Be ready for anything and expect the unexpected
The more remote and north the town is, the more expensive the food and other supplies usually are. Stock up in the bigger centers whenever you get a chance. You never know when you’ll be back. (There were times when I didn’t see a bigger town for over a month.)
It can be a pretty remote jobs at times and you could even find yourself making a trip up the Dempster Highway to Inuvik. Trips like this are not common, but be prepared as anything can happen at any time.
Whether a dispatcher gives you instructions to go 40 km or 400 km, treat them both the same. I’ve seen 4 hour jobs turn into a week or longer in this business.
“Just go out to this location to drop this load and come right back.”
I’ve heard this many times and it’s never guaranteed you’ll be “coming right back”. I always made sure I had enough supplies to survive for at least a few weeks.
After years of living in a truck, there is no better mobile cooler than this mobicool model. It cost a little more, but worth every penny.
You can also build your own truckers equipment list by talking to other drivers to see what they recommend. We all have different ideas about being prepared, but you can learn a lot from other drivers. You’ll pick on lots of tips like, “Good idea, why didn’t I think of that?”
Truckers GPS
GPS for truckers are a valuable asset for oilfield driving. It’s easy to get lost on the numerous bush roads you’ll be travelling on. Relying on truck driving directions from dispatch is a risk, as these directions are only as accurate as the person writing them down.
Keep in mind the directions often change hands a few times and human error will eventually let you down. A wrong turn in the bush could very quickly cost you your safety bonus. The time lost for making just one wrong turn could possibly pay for one of these GPS units.
The GPS programs are specifically designed for the oilfields and an important part of truckers equipment. They allow you to find the lease you’re travelling to without these costly mistakes.
There’s a limited number of companies that offer these oilfield programs for GPS units in Alberta. Before making a purchase like this, I recommend visiting a few of their sites to see what they have to offer. You should also check with other drivers for word of mouth reviews.
A standard gps unit will not perform like you think it might. Believe me, It let me down. You can check out this link for more information on oilfield GPS systems.
Truckers equipment also includes communication navigation, tools like VHF radio, CB radio, and GPS devices. Satellite radio is also nice to have.
What is an LSD used for?
A lease will have an identification assigned to it called an LSD. This refers to the Legal Service Description. In order to understand why the lease has an LSD, you need to have a basic understanding of the grid survey method used to divide land.
The LSD is a series of numbers derived from the ATS (Alberta Township Survey). This is a grid system developed to divide land into equal parcels. Rather than confuse you, the Alberta Government has some great resources to explain exactly what they are. You can visit here to see how the grid is set up.
This isn’t really complicated if you take a little bit of time to understand it from the start. If you were delivering pizza you’d need to know the house address of where the pizza was going. The LSD is the house address for a lease. Simple enough?
