Vela Von at one year old
A coupla years back we scheduled a week or so off the gate and on the appointed day the relief gate guards the company had selected showed up so we could be on our way. The old man that crawled out of that F-250 so slowly concerned me. He was all hunched over and stove up, walking with a cane. He had to turn his head sideways to look me in the eye and he must have noticed some concern on my face because he said ‘Don’t fret, I been to this rodeo before.’
When we got back to the gate and the regulars started to come in and out, I asked them how the Old Man and his wife did. To a man, they sang his praises. It took him forever to come out of the RV with those steps and all; so he didn’t. They said he sat outside the RV all day long in a chair with an umbrella so he could check them in ricky tick and this was May – and it was hot. I could hear the respect in their voice when they spoke of him. He would do to ride the river with in their mind and that level of respect don’t come easy in these parts.
And that is pretty much how it is in the oil patch. A man walks into a bar in Moscow or Memphis or Mexico City and he overhears a conversation about the oil fields at one of the tables. He walks over and says ‘Hey fellas, can I buy you a beer and join you? I done my time in the Barnett, Permian and Eagle Ford.’ Just watch how quick another chair is pulled up and the stranger is welcomed to the group. It is a brotherhood, a fraternity, and those survivors know exactly what I am talking about.
Back when the bottom dropped out of the shale oil fields and people were crying they were going broke at $75/barrel, I told ’em to just wait and see what happened next. In the oil business you adapt, adjust and overcome regardless of the magnitude of the task that faces you. It has been thataway since Spindletop and it just is. Regardless of where you go in the world, the technology, equipment and smarts they are using to get that oil and gas out of the ground more ‘n’ likely originated in Texas. So I knew damn well those smart boys in Houston would adapt and figure out a way to make money on shale oil at $50 or so a barrel – and they have. The Eagle Ford is picking back up.
Over the years, I have maintained these three constants when it comes to being an oilfield gate guard in Texas.
The job is not for everybody.
It ain’t rocket science. Don’t make it so.
There is NO snivelin’ in the oil patch.
So it was with some interest I started reading a blog from gate guard noobs. It was so predictable………… problems with water, fuel, work schedule, just exactly what their job duties were etc. I even went so far as to write a long comment to one of their posts:
An observation from someone who has gate guarded for more than a few years………
I volunteered to change the oil and filters on the company generator. I am on a slow gate and have the time to do it.I text my service guy 4 days before I need fuel. I have 10 gallons of emergency diesel on hand just in case.If my water guy misses a delivery, I run off my onboard tank. He usually shows up the next day. No biggie.If my generator craps the bed at 11pm on Saturday night, I drag out my little Honda 2000 and fire it up. If it is cool weather, most likely I will call on MONDAY and tell ’em I need a fix. If it is hot and I need AC, I call Sunday and have the nurse trailer buttoned up and ready to go when they get here with a swapout.
Why??????? My experience has been the fellas that service the needs of the gate guard people work really hard. Erratic hours, weekends, call outs when there is a problem etc – they always seem to have more on their plate than they can get done. They work hard and the job can be pretty thankless.
Most new gate guards think establishing a good work rep enhances their employment opportunities. Maybe not so much if you think about it. Gate guarding is not rocket science MOST of the time. You show up to check them in or out in reasonable time and that is pretty much the crux of it. Easy peasy. That may not be the case if you have an emergency onsite. Perhaps a fatality, serious injury, H2S incursion, distillate tanks blowing up, fires or serious oil leaks can change the game in a matter of moments and you best be ready to bring your best game at that point. Things can get deadly serious in a heartbeat and your role will be important and pivotal. Been there and done all those things listed at some point in the past.
What really counts as far as job security and steady employment in this business is low drag. The less burden you are on the company, the fewer resources they expend on you, the less time they have to spend on your comfort, necessities, well being etc the more valuable an asset you are to the company. When the bottom dropped out of the Eagle Ford in early 2014, you better believe when all the gate shuffling was over that the remaining gate guards were most certainly of the low drag variety. I joke with my supervisor that if I EVER call him, his next call will probably be to 911. He laughs but he KNOWS and I KNOW what I am really saying.
