Hi there, Rick with Smart Drive Test talking to you today with Bill Walker who
works in the oil fields. Bill trained with me a little over a year ago and went to
work in Grand Prairie right after he got his license.
Bill is kind of my poster child because he got his license on
Thursday and the following Tuesday was working in the oil fields. In the
previous video at the first half of the interview Bill talk to us about what it
was like to go to the oil fields and begin working there. And as I said it was
a bit of shock to his system. I think even for experienced drivers the conditions, the
mud, the snow, the ice, working on really narrow roads, treacherous conditions
would be a shock to their system. So a person who had no skills driving truck
going there and learning everything they need to know about learning truck, plus
the added skills needed to work in the oil fields would be a bit of a shock to
anybody system. So today Bill is back on the second half of that interview
talking to us today a little bit about the living conditions, how much money he's
making, his goals of retirement, and the cost of living in Grand Prairie. Let's go
now and talk to Bill.
Opening credits and music.
We had breakfast yesterday, we talked about this was the
isolation that long haul truck drivers experience - there isn't that same
isolation, but there is incredible
long hours that you're working while you're in the bush. Ya, ya, the longest day I've had so has been 21
hours; and the shortest day...whatever - I don't know, who knows. An average day -
figure on 12 to 14 hours. Right. You know, for an average day's work. You're not going to
work at 8am in the morning and done by four o'clock. And funny, in northern Alberta if
you're done at four o'clock they figure that's half a day and they'll say, "enjoy the
rest of your day off." And they're serious; they actually mean it! Yup. It's crazy. So and
one of the other things that we talked about, is yes, you're making a lot of
money, you're in the oil fields, you're in an isolated area, but because of
that isolated area the cost of living is exorbitant. Yeah -
take money. Here in BC I know I laugh at Albertans - they say BC means "bring cash!" Yes.
If you're talking about like, and I'm in Grand Prairie. Right. And that was a conscious
choice before I went. That was all part of the process of finding out where do
I want to work.
Grand Prairie's the last northern outpost for Western Canada - like there's nothing
north of Grand Prairie with Costco, with Superstore, with Canadian Tire, with all
the majors. Yeah. So people will come from Yellowknife,
from Dawson, from...you know all those places down there to shop. So it's all there.
And your box store... I don't know if we can, brand names are brand names, but if you go to
Costco there, Costco here, the prices are the same. But do anything that
service related - a restaurant!
By myself, even in small towns... if I go out for a couple of drinks at night
and a meal, I'm spending 50 bucks - for me, just myself! Just for you. Just for
me. You know... well I took you out for breakfast there yesterday for 20 bucks and I felt guilty.
It's like wow - jeez, this unbelievable! Yeah. And it doesn't matter whether you're
computer repaired or your going to the auto shop, or you're going... anything service
related is going to cost you a fortune. And rent's been high too. So yeah, you're going
to go up there and you're going to make a bunch of money. You're not gonna make it
unless you work long hours. So you're going to work long hours and then you're going to pay a whole
lot of it out for for things that you just wouldn't think you would. Just for the cost
of living; just for being there. So there's that kind of trade off: that you're making a
lot of money, but you're also paying a lot of money for cost of living?
Yeah, and if you're careful with it you can save it and you can have more, you
can have more money. Right. But it doesn't just fall into your pocket, like I
thought it was going to when I went up there to start with. So it hasn't been the cornucopia of money that
you sort of thought it was going to be? No, no, I... I mean I just come off
the best year of my working career. And yet, you know I look at it... am i ahead? Yes.
I'm ahead, but I'm not ahead nearly as far as I thought it would be. Right. It's not... I
don't know that it equates to the amount of work you're
doing. Right. You know, it's ridiculous! It's ridiculous hours when your humping. Yup.
And I think it's the same with any kind of trucking: it's like Long Haul trucking.
Yes you can make four, five, six thousand dollars a month, but that's your
life. Right, and it sounds exactly what you're doing in the oilfield? You're
probably working--I don't know--what 70, 80, 90 hours a week? Well, we have done.
