Interested in land oil rig jobs, anyone have experience?

[jay o.]

Looking for some knowledgeable people to chime in...I am highly interested in this kind of work. I meet the requirements for at least entry level. Just trying to figure out how to get in as I heard apps are often overlooked etc. Also, can you go home after a day of work or every couple days at all? This is kind of a big one for me as I'm going to have a family one day in the nearish future...


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[royal]

are you from US or Canada?I have over 35years in Canada

 

[jay o.]

Wow that's crazy. I'm in the US

 

[Krunkkid13]

I am a superintendent for a drilling company in the Rockies. I worked my way up from worms corner.
Anyways rigzone.com is a great asset to look at lots of employment opportunities are listed. Best way to break out on a rig is go and meet roughnecks. If you live in a place where there is drilling find the roughneck bars. Hit them up. Buy drinks play pool and bullshit with the hands. If you in a place where they drilling drive around find the rigs (they marked by signs with the rig #) go to the rig and find the tool pusher/rig manager trailer. Introduce yourself.
You won't be home much unless you move your family around with you. You will work 7/7 14/14 or 21/21. Long hours and hard work. It is dangerous work I have seen guys get killed and maimed it is no joke.
It is good money. First year you wil most likely make 60k. You
Will earn that 60k though lol.

 

[RINO]

The lifestyle is a joke too. It's full of drug addicts and most are likely to blow all their earnings on nothing. There are exceptions, just not many.

 

[lumpy12]

What is your work history back ground? I live in the midwest and know several people in the field in various types of labor jobs, from elevator mechanics, to pipe line work etc etc. This is some serious work to say the least. Im talking busting your ass all day everyday lol. They all make good money! More than I do for sure... dont get me wrong I have been tempted myself to go back to labor to make the money..

what I am getting at is if this what you truly wanna do, then take the mans advice above and go introduce yourself to these people. Theres always a chance they give you shot but just be ready to do all the bitch work as it will probably be a test to see how bad you want it!

 

[royal]

The lifestyle is a joke too. It's full of drug addicts and most are likely to blow all their earnings on nothing. There are exceptions, just not many.

come on, its no different than any other industry,its treated me very well.Ive traveled the world and I don't regret one thing in making this my career.I started out in the worm corner,lol and I am a drilling supervisor(company man)
for 15 years

 

[Krunkkid13]

The lifestyle is a joke too. It's full of drug addicts and most are likely to blow all their earnings on nothing. There are exceptions, just not many.

You don't know what the fuck you are talking about. Some of the best people you would ever have the privilege knowing work in the oilfield. Druggies are the exception not the rule. In fact 95% of drilling companies have a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol. Nearly every company I know of does a 90day hair follicle test and piss test pre employment and random testing throughout the year.
Many many good men support their families with oilfield money. Both of my kids college educations are paid for with oilfield money and my wife's phd was paid for with oilfield money.
Sounds like a you are too much of a fucking pussy to work the iron so you are bitter.

 

[royal]

You don't know what the fuck you are talking about. Some of the best people you would ever have the privilege knowing work in the oilfield. Druggies are the exception not the rule. In fact 95% of drilling companies have a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol. Nearly every company I know of does a 90day hair follicle test and piss test pre employment and random testing throughout the year.
Many many good men support their families with oilfield money. Both of my kids college educations are paid for with oilfield money and my wife's phd was paid for with oilfield money.
Sounds like a you are too much of a fucking pussy to work the iron so you are bitter.

its the same in Canada bro 0 tolerance pre piss test prior to hiring,drugs and alchohol are not tolerated.

 

[RINO]

its the same in Canada bro 0 tolerance pre piss test prior to hiring,drugs and alchohol are not tolerated.

I'm in Canada, the testing is mostly prior. Of course there is testing when there is a accident and occasional random testing. Clearly there are many ways around testing positive.
I've 23yrs oilfield experience and now own a small oilfield manufacturing company. Your experience may differ from mine, but this industry is hardly full of the best and brightest.

 

[RINO]

You don't know what the fuck you are talking about. Some of the best people you would ever have the privilege knowing work in the oilfield. Druggies are the exception not the rule. In fact 95% of drilling companies have a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol. Nearly every company I know of does a 90day hair follicle test and piss test pre employment and random testing throughout the year.
Many many good men support their families with oilfield money. Both of my kids college educations are paid for with oilfield money and my wife's phd was paid for with oilfield money.
Sounds like a you are too much of a fucking pussy to work the iron so you are bitter.

Yep that's it, too much of a pussy. I just enjoy making the money I do now and seeing my family every night.

 

[Krunkkid13]

It is always the 3rd party contractors whom are disrespectful behind a roughnecks back, but to their face they are "Oh here is some stickers, some sandwiches, how bout a hat."
Anyways you do not know what you are talking about especially in regards to Canadian roughnecks. Some of the best drillers in the world come out of Canada and that is a proven fact. I work for a Canadian owned drilling company and our safety standards are higher than anyone else's. I have great respect for the Canadian hands as does anyone with knowledge of their ability.
There is NO way to beat a hair follicle test!
Guys try to beat piss tests but eventually they get caught. If I can't bust a guy with tests I just run them off if I suspect they are dope heads.

