Truck Driving Salaries

Truck driving salaries in the oil and gas industry can be very good, but there’s almost always a sacrifice. We’ll get into the pros and cons of oilfield trucking after we entice you into the pay first.

If you’re used to making $40,000 to $70,000 a year as a Canadian over the road driver, you can make double that or more as a driver in the oilfields. Just be prepared to work, sleep very little at times, and answer your phone when you get called out at any time. Drinking, partying, drugs, and an active social life are something you may have to abstain from for long periods of time.

We noted previously the reality of self-discipline for a reason. If self-discipline is not one of your strong suits, you may want to make strict money management plans with a spouse, family member, or investor. If you’re used to clearing $2,000 every two weeks just to cover your bills, what will you do with a $4,000 or even a $6,000 check?

A good driving job in the oilfields can net you $3,000 to $6,000 bi-weekly (after taxes). I know this sounds like a lot, but it’s true. (This is a good range to use for an experienced driver in steady economic times). Even entry level truck driving jobs with service companies can also pay a considerable amount of money.

So what’s a good starting hourly wage, and what’s an average truck driver wage in the oilfield?

You can expect to make $28/hr to $32/hr at the lower end of the pay scale. Anything under this would be aiming low considering all the higher paying companies and jobs available. $35/hr to $40/hr is not uncommon for more specialized work requiring more experienced drivers. Keep in mind the pay reflects the economy and will fluctuate with supply and demand.

Truck driving salaries in the oil and gas industry are not the same as highway work and many companies pay overtime. There’s very little overtime paid for highway drivers in Canada. Most pay is by the mile. Overtime is usually after 50 hours a week or 8 to 10 hours per day. You can reach 50 hours in the first 3 or 4 days, so the rest of the week is all paid out at 1.5 times your wage. It adds up pretty quick making $45 or $50 and hour working 12 to 18 hour days.

Boom Times and Crash times.

In 2008 we hit another recession which took its toll on the industry and the truck driving salaries. There was some slow recovery over the next few years, but nothing like it was in the few years before 2008. Then there was the recent crash in 2015. I worked through the winter of 2015 myself and had one of the best winters I have ever had. How did I do this? I opted to work for a very small company that still had a good contract locked in with an oil company.

You may have to make hard decisions on what is the right thing to do and it can be a roll of the dice at times. There are now (April 2016) an estimated 100,000 people in Alberta laid off in the oil and gas industry. These are very hard times. The worst since the crash of 1980, but things will turn around eventually. When they do, where will you be?

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Steady money over high pay?

Your best bet is to find truck driving salaries that are steady and consistent, because a lower steady wage wins over sporadic higher wages almost all the time. (You know the story of the tortoise and the hare?) Good benefits, overtime pay, and safety or performance bonuses, are also positive things to note.

This means the highest paying companies might not be the best. Sometimes you may even have to work your way up the ladder, or prove yourself for the best paying trucking driving salaries in that company.




This is a common question I get,

“Who is the highest paying company to work for?”

Remember it doesn’t matter how high the pay is if you aren’t busy within that company. Sitting in a truck stop comparing wages to someone making more than you means nothing if you’re working lots of hours and they aren’t. The wage on paper doesn’t always mean money in the bank.

Oilfield work is often considered seasonal work for many people even though it’s done year round. Oilfield trucking is usually the busiest in the fall and winter months. We already discussed spring break up in the previous section, and the summer months are about as easy to predict as the stock market.

Most companies prefer to have drivers trained and in place ready to go for the fall. Typically, the best time for a jobs search is a few months ahead of the busy season. Smaller companies with less working capital tend to scramble more at the last minute. They still may be good companies to work for, but can’t carry the additional overhead of guaranteed truck driving salaries in slower times.

Truck driving salaries and Entry level truck driving jobs in the oilfields

If you’re a new driver and looking for paid truck driver training, you may want to inquire with some of the fracturing service companies. They have excellent training and resources for both experienced, and new drivers.

Well-servicing companies offer more stability through economic downturns and some of them will offer apprenticeship programs for on the job truck driver training. The truck driving salaries may be lower than the industry average for experienced drivers, but this is fair considering they’re giving you a new trade you can use for the rest of your life.

Halliburton, Calfrac, Trican well service, Canyon, Sanjel, Boreal, Schlumberger, and Baker Hughes are some of the better and bigger well-servicing companies. These companies are great places for experienced drivers and new drivers that are looking for oilfield driving careers.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get the answer you’re looking for right away. Hiring practices vary depending on the season and the economy. Student truck driving jobs may be more difficult to find in a recession.

The positive side with these companies is most of them pay a base truck driving salaries plus job bonuses. This means you could make a guaranteed salary for the month no matter how busy it is. The busier you are, the more you make in job bonuses on top of your truck driving salaries. Some of the programs they offer can be pretty attractive to drivers that are non-residents.

