Truck Driving in the Eagle Ford Shale Play

Mission Well Services Frac Spread

Even those who are not in the trucking industry have an inkling of an idea about the driver shortage. Ads for jobs for holders of commercial driver’s licenses pepper the newspaper classifieds. Recruitment ads fill television and computer screens not to mention the Job Board on this site, suggesting to even the casual viewer that drivers are in demand.

The industry needs about 100,000 new drivers every year. Why that many? Experienced drivers reaching retirement age are parking their trucks. Safety initiatives, in particular the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program, have pushed many less-than-competent drivers out of the industry. New hours of service regulations have cut productive driving time so it takes more drivers to deliver the same amount of freight.

If you’ve been eyeing truck driving as a career, you might be wondering if this is the time to make your move but what type of trucking? The boom in oilfield service means a variety of drivers are needed for that industry segment.

Trucking in the Oilfield

Jobs for drivers in the Eagle Ford Shale play include the transportation of hazardous and non-hazardous materials like sand, cement, crude oil or water. You may be moving rigs and equipment. So you’ll be operating all types of equipment such as flat beds, tankers, dry van, end dump, belly dump, pole trucks and oversize equipment.

Is the Work Hard?

[ic-r]Trucking has never been an easy job. There’s so much more to CMV operation than simply getting the vehicle from Point A to Point B. Drivers have to deliver cargo undamaged and on time while guarding the safety of those which whom they’re sharing the road as well as their own safety. It all has to be done within the limits set by complex regulations that seem to change daily, if not hourly.

Trucking in the oilfield presents additional challenges. Working in the oil and gas industry as a commercial driver is very demanding, requiring you to work long hours which many times include duties other than driving. Your cargo may consist of extremely expensive equipment or supplies. Time may be even more of an essence than in other trucking jobs if production has come to halt waiting for your payload. The temptation to exceed the legal limits placed on your working hours will be great although you’ll quickly realize it’s not worth risking your health and safety not to mention your license.

The roads that you travel take a beating and will test your vehicle-handling skills to the max. Most of the work is local, usually within a 60-mile radius of the fleet facility. Drivers usually work an 11-hour day, much of it spent waiting to be offloaded at a rig site. Some sites won’t allow trucks to move at night.

What About Pay?

Most oilfield CMV drivers are paid weekly. Jobs sometimes include important benefits like medical insurance as well as dental and vision coverage. You may be offered participation in a 401(k) retirement program with the company matching your contribution. Paid vacation days may be part of the package. Depending on location salaries are around $45,000 a year and can reach $70,000 a year.

What Do I Need to Know?

For starters you will need a CDL and you’ll likely need one or more Endorsements. We highly recommend getting the Hazardous Material, Tanker and Doubles & Triples Endorsements to increase your skills and job readiness.

Beyond the knowledge and skills you need to get the required license and endorsements, you’ll need to be creative and inventive as well as self-reliant. Your equipment might break down in a location where assistance might not arrive for some time. You need to know your equipment thoroughly, be able to troubleshoot problems and be prepared to make basic repairs. You’ll realize that it’s very important to conduct thorough vehicle inspections at the beginning of your shift as well as a post trip in order to prevent breakdowns that rob you of productivity.

There are easier jobs than trucking in the Eagle Ford Shale Play but not all are as rewarding. The field is wide open to drivers with the necessary skills and a professional attitude. Check it out. You may be just right for trucking in the oilfield and it might be just right for you.

Give Me Some Space! Trucks Need More Room

In July of 2013, the Houston Chronicle reported that 12 people had died in Eagle Ford Shale area traffic accidents, an increase of 12 times the number of fatalities reported to the Texas Department of Transportation. This past spring, the San Antonio Express reported that Texas Department of Transportation data showed a 40 percent increase in fatal traffic accidents in the Eagle Ford Shale region last year. There’s no question that the shale play roads are busy and congested. This makes it more important than ever for drivers to know how to share the road. While the biggest jump in fatal traffic accidents has involved commercial vehicles, recent data shows that the majority of fatalities from collisions involving large commercial trucks are not the result of the truck driver’s actions but of the other driver’s actions. Sharing the road with large commercial vehicles means all drivers must always be aware of their surroundings.

The National Safety Council has a definition for a Preventable Accident. The NSC states further the expectations of professional drivers, that “every accident in which a driver is involved shall be considered preventable unless there was no action, which the driver could have reasonably taken to avoid the accident and that, his actions in no way contributed to the occurrence of the accident. The driver must drive in such a way that he commits no errors himself and so controls his vehicle to make due allowance for the condition of the road, the weather or the traffic, and so that mistakes of other drivers do not involve him in any accident.”

