apparently runs tankers and was wondering if I knew who to approach in North Dakota, and how, as he would like to put some of his trucks to work hauling liquids in that state.
My response, not counting the first few sentences of chit-chat centered on the fact that I knew his home base area rather well--one of my rather numerous ex-wives grew up there--ran as follows:
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I'm not in North Dakota these days; haven't actually worked that oilpatch since the 1980s. I've got some energy company contacts and some financial interests there...but no direct knowledge of who would be best to contact for hauling liquids.
However, since "liquids" usually means either water or petroleum products of one sort or another, I'm guessing you're talking tankers. In my experience, every drilling rig needs fresh water hauled in to their current drilling location, usually on a daily basis. Of course, they also need fuel, and completed wells need to have excess production water hauled off to disposal sites. That last (production water) is a bit of a specialized operation, but it's definitely a market once you know how to handle it.
That said, energy companies don't all handle their purchasing requirements for rigs in the same manner. Company A may contract with trucking firms only through its central headquarters, while Company B is just as likely to leave the buying decisions up to each company hand (location manager) at each separate drilling location.
Were it my company, and I was trying to figure out who to contact in order to sell my services in North Dakota, I'd start with the Drilling Rig Activity page put out by the State:
https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/riglist.asp
The second column from the left is headed "OPERATOR" and shows the energy company operating each drilling rig. A bit of Internet research (GOOGLE!) should pin down a headquarters contact number for each company--Whiting, Legacy, Petro Hunt, etc.
Then, with script in hand, I'd start calling companies with Key Question #1 being: Who makes the purchasing decision for liquids being delivered to such-and-such a rig?
Might be a good idea to throw your credentials at 'em first, naturally, so they understand why you'd like to know!
If you're half a salesman, you should be able to crack the market. The Drilling Rig Activity List as of today (Feb. 24, 2011) shows 168 rigs active in the state at this moment--and that means a lot of liquids need to be moved.
Hope this helps.
Ghost32
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cch1218: No, sorry, I don't. For that matter, I've never even heard of oilfield water haulers using brokers in any way, shape or form. (?) The only two ways I've seen "truck management" (by which I'm guessing you mean dispatch, maintenance, everything) done with water hauling is to:
1. Run your own show entirely, including going to the rigs and selling them on using your service instead of hiring your competitors,
or
2. Subcontracting to a company that does the above.
Do you know of any company that I can subcontract my truck and Vac trailer to them for hauling water to the rig? Thanks
No, not specifically. The only way (in my view) to figure out who might be willing to take you on as a subcontractor is to go to the area physically and talk to people.
The process is simple enough: You see a vac truck fueling up (for example), walk over, and pump the driver for information while he's pumping diesel. You write down the company names you see on trucks in the area. Then you figure out how to contact those companies and ask,
"Hey, do you take on owner-operators, or if not, do you know who does?"
I have no idea how to get it done otherwise.
Yever have anything to do with hauling frac sand? can you
I never did, but posted what little I do know about frac sand on the other Hub where you asked a similar question.
I was driving through North Dakota while heading home for the holidays. I stopped at a few places and filled out applications for employment upon my return. Most of the compaines wanted me to start that day. When trying to uptain work through craigslist most of the ads say that if you are not here physicaly you are wasting our time. Im heading back out at the end of January I will let you guys know how it goes.
Thanks for stopping by to fill us in. What you're saying here is exactly what we've been saying for months on the Bakken job hunting page: Face to face is best.
We look forward to hearing how it went.
What are owner operators charging per/hr. for hauling liquids?
What are owner operators with tractor only charging per/hr. to haul liquids?
What are drivers getting paid per/hr.to haul liquids?
David:
1. The charge varies, but the last we heard, somewhere in the range of $115 to $135 per hour for tractor, trailer, and driver all together. (Competition can change that in a heartbeat, of course.)
2. Without a trailer, it depends on the company. Where I worked last, you got $20 per hour less if you didn't have your own trailer and pulled one of theirs.
3. Company drivers tend to run $18 to $25 per hour (before overtime), with the occasional ace (highly experienced and reliable driver) edging a bit above that.
We are planning to buy 3 tractor/tanker and to haul crude in ND, if it is His will. I do not have a class A or hazmat endorsment. Since I currently live in bay area CA, does it make a differance if I get my licenses here in CA or does it have to be in ND?
Where would I get the training to pick up crude at well and to deliver it to rail, pipeline or refinery?
David, you'll have to retest in ND if you get the license and endorsements in CA--but sometimes only the road test, depending. As for training to haul crude, the only way to do that (as far as I know) is to hire on with a company already doing the work and get some OJT with the employer. It's possible a school exists to train for that, but I've not heard of one.
Howdy,
I know of Missouri Basin to start charging as soon as the truck leaves the yard and stops when it comes back.
They charge 125/hr.
I read an article that they are wanting owner operators to haul cude, etc. Would they be considered a broker?
Any idea what a broker would pay owner operator, certainly not the 125 there would be no profit margin if it where M.B.
Thanks Again!
Not a broker. They'd be the water hauling company with the contract, and the owner operator would be their subcontractor. A rig calls for water, MBI dispatch tells you that you've got a load, and away you go. To the rig (oil company), you're "just another MBI" hauler.
That said, be careful. I don't know how they are with ther O/O people, but on the Bakken job hunting Hub, some readers have reported mixed results when applying there.
At a guess, figure 15% to 20% less for you than what MBI gets--but that's a ROUGH guess. Every company has its own pay scale for their O/O's; I don't specifically what MBI's is like.
The investment in these tractors is a good chunk of change. Can I insure the engine/transmission in case of operator error, over heating, over rev, loss of oil, etc.
If so, any names of Insurance Co.
David, I can't imagine any insurance company offering coverage for something like that--and I was actually a commercial insurance underwriter for twelve years. There are, howver, a few things you can do to reduce the frequency and severity of such losses:
1. Hire a competent driver. Or if that's you, either "drive right" or don't drive at all.
2. Pretrip the rig properly every time before you leave the yard and after you return. If you do that, you'll catch 98% of problems before they're big enough to put you out of business.
3. A lot of companies have rev limiters (also called governors) installed in their trucks which prevent the rpm's from going too high.
Hey Guy, I am new to this. I am helping my brother try to secure an owner operator contract with a Trucking company in ND hauling water. Any advice please. Where do I start. Someone told me about MBI...
Gloria, all I can offer at this point is a "heads up". On another water hauling Hub of mine (I have a few such), a reader is telling me that her husband has been running 3 tractor-trailer combos in North Dakota for the past 8 months and having a tough time of it. Seems (at least according to their experience) that maybe the water hauler supply has somewhat caught up to demand, making it fiercely competitive for owner operators at the moment.
However, if it were me making the jump, I'd DEFINITELY take the time to do some legwork IN North Dakota. A week's worth of pounding on company doors would give him a clear picture of what's available in the area and what is not.
hey david i live in bay area as well and im looking to come out to ND can you pls give me more info about ND. you can email me at romeysingh7@gmail.com or call me at 661-340-3669 i would really appreciate your help.
We maybe got up to 10 tracters available from Jan. To April 1 to pull bellydumps gettin decent steering wheel holders to go is another question. If we get somethin decent goin in Dakota we would maybe leavem there like for ever. My # 715 896 4742.
Good solid information, have you got a facebook page please?
I do, but except for posting new Hubs to my Wall as they're published, it's never mixed with my HP work.
cch1218 6 months ago
I owned two trucks that are hauling water in ND currently. Do you know and freight broker or brokers that I can work with to manage my trucks? Thanks