If you hit them at the right time, you may be able to lock into a fly home program working 15 on 6 off, or some other schedule. Fly home programs are where the company will pay your flights home for your days off. Most of these programs also have local paid accommodations provided for their employees when they are working.

It’s not just new drivers that work for these service companies. They pay well, and often work with your situation to accommodate your needs. As we talked about in the previous section, they have guaranteed base truck driving salaries that will carry you through the spring break up period.

When choosing a large company with multiple locations it’s helpful to talk to others about where the best “Home base” town is for that company. If you end up in one of the slower bases, you may be disappointed. Grande Prairie is often the busiest home base for a fly in, fly out program. It’s common to make substantially more money in Grande Prairie that Medicine hat or Red Deer.

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Other carriers

Third party (outside) carriers are hired by the oil and service companies to provide transport services used for drilling and well fracturing process. Sand, cement, Co2, nitrogen, water, acid, picker trucks and wellhead services, are just some of these services these third party carriers provide.

Third party carriers can pay very well, but many of them prefer to hire experienced drivers. They sometimes lack the resources and capital to invest in training programs. Insurance requirements can also be a factor for hiring young or newer drivers.

Rig moving, rig servicing and heavy haul jobs are also a large segment of Oilfield trucking. They have some very high paying truck driving jobs, and also require experience. Some of these companies will hire swampers. Swamping is an option for new people to get their foot in the door. You can start out as a swamper and move your way up to a driver. A swamper is a drivers aid.

We’ll get into naming some of the specific jobs types in the next section including the year round steady work like production work and fluid hauling.

If you want to get a more accurate and up to date look at the job market in Grande Prairie, here is the link for Kijiji Jobs in the region.

If you wish to check out the current jobs in the Tar sands region, here is the link for kijiji job Ft. McMurray.

There are other job boards, but kijiji is a great place to start. Most companies advertise job openings on kijiji as well as www.jobshop.ca.

Non trucking jobs or unskilled labor jobs

Unskilled general labor in northern Alberta and BC towns can pay $20/hr or more. McDonald’s can pay $14 to $18 per hr., and Tim Horton’s coffee shops can pay over $15/hr. Base wages in the oilfield towns can be almost double the minimum wages in other parts of the country, but you’ll need it to cover the cost of living in some of these towns.

In 2006, when oil and gas was booming in Grande Prairie I saw a sign in front of a Mac’s Milk convenience store advertising a $1,000 signing bonus. (Yes, my jaw dropped when I saw this sign.)

There’s no question that truck driving salaries are high in this industry for the skill level, or the educational requirements. Your chances of making this kind of money anywhere else in the country are slim to none. So why isn’t everyone flocking here? Why are there still jobs available? Why do such great opportunities still exist when companies have been advertising all over North America, and the world?

There’ll more than likely always be a trucker shortage in the oilfields. Not because there’s a shortage of truck drivers, but because there’ll always be a shortage of “Qualified” truck drivers willing to make the sacrifices. Some of the other reasons for the shortage we still have yet to cover, so stay with us.

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What should I prepare for?

Please don’t feel that we’re painting oilfield trucking in a negative light here, as this isn’t our intention. We just want you to base your decisions on a realistic look of the sacrifices, expectations, and self-discipline rather than a big paycheck.

Keep in mind there isn’t a single company in the oil and gas industry that was built with the intentions of making you rich, or owing you anything. They’re only going to pay what the demand for your services will dictate.

We looked at the pros (Money, Money, Money), so now its time to take a look at the cons. For every gain there’s almost always something to sacrifice, so let’s move on to the darker side.

What sort of issues or hardships do you think may be associated with trucking in the oilfields?

Money management/spending, economic uncertainty, unforeseen/additional expenses, long hours, extreme weather, loneliness (social isolation), drug and alcohol abuse, safety, and off road driving dangers and challenges.

Let’s take a quick look at each one except for safety and off road driving. We’re going to talk about these in a separate section devoted to what to expect behind the wheel.

Money Management

The number one reason truck drivers come to the oilfields is for the money. We touched on this in the last section. They often have a plan to pay off an unsustainable debt-load with their current wages. This is fine, but nothing is guaranteed so be prepared for slowdowns, layoffs and spring breakup. Money management and spending control are essential life skills and you’ll need them more than ever in this business.

Your financial plan should also include being able to cover yourself for at least 3 months at break-up time each spring. Spring break-up could last 2 weeks or 2 months depending on many different factors beyond your control, so plan for the worst. This is one reason people will choose a salaried position with bonuses over an hourly wage.

Economic Uncertainty – Don’t get attached to the wages!

The biggest problem we have as humans today is spending. We usually spend what we make, and often we spend more than we make. I’m pretty sure in 50 years we’ll be called the “credit generation”, so make a plan and stick with it. Remember that this business is feast or famine like any other economic sector.