Road-Sharing Tips

[ic-r]Share the road and be safe by giving yourself plenty of room to maneuver. You need plenty of time, too, so maintain a safe speed. Here are some common sources of trouble and how to avoid them whether you’re behind the wheel of a large or small vehicle, courtesy of Del Mar College Transportation Training and Shell:

Blind Spots - Avoid tailgating a large vehicle. Remember, if you can’t see the driver’s face in the side view mirror, the driver can’t see you.

Cut-offs - Don’t try to sneak into a small gap in traffic ahead of a truck. Trucks take as much as three times the distance to stop as the average car.

Rolling back - Leave plenty of room if you are stopped behind a large vehicle. When the driver releases the brakes after being stopped, the vehicle may roll back.

Buckle your belts - Always buckle your seat belt. If you get into an accident with a large vehicle such as a truck, seat belts are your best protection. Trucks require a greater stopping distance and can seriously hurt you if your car is struck from behind.

Aggressive drivers - Aggressive drivers can be dangerous drivers. Pulling in front of trucks too quickly when passing and making frequent lane changes, especially in the blind spots of trucks can create dangerous and potentially fatal situations.

Wide turns - If a large vehicle in front of you is making a right turn, do not move up into the space that opens up in the right lane. You are putting yourself into a very dangerous position.

Turbulence - Due to various factors such as air pressure and airflow, a large vehicle can create heavy air turbulence. This may affect your ability to control your vehicle when passing a large vehicle.

Avoid distractions - Keep your cell phone and other electronic devices out of reach and silence them while driving.

Keep your eyes moving - You should be checking your mirrors, gauges and surroundings every 3 to 5 seconds.

Look Ahead - Be sure to look 5 to 10 seconds ahead of you to anticipate potential hazards.

Staying safe while driving in the Eagle Ford Shale play calls for planning, patience and attention. Aim to give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination so you’re not tempted to speed or chance risky maneuvers. Look out for other drivers, and yourself.

Hours of Service “Merry Go Round”

Running Clock

On July 1, 2013, hours of service (HOS) regulations went into effect that had been published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as a final rule in December of 2011. The implementation was despite a lawsuit that was submitted by American Trucking Associations, a lawsuit that’s still pending.

Read the first part of this two part series in the article Riding the Hours of Service "Merry Go Round"

To recap, as of July 1, 2013 commercial drivers are only allowed one 34-hour restart per seven days. Further, they must take an additional three-minute break when driving for eight consecutive hours. This must include two periods between 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. home terminal time and may only be used once per week.

We are midway through the month of living with the changed HOS regulations. The pros and cons of the changes are debated every day. Among the complaints are that the changes are costing the entire trucking industry millions of dollars to implement and further that they reduce drivers’ pay. Overdrive magazine reports that Dave Osiecki, of the American Trucking Associations, stated the rules for the break do not take into account the extra time it takes for drivers to find parking and get out of the truck. (Osiecki is ATA’s senior vice president for policy and regulatory affairs.)

Getting Some Official Guidance

On July 11, the FMCSA published revisions to guidance that had been first published in 1997. The revisions are intended to help drivers implement correctly the July 1 changes regarding taking mandatory breaks every eight hours on duty.

In short, the clarified guidance states conditions that must be met to log meal and other routine stops made during on-duty hours as off-duty break time:

1. “The driver is relieved of all duty and responsibility for the care and custody of the vehicle, its accessories, and any cargo or passengers it may be carrying.
2. During the stop, and for the duration of the stop, the driver must be at liberty to pursue activities of his/her own choosing.”

Living with the Law

[ic-r]Here are a few helpful tips to make sure you are operating within the guidelines of the new rule:

• Time management is the key to your success. Allow yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. Use your breaks wisely and efficiently to maximize your driving time.
• Trip planning is critical in maximizing your driving time. Schedule your stops for fueling, dining, showering and resting at convenient locations that will have the least distractions that might take more of your time than you would like.
• Vehicle inspections are very important. Do not overlook possible component failures while you’re in route to your delivery destinations. Take care of components showing signs of failure before leaving to avoid costly and timely repairs away from your home terminal.

The regulation are here to stay for now, well at least for now, so we have to do whatever we can to be efficient and safe on our roadways while operating within the rules.

Driver Safety, The Law, and Cellular Based Devices In The Eagle Ford - Press Release

Wireless Communication in South Texas

The ongoing national campaign against the use of cellular devices while operating a motor vehicle has sent out a plethora of mixed messages. Nearly 1 in 5 crashes in Texas occur while using cellular devices. On January 3, 2012 the US Department of Transportation (DOT) adopted a ban to restrict the use of mobile devices while operating a commercial motor vehicle.

