Here (finally) are some pictures from work. And a little bit of what I do on my job hauling Crude Oil. The Mack truck I drive with my trailers. The picture of the tanks is where I spend some of my time. (Yesterday it was 26 below 0F , with a windchill of 35 below F, I hate being on those tanks right now) We climb up and measure the oil, take the temperature at 3 depths and get the thickness(gravity) which is what determines the price the get for the crude oil. I don't know if you have heard of the Bakken Oil in ND but it is a very good crude. Some of it looks just like vegetable oil you cook with, some is green, some is clear and some you can't see through. We take samples from the top and bottom of the tank, down to the truck and put them in a machine that spins it and shows if there is any sediment or water in the oil (BS&W). They allow so much of each, depending on who is buying it.
Note the orange wind sock on top? There can be poisonous gas called H2S on the site. 1 company lost a pumper( a guy who monitors the tanks) last spring to H2S. He wasn't wearing a monitor and went on a site with the gas and they found him later dead. We must wear a monitor at all times and have masks in the truck in case monitor goes off. We have to evacuate immediately. The wind sock tells us which way to go to get upwind of the gas should it be present. We get Fit tested on the masks once a year to make sure we can move around and breathe with it on.
If the oil passes the BS&W test then we load it. I can haul 70 barrels in my pup(the baby trailer behind) and 160 barrels in the front or lead trailer for a total of 230 barrels. It varies depending on the gravity as the weight changes according to the gravity. Right now, in the winter, I have hauled as low as 38.9 gravity at 0 degrees temperature. You don't want the oil on your skin needless to say. Brrrrr. In the summer the warmest I hauled was 96 out of a new well they just set up. As of right now I haul 1 1/2 to 2 loads a day depending on where they are going. We can work 14 hours a day 5 days a week. No more than 70 hours then we have to take 36 hours off. Sometimes about 500 miles a day. We have to stay outside the truck while we unload and load in case a hose blows or something leaks. That really sucks right now with the cold. Got me and the hubby new fire retardant clothes(Required), 2 coats, 2 hoods, and 2 bibs, all insulated, $720.00. FR clothes are ridiculously priced. But we have to have them on the outside all year. Jeans run around $70 and T-shirts are $65. Our company gives us $200 every 6 months towards our FR clothes which helps a little. Ok bored enough? lol. We work 5 days on, 2 off, 5 on, 3 off which is why I don't get on here much any more. Well that's it for now. Will try and get better about posting now that the Holidays are over. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends out there in cyberland. Hugz, Scary
