With the oil and gas industry experiencing an increase in activity over recent month, so the demand for commercial truck drivers for the industry has increased. Workforce Solutions, as an example, has over 280 truck driver job listings for those working in the oil and gas industry.

The Director of Workforce