The “Distracted Driver” campaign has established partial or total bans on texting while driving in over forty states, and heavy fines and civil penalties will be imposed on commercial drivers who use any hand-held device that has a phone number (FCC definition for mobile telephone) while driving. Violations will incur federal civil penalties of up to $27,750 for each offense and multiple offenses can ultimately lead to driver license disqualification.

What Do The New Rules Mean?

The new rule specifies that holding, dialing and reaching for a mobile device is unacceptable. Push-to-talk mobile telephones (if it has a phone number) are also restricted under the new rule. The restriction does not include the use of Professional Land Mobile Two-Way Radio units. Two-way radios are not considered to be mobile telephones and are not affected by the legislation.

"For many years A&B Communications has operated one of the largest wide-area communication networks in the US", says Patrick Russell General Manager.

A&B Communication's is expanding its South Texas network even further. The network was built for the oilfield service industry and has supported large, medium and small fleets through good times and bad. With the dramatic growth in Eagle Ford, we have been racing to expand coverage areas and network capacity to keep up with demand from new and previously existing fleet operators. Our network has always covered the remote unpopulated parts of Texas where cellular systems don’t go.

In addition to the “distracted driver” safety concerns,  our customers demand instant access to their fleets at the push of a button. They want reliable coverage, loud/clear audio that can be heard in noisy environments, convenient installations from service people who are willing to come to them on their schedules.

“If US DoT rules are affecting your company, consider a reliable two-way radio system.”

Headquartered in Corpus Christi, A&B Communications understands the unique needs of the oilfield fleet operator. The company specializes in safe, reliable, private communications systems and devices for petrochemical refining, oilfield, medical and public safety.

For media contact or more information:

Patrick Russellprussell@abcomm.netwww.abcomm.net

The article above was published through EagleFordShale.com’s press release distribution service. Learn more about Eagle Ford Advertising Here.

Training To Drive In The Eagle Ford - Part II

DMC Instructor & Student

Truck drivers with commercial driver’s licenses are in high demand in the Eagle Ford Shale Play. However, getting that CDL license could get much more difficult in the near future. If you’re planning on getting, or offering, training, you need to keep an eye on the proposed regulations for entry level driver training. (ELDT).

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding ELDT. If this becomes a final rule, all CDL training programs will have to meet those standards.

Last month we reviewed the long history of mandatory training standards proposals. What does the current NPRM mean for prospective drivers and for those in the training industry?

Must Complete Training

The proposed new rules will apply to

• Any person applying to a State for an interstate CDL for the first time, upgrading to a Class A CDL from a Class B, or from an intrastate to an interstate CDL (including school bus drivers)
• Any person not having completed the training who is reapplying for a CDL
• After revocation for highway safety reasons or after a lapse in CDL status for 4 years.

Proposed Minimum Training Hours For Drivers

Note that the proposed rules require that a specific number of hours be spent in different aspects of training: in the classroom and behind the wheel.

BTW indicates time spent Behind the Wheel. The proposed hours do not include training for endorsements.

Training Programs Will Need Accreditation

[ic-r]The proposed regulations will require that training programs and institutions be accredited. The accrediting agency would have to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This is of course of vital concern to anyone who is now conducting training which will have to be accredited under the proposed rule.

The American Truck Associations raised the following concerns about the accreditation part of the proposal:

• There is a small (and shrinking) number of organizations that will actually accredit truck driving schools
• Length of the accreditation process
• After 3 year phase-in period, there is no ability to accredit a new school
• Accrediting body standards will restrict schools’ ability to advertise and potentially jeopardize guaranteed employment upon graduation.
• Would there be exemption for in-house training by motor carriers doing their own? (conflicting with a similar long-combination vehicle rule)

Mandatory accreditation would likely raise the cost of training.

Public Comment Period

The NPRM process includes an invitation to the public to file comments. In 2007 over 700 sets of comments were filed in response to the NPRM. Rich Clemente, Transportation Specialist for the FMCSA Driver/Carrier Operations notes that “most commenters do not oppose driver training but rather how the NPRM would be implemented is the contentious issue.”

Key concerns among the comments filed have been:

• the cost of implementing the proposed Rule
• the lack of quantitative safety benefit data from training
• the matter of accreditation
• a preference for a performance-based vs. minimum hours training approach
• the length and details of the curriculum
• a separate motor coach curriculum would be necessary
• the availability of training in certain geographic areas
• the effect on the supply of new drivers
• an intrastate exclusion.

Click on the linkto view a video of the January 7, 2013 listening session that was held to hear comments.

What’s Next For Drivers?

FMCSA has to provide the court a new rule by September 2014 for evaluation. Should the regulation go into effect as proposed, the changes to driver training will be dramatic.