Frac sand haulers are in high demand as fracking expands in some areas of the country. As a CDL truck driver, you can earn up to $14,000 per week driving in this field. Demand is at an all-time high, and with the shortage of drivers to fill positions, it’s the perfect time to make a lot of money.
Experience is often minimal. Some trucking companies want drivers that have two years of CDL-A experience, and some sand hauling positions will demand a year of sand hauling experience or something similar.
However, with the demand in the field rising and no one to fill positions, drivers with a good driving record may be able to enter the field with fewer restrictions.
What is Frac Sand Hauling?
Fracking is growing in popularity, with the most activity occurring in Texas, North Dakota and Pennsylvania. However, fracking activity is in 30 or more states, which has led to a boom in frac sand hauling.
Fracking truck drivers are responsible for bringing fracking material from the site to:
- Processing facilities
- Storage silos
Frac sand hauling involves loading and transporting sand that is used in the fracking process. The sand is small and uniform and is injected into the rock during hydraulic fracking. The goal of the sand, along with the water used in the process, is to open up rock fractures.
Frac Sand Truck Driver Pay?
Due to the global trucker shortage and high demand, sand hauling companies are willing to pay top dollar to anyone willing to work as a frac sand hauler. Pay in this industry varies dramatically from one state and company to another.
If you’re an owner-operator, you can earn as much as $13,000 per week hauling frac sand.
Frac Sand Hauling and the Lucrative CDL Jobs in Texas Oil Fields
A major boom in frac sand hauling jobs is ongoing, and the lack of qualified drivers has left some companies willing to pay significantly more than average for drivers. Texas is a hotspot for fracking, and Sisu Energy pays experienced owner-operators as much as $14,000 per week to drive for them.
Most of the drivers will earn between $10,000 and $13,000 a week driving for Sisu.
However, the more you drive, the higher the percentage of pay per load that you’ll receive. Traditionally, drivers earn 80% of what the company is paid for a load. However, when you drive over 60 loads per month, the split increases to 83% – a significant pay increase.
The OTR division of the company pays 85% to drivers, and most truckers will earn $8,000 to $9,000 per week. With that said, the company only hires owner-operators and doesn’t have any of their own trailers or trucks available.
Due to high economic demand, the American Trucking Association suggests that the trucking industry will need to hire 1 million or more drivers to satisfy current demand.
Frac Sand Hauling Pay Data
Salary in this industry averages at $115,568, but there are highs and lows that need to be considered. On the low end, some drivers are making just $25,000 annually, but it’s safe to assume that these positions are part-time.
However, on the high end, some truckers are paid $355,000 annually for frac sand hauling.
Frac Sand Hauling Jobs
Here are some of the top Frac sand hauling companies that are currently hiring and the pay that they’re offering:
- M5W Transport is hiring truckers in Arkansas and is paying truckers between $1,800 and $2,200 per week to drive frac sand box trucks.
- Koad Logistics is hiring truckers in West Virginia, and as a contractor, you can earn between $1,800 and $3,000 per week.
- Tycoon Trucking is hiring drivers full-time, and if you can go the distance with the company, they’re willing to pay $5,500 to $6,500 each week.
- NexTier Oilfield Solutions is hiring in Black Lick, Pennsylvania and is paying full-time drivers $80,000 to $100,000 annually.
Hundreds of job listings are available across the country for anyone who wants to be in the frac sand hauling industry.
Note: Pay is based on listings at the time of writing this article in November 2021.
States With the Highest Demand for Frac Sand Hauling
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Colorado
- West Virginia
- North Dakota
- Montana
- Ohio
- Texas
- Pennsylvania
What Life is Like as a Frac Sand Hauler
Most drivers are on the road before the sun rises, hauling 50,000 pounds of sand to frac well sites. Owners of these wells try to keep the distance between pickup and the well sites minimal, so many loads are just over 100 miles away.
You’ll drive down bumpy roads that are not city-maintained as you bring the sand to the site.
Daily, your job may seem repetitive, but the grind is worth the money. You’ll be paid very well for your specialization. “Sand pushers,” as many call them, will make $60,000 to $100,000 per year, but there are more risks, too.
Since drivers are hauling on dirt roads and country roads, there are concerns of:
- Bad road conditions
- trailers ending up in ditches
Turns are often the most concerning because when it’s dark at night and there are no lights for long stretches, it’s very easy to end up with trailers in ditches. Sometimes, a single well has 1,000 or more truckers that are hauling a wide range of equipment and goods, such as:
- Drilling equipment
- Sand
- Water
- Etc.
Due to the large amounts of traffic and dirt road conditions, there are always risks of accidents occurring. Congestion on these roads can be intense, and there will be a mix of both pneumatic and sandbox trucks.
Perhaps the largest risk is that there are smaller trucks, sometimes pick-up trucks, on small roads spanning just two lanes. These smaller trucks weave in and out of traffic, and with the roads already being overly congested with little room for error, this is perhaps the most significant risk to drivers.
Men and women are entering the frac sand hauling industry because of the great financial freedom available. However, the industry remains highly dominated by men. But, if you can handle the congestion and off-road experience, you can make a lot of money being a frac sand truck driver.