 

[RINO]

I never once doubted most of these guys capabilities , just their lifestyle. Around here we are always short handed employees. So hair follicle tests are few and far between. High or drunk on the job , expect to get fired. High or drunk your week off and you are more then welcome back. Personally , I don't care what you do on your off time. I'm saying many of these guys just piss it all away with nothing but a rig rocket and a ex girlfriend to show for it.

 

[Swanson52]

Is OP still looking?

I just left the industry after 15 years. Best way to get started is with someone like Halliburton or Schlumberger. There are also smaller niche contractors that do things like supply the down hole water for fracs, handle the cathodic protection after the well is in place, workover rigs...the list is damn near endless.

I started with a cathodic protection contractor in shithole Rock Springs, WY, and worked my way up from there. I ended up going into refined petroleum pipeline operations, but that's simply where my talents were strongest. I've had my hands on damn near every process in one way or another.

I live in Denver now, and the industry is on the verge of exploding. Every single process you can think of is hiring; Sclumberger just had a hiring fair at which they were making offers. Halliburton is flying people to ND for 2 week hitches. Noble, Anadarko, Conoco, and Encana are all hiring for different types of field positions.

It's wide ass open...go get some of it.

 

[xvvfacevvx]

The lifestyle is a joke too. It's full of drug addicts and most are likely to blow all their earnings on nothing. There are exceptions, just not many.

Land rig work is for the birds IMO. The schedules suck, the living conditions suck as well. If you want to get in the oil and gas industry it's a little easier to break out on land than offshore. I however would try your hardest to get offshore. The pay is roughly 15% higher on average, your are provided 4 hots and a cot for free and the rotation is usually 14/14 and 28/28 for international. Several bigger outfits do a 21/21 in the gulf. I'm on the maintenance side but I've spent time throwing tongs, in the Derrick and on the brake. 8/10 guys that spent years on land don't do well offshore and usually end up getting demoted or fired for poplin on a piss test. I say this because almost every hand that I've worked with that came on land was either busted down to say a driller to a Derrick or a pusher to a driller. Allot of this has to do with the way you nipple up and set everything else up. Do your career a favor and get offshore

 

[Krunkkid13]

I agree with you somewhat on offshore but to go offshore you have to get all the certs which is nearly impossible to do unless you have a connection/hook up and you are already hired.
We work 14/14 with a travel day ie free pay.
Offshore drillers are badass motherfuckers though!! I just hired to Swede brothers that were offshore in the artic and they kick ass.
Alot is changing on land rigs because of the boom right now. There is big money for experienced hands. My drillers make 43.50/hr plus 150/day KOP bonus. We are knocking out projected 21 day wells in 14-17 days from surface to TD. Moving the rig in 2.5 days.
Our man camps are 5 guys to a trailer 3 bedrooms big kitchens 40" flat screens satellite TV and catered. We had to do it to keep hands. We also have a mobile gym that is centrally located btw my 4 rigs it is pretty bad ass.
My 4 rigs have a combined 2000 days of no loss time accidents. So every year we go my guys get 10/day bonus for each no LTI on last day of dec. Not bad for a bunch of "joke of a lifestyle Druggies with only a rig rocket and an ex girlfriend to show for it."

 

[vanmike]

It is always the 3rd party contractors whom are disrespectful behind a roughnecks back, but to their face they are "Oh here is some stickers, some sandwiches, how bout a hat."
Anyways you do not know what you are talking about especially in regards to Canadian roughnecks. Some of the best drillers in the world come out of Canada and that is a proven fact. I work for a Canadian owned drilling company and our safety standards are higher than anyone else's. I have great respect for the Canadian hands as does anyone with knowledge of their ability.
There is NO way to beat a hair follicle test!
Guys try to beat piss tests but eventually they get caught. If I can't bust a guy with tests I just run them off if I suspect they are dope heads.

who the fuck tests hair follicles for a blue collar mans job anyway? fuckin pussies, if they tested hair follicles where I worked they'd lose half the manpower

 

[Krunkkid13]

who the fuck tests hair follicles for a blue collar mans job anyway? fuckin pussies, if they tested hair follicles where I worked they'd lose half the manpower

Lmfao! You are a dumbass.
I do not tolerate dope heads on my rigs because I have seen to many people get maimed because of stupid doped up "pussies". I want every single one of my guys to go home safe

 

[xvvfacevvx]

Lmfao! You are a dumbass.
I do not tolerate dope heads on my rigs because I have seen to many people get maimed because of stupid doped up "pussies". I want every single one of my guys to go home safe

This it too true. Sadly, you sound like you work for an outfit that is the exception to the common land rig stereotype. You sound like you are proud and that is a good thing, especially for your hands. Because without them you would have nothing.

 

[vanmike]

i never said I used dope, First of all what is dope to you? heroin, weed, coke, or all of the above. I am assuming your talking about weed. I personally dont smoke weed cuz I dont like it, but some of the best workers I know smoke that shit everyday after work. If they pop on a piss test its becsuse it stays in your system for a while. You probably have some workers who blaze everyday, and you have no clue. Theres always a way around a drug test. Maybe not yours though, hair follicles, really, LMFAO.