Sorry if this went on for too long and please understand I am not preachifying. I enjoy your blog and it brings back some (good) memories when I was first starting out and trying to understand this oil field business and the odd culture that is so important to its’ success. Keep up the good work y’all. God bless ya, your hearts seem to be in the right place.
February 2011 – Our very first gate that saw up to 1000 vehicles pass per day. We stayed until it closed. Man up or go home.
I was trying my damned best to be helpful and clue them up that complaining and telling the Company Man or your Service Guy how to do their job doesn’t cut it down here. I was being diplomatic because I coulda said ‘Nobody gives a damn how you did it up North.’ But I didn’t; +1 for the curmudgeon.
But the bitch-fest was far from over. They got a new Company Man. I don’t know if he is new-new or their old Company Man just rotated out for time off. Anyway, he laid it down that the gates now had to be closed at all times and the butthurt reached new heights. Stuff like that wasn’t in the job description and it increased their workload xx seconds per vehicle ( they actually did some sort of spread sheet on that; Christ on a cracker!) and the wind blows the gates and it is basically hell on earth and the RULE MUST BE CHANGED. Yeah, right, good luck with that. Remember that adapt, adjust, overcome thing??
More from 2011
So I made another comment and suggested they only open one panel to admit a 4 wheel vehicle; only open both panels for the big trucks. They received probably a dozen suggestions about how to cope with opening the gates and replied to each one and said ‘No, that won’t work because……’ Folks were honestly trying to help out and they were dismissed out of hand because these people had been horribly wronged when tasked with closing the gates and that is the thing that must change. I even mentioned in my comment that it might be more productive to solve the logistics of closing the gate VS. going butthurt ballistic about a change in job duties. Hellfire, they were keeping hourly statistics and had fallen down the fatal wormhole of trying to equate the workload in relation to an hourly pay rate. You get paid BY THE DAY, you have no rent or utilities and you decide who is going to work and when. That is the job -nada mas.
To give the noobs credit, they did figure out a way to keep the gates closed without chasing them in the wind and they did follow my suggestion about only opening one panel. At the same time, the mindset changed from trying to do the best job possible to retaliation. I.e., if this is the way they are going to treat us (butthurtness showing) I am going to back off and do just the minimum to get by. OK, eighty percenters, you lost my support right then and there. Nothing chaps my cheeks worser than an intentional slacker! You do not complain and whine and bitch and slack your job behind your employer’s back and still take his money on payday. Ever. If it is that bad, leave with dignity. Now. That is why your house has wheels.
I really hope they clue up quick and they make a showing down here, I really do. Most of the tribulation they are experiencing is due to the foreign work environment and bein’ in South Texas. They are 30 days in right now and an enlightenment is overdue in my book. In case it doesn’t, this is how it will play out….. Someone from the guard company will call up or show up and tell them they are being replaced. No reason given. They will be told to go to a company yard or find a spot at a local RV park to wait for their next assignment. Except there won’t be a next assignment; not from their current company anyway. Gate guards are seldom fired out and out; they are just allowed to sit and rot away.
Why I am bagging so hard on these poor folks you are probably thinkin’………….. after all, it is not my circus, not my monkeys. I can almost guarantee you somebody who is researching about gate guarding in South Texas is reading this right now. If I can only impress upon those prospective noobs that you go along to get along at first and that you listen more than you run your yap, the whole process will be more pleasant and decidedly more successful for them.
That’s why. You either get it – or you never will. It is what it is.
End Note: Jump into the Fire by Harry Nilsson from the Nilsson Schmilsson cd. This song came up in conversation with BFF Cait. Seems it is the opener for the new season of a show we watch.
I texted her:
‘ Sad part is I remember when this album hit the streets. (1971)’
She texted me back:
‘That is not sad. That is legit.’
So, I will take the compliment. This video is truly odd but well worth the bandwidth.
If you want the full leaded version with a driving bass line and incendiary drum solo, do this one.