What happens if natural gas prices bottom out? What happens if budgets get cut? What happens during a recession? We mentioned that Alberta weathered the recent recession that hit in 2008 better than many other parts of North America, but it still hurt them. 2015-16 has been a full out crash.

Unforeseen or Additional Expenses

In your job search you should put this one high up the list. Where are you going to live? Some companies will pay for, or subsidize your housing. Some jobs require you to stay in a camp, and other jobs could be based out of hotel rooms. As a truck driver, you may even be used to living out of your truck.

There’s lots of companies that will do everything they can to accommodate you when things are busy, but when things are slow you may find yourself out on the street. Cutbacks happen quick in economic slowdowns, so the perks are the first thing to go. You may not think living in your truck is a perk, but if you’re living in the bunk, you’re burning company fuel. I’ve seen this perk go in slow times leaving people with little or no work looking for a place to live.

Living in a travel trailer or RV is another option, but can be challenging when the temperatures reach -20 to -50. Replacing burst lines from freezing may be an additional expense on top of the park fees of $800/month. I’m sure this seems high for a winter RV rate, but get used to it as local businesses are on the ball when it comes to making a buck off the high oilfield truck driving salaries you make.

Some of the other expenses to consider are:

Higher cost of phone bills being away from home, food, and clothing. Living in northern communities usually has a premium. Just as you’re there taking advantage of higher wages due to the demand for drivers, local businesses take advantage of your disposable income. Trucking in their goods and paying higher wages raises their fixed operating expenses, which means they have to charge more.

Long Hours

This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re currently a truck driver. In fact, we’d put this in with the pros if it weren’t for all the new people reading this that haven’t driven a truck before. With oilfield trucking, you’ll be paid for everything you do. If not, then you’re with the wrong company. This isn’t like long haul trucking where your time is often exploited. They cover your loading time, waiting time, pre-trips, and other things that the rest of the trucking industry seems to squeeze from drivers whenever they can.

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Extreme Weather

It can be bitterly and uncomfortably cold up north working outside. On the positive side, most companies shut work down from -30 to -35 and colder. This is only because the equipment fails, breaks down, and gets damaged.

This can cost these companies a substantial amount of time and money. Otherwise, we’d bet money they’d make you work through it.

I’ve seen temperatures as low as the -50’s, so this may not be a good career move for you if you don’t like the cold.

Loneliness and Social Isolation

This is something that affects more people than you may think. We cover this is another article on our site about Truck Driver Attitude. Is there any amount of money that makes being away from your kids worth it? Missing your family, friends, kids, and loved ones is a huge sacrifice, and you may not know how much it affects you until its too late.

You’ll have to find things to occupy your downtime like, movies, books, computers, games, writing books or articles. Be productive if you can by doing something new and challenging. If you want to learn how to play a musical instrument like a guitar, this is a good time to do it. How about educating yourself for a different career?

If you want to earn a passive income by building a website, it’s a fun and challenging job. If you have another area of expertise you can tap into by writing and sharing your knowledge, contact us and we can talk about it. You can even be a contributor to our site if you like.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse

The industry may be pushing more drug and alcohol testing and safety on the workers, but substance abuse still happens. This isn’t just you for you as an adult to consider. Many of the kids in these oilfield towns have problems too.

If you’re planning on moving your family to one of these towns, I suggest you spend some time researching this first. As harsh as this sounds, there’s some oilfield towns and cities that I wouldn’t want to raise kids in.

Research the Company Whenever Possible

There’s one last thing to think about when it comes to finding a company to work for.

Companies request resumes, drivers abstracts, references, criminal background checks, and other personal information. Make sure you take the time to do the same background research on your potential employer. As drivers, we rarely ever check out the companies like we should.

If you want to find out reviews of companies, try using negative words associated with the company name in your keyword search. This will usually lead you to forum posts by other drivers. Take it with a grain of salt and use your best judgement when reading these reviews for what they are. There’s a lot of good companies that have bad things said about them that may not be true. Remember there are 2 sides to every story.

Make sure job details and pay are clarified on paper before making a move

If you’re moving from another location and are new at oilfield work, I’d recommend getting your feet wet with a medium to larger company first. They usually have the best training programs and your pay is always in the bank. Owner operators and small companies tend to be hit or miss like anywhere else.

Rarely is anything ever going to be as good as they make it out to be. If it sounds like a dream job, wouldn’t you think they’d have that position filled already?

You’re also less likely to have contractual or disclosure problems with a well known company. Have everything in writing before you move. There can often be surprises after a driver spends money on a flight to get here, and is faced with issues that were not disclosed over the phone.

How will you be able to deal with disclosure problems after arriving? There won’t be much you can do or say at this point in time. Hopefully you get the message I’m telling you here?

At this point, you’re stuck.

Thanks for reading Truck Driving Salaries

Let’s move on to Oilfield Safety