Plus, we test all locations before we haul from there. Drivers also have to know something about practical hydrocarbon chemistry. They must assess the condition of the oil at each well's storage tank by determining the amount of water and foreign matter in the crude, as well as the oil's temperature and specific gravity. Our drivers are responsible to make sure it is a quality spec crude when we load it. He said it takes about 30-45 minutes at each location to load the crude, including testing the product.
Drivers take an average of four loads a day, a total of eight loading or unloading processes.
They use a hand-held Norand computer and an onboard printer to produce run tickets they leave at the wells as a record. Drivers with these skills can be hard to find, Mr. Wyatt said. Of course, they need driving experience, but they also must be able to work independently, since they frequently have contact only with the dispatcher. If trouble does come, NCRA wants them to know they are not alone. Drivers are rarely more than two hours distant from an NCRA facility and each truck comes with a Motorola radio and a cellular phone.