Yeah, we just came off a stint there that in four weeks I worked
320 hours. And yeah, pay's really good - there's no question, pay's really good!
But what did I do? Well, I went out for a couple of those $50 dinners at a roadside some place. And then
went out to the truck to go to sleep because it's sitting out in the parking lot
running waiting for me for me so I get up the next morning and carry on.
Yup. Yeah. If you're going to dedicate
yourself to it and if you're going to go up to the patch to make money,
you're not going to have a life! Just understand it before you go. Yeah.
Just one more point, your wife was with you for a period time.
She came up to Grand Prairie and then the winter set in and your wife who is
Mexican, she's from Mexico has gone back to Mexico. Yeah, well it was, you know it was
sort of self-preserving because...here's a woman who's changed
countries twice because I met her in Southern California. So she was, you know,
she'd been there for nine or ten years. I met her down there and then she came up
to Canada. So she's not a weak woman. I mean, she's done some
things are just incredible in her life.Yeah, And living in Vernon, BC... I mean, it's
the Okanagan, and we talk about the sunshine tax here, but it's worth it.
It's a nice place to live and she liked it here, so what I said, "we're gonna go up there
for three years
because our ultimate aim is to retire in Mexico. She said, "Well, I'm coming up with you."
I said, "you can stay here and I'll come back and forth." "No, I'm coming with you." "OK, fine."
So she did. I was up in September. She came up in January. Now, right after coming back from
Mexico for a month, mind you.
That would be a shock - bit of a shock. But we were lucky. We had 3 thaws last year,
which is kind of awkward, but when she came up, it was one of
the weeks of the thaws, so it wasn't that bad. But the next week she went
down to like -30°C below, and Mexican blood is not built for thirty and forty below!
It is just not. And she wasn't... the other side of the oil patch is...you know, I'm not a doctor, I'm not
the attorney-general...I mean, the surgeon-general. Right. But there's
something up there. I mean, I don't think you can punch all those holes in the
ground without some noxious stuff coming out. And I mean, you'll know that before
you go, before you even get a job. You're gonna be trained in H2S, you're
going to have to have your First Aid, you're gonna have to... you know
And that's just to drive a truck. So there's stuff going on up there and i don't
think it's necessarily all healthy. But she just wasn't that healthy. So this
year I said, "look you know, end of October, go to Mexico; go to your family; spend
six months there. I'll come down and get you in the spring and I'll be good and
ready for a holiday. That does two things: 1) it got her out of the winter, got her with her
family.
I know that she's not sitting at home alone getting depressed. 2) It allows me the
freedom to not worry about her sitting at home. So that I can live this crazy
lifestyle and go out make the money I went up there to make. In fact, she left on
the 29th or 30th of October, and I can't remember which day...November the second, we
started this run. I was home three nights up until the following Friday, which is just
before Christmas. Three nights! Three nights in how long of a period? Seven weeks
Three nights in seven weeks. I was home. So that makes it pretty tough when you're trying
to have a relationship with somebody, and you're just gone all the time. And worried!
Yeah. And don't think that doesn't play on you! If you're wife's at home and she's not
happy and you like your wife. I'm not talking about... love is different, but if you like your wife
you don't want to see them unhappy. Yeah. And you know it's making them
unhappy; and there you are out there doing it. So it plays on you, so
that's taken the weight off me, and it's taken and made her life a lot nicer. So
that by the time this winter is over, we're still gonna like each other,
which is nice. You know, as well as love each other. We're going to like each
other; it's gonna work. So that what we're going to do that up until it's time to
retire.
Tremendous. I'm Rick with Smart Drive Test. This is Bill Walker. He's a truck driver
in the oil patch near Grand Prairie and some great insights for those of you who
might be thinking of going up to northern Alberta and driving truck. Have
a great day. If you like the channel, subscribe below.
By now. Bye.
Closing credits & music.