Greetings all. I know this topic has been brought up quite frequently here but I'm in a bit of a conundrum. This is the back story.

I'm 26 years old with a Bachelors degree in Geology and have been working in the Oilfield for the past two years. The money is phenomenal, however I've been laid off 3 times in the last year! (very little employer/employee loyalty out here) With the most recent lasting from last Jan. till now (6 months out of work!). I am very limited in what jobs I can take in my field due to only having a Bachelors degree. So I plan on going to graduate school at some point, just no funds now because of all the lay offs. I need a steady line of work to pay my loans and bills in general.

Ok so my question. I'm seriously considering getting in the drivers seat and hitting the road. I've done a lot of research and looked at a lot of companies. I'm considering getting on with PAM through Drivers Solutions. Based mainly on the proximity of terminals to my home (north of Detroit) I don't mind the one year commitment and I really cant afford a private school. Any opinions on this company?

After speaking with a number of oilfield drivers out in Wyoming on my last hitch the money that they were making was on par if not above what I was bringing in. I have no delusions of making that kind of scratch anytime soon while driving, but the average newbie OTR wage at 30-40k a year and the fact that there are benefits and SOME stability is attractive. Any advice or general opinions?

Thanks in advance!

 

I don't have any personal experience with PAM, but I don't recall much being posted in a negative way about them. If you want to get into trucking and don't have the funds for school, there are several companies who do offer training as long as you stick around for a year. That seems to be the norm with most. At one time CRST offered driver training with only a 6 months commitment. If you want to get into driving in the oil fields, you may be able to get your foot in the door after a year or two of otr experience.

A BS degree doesn't do as much as it once did. However, there are some companies that will hire college graduates, regardless of your field of study. They just want a degree. That never made much sense to me, but it is their policy. You will find a lot of drivers who have degrees, many with advanced degrees. People come to trucking for a variety of reasons. Many out of necessity, others from a long held desire to be a truck driver and see the country. If you have the desire and put forth the effort, you can be successful in this industry. If you decide to proceed in trucking it is important to maintain a positive attitude and keep the lines of communication open between yourself and your driver manager or dispatcher. There is a high turnover in trucking. I think much of it has more to do with a lack of communication skills than anything else. One important thing to keep in mind is that when you drive over the road, it may not be possible to get back home when you want. Most carriers try to get drivers home when they need to, but that isn't always possible. Just keep your nose to the grindstone and take thing in stride. Don't take things personally. Most dispatchers and driver managers have never driven a truck. Many went right out of college into dispatching. They have no idea what drivers go through.

 

Thanks for the reply GMAN. I will surely keep all of that in mind. I forgot to mention I am also looking at Roehl as well as Con-way's school.