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Truckers Equipment

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This entry is part 8 of 8 in the series Oilfield Trucking

Oilfield Trucking

Truckers equipment is the last article in our series on Oilfield Trucking and covers most of the things you’ll need to do this job. The full article is a comprehensive look at whether or not Oilfield Trucking is the right job for you. If you just joined us on this page, make sure you check out the whole series.

In this section we’ll cover stocking a truck with general supplies and food to make sure you’re prepared for the road. We’ll also cover communication devices like cell phones, internet, and GPS for truckers. Having the proper truckers equipment is an important part of driving in the oilfields.




We’re also going to take a look at the LSD system used in relation to your truck driving directions. The LSD is like a house address for an oilfield lease. It’s the physical land description.

Truckers equipment. Chain pliers are considered an essential part of truckers equipment for oilfield trucking

Being Prepared

Before we get into communication, GPS, and finding a lease, we’re going to cover being prepared for the trip. How prepared you are will depend on the job you’re doing, and the company you’re working for. Most drivers that don’t frequently change units (“Slip Seat”), will set up a truck like a mini RV.

If you’re hauling equipment, general oilfield freight, fluids, cement, fracturing sands, contaminated soil, or end dump work, you may have to look after yourself when you’re on the road. Living out of a truck can save a lot of money for those of you with a home and family in another place. People come to the oil patch to make money, not waste it.

If you work for a fracturing company you won’t require the same amount of trucker’s equipment. Most of your time will be spent in a camp, or hotel instead of a truck. You’ll probably be doing a lot more slip seating though. This makes it difficult to outfit a truck the way some of you might be used too. It will also be hard to deal with for those of you that like a clean truck.

Camp jobs are another way to pack lighter and not have to worry about being as prepared. Some common camp jobs are vacuum truck operators, road maintenance crews, rig water haulers and equipment operators. Many people will choose these jobs to keep expenses down. Your meals and lodging are going to be provided for you. Rotating shifts are common like: 3 weeks on, 1 week off, or 14 days in, and 7 days out.

You can also consider tar sand work if you aren’t interested in Oilfield driving. Ft. McMurray has lots of opportunities for onsite workers of all kinds. If you have a heavy equipment ticket or other skills for working around the plants, they have some great paying rotational jobs.

Truckers equipment. Camp jobs are great for those of you not interested in spending time in a bunk.

Outfitting a Truck

We can divide trucker’s equipment into two categories. Essential, and Luxury items. (Luxury for a trucker that is).

Essential for one person could be a luxury for another, or the other way around. You only have so much room and if you have to switch trucks for a breakdown or any other reason, it’s an absolute pain having to lug stuff around. Having things stored in canvas grocery boxes that collapse will make it easier to load and unload.

Essential items are:

Luxury Items consist mostly of things to save you money on meals, or entertain you when you are sitting somewhere. They are:

This is not an exhaustive list or meant to be a survival kit, but rather suggestions for new people getting into oilfield trucking. We’ll cover a little more about cell phones and GPS for truckers a little further down.

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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?

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Cell phones and wifi

Having the communication networks we have now makes you truly appreciate what people before us went through. Imagine what it would have been like having to write letters?

Drivers just 20 years ago had very little communication compared to what we have today. Having no way to communicate with your family can be tough on you, and your relationship. Fortunately, cell phone service coverage has probably doubled just in the last few years alone.



New towers are being installed all the time to service the needs of the people working in these remote areas. Cell phone boosters are still a valuable asset and most companies have these installed in their trucks for the company phones.

Truckers Equipment. One of the most valuable non essential items to have as an oilfield driver is a laptop and WIFI.

Having internet is a definite bonus. I used my cell phone as a tethering device before they came out with the wifi feature most phones have now. wifi for truckers is sometimes available on lease locations as well as in the camps.

Oil companies use satellite units for themselves, and sometimes will rent signal boosters for their locations. This is helpful for the servicing companies to be able to communicate while working on their locations.

Service in the woods can still be challenging, so I always expected no service. When I got to a location with service, I considered it a bonus. Murphy’s Law usually prevails anytime you were stuck somewhere for an extended period of time. (The service was bad or non existent). If this presents a problem for you, consider the southern Alberta oilfields where the service is better on the flatlands.

Coverage is pretty good until you get above mile 101 (Wonawan BC) on the Alaskan Hwy. It’s pretty spotty from there to Ft. Nelson. From FT. Nelson to Whitehorse Yukon is Terrible. I doubt most of you will go further north than Ft. Nelson. The Yukon is a beautiful drive if you ever get a chance to do it.

I’ve found Telus and Bell have the best coverage in Alberta. I experienced more dropped calls with Bell for some reason though. I believe Bell uses Telus towers in these areas? I’ve heard nothing good about service with any other company, but this is something that changes all the time. Go on their websites to check the coverage maps for yourself.

Truckers equipment. Dash cams are a great item to have. You can save your memories on video to someday show your children or grandchildren. They can also cover you if an incident occurs.

Dash cams

I added one of these as truckers equipment not just to gather great video material to use on the website, but also to protect myself in case of any incidents. I highly recommend paying the small amount of money they cost for the insurance they provide.

So that’s it. I’d like to wrap this up by saying, I hope this helps people understand a little more about working as a truck driver in the oilfields. I only wish this existed when I was considering my career. There were so many things that I didn’t know before making this kind of decision.

I hope you enjoyed this information and good luck to anyone choosing this career. Please feel free to give us your feedback on this series, or contact us with any questions you may have.

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Keep on Rolling!

The Truckers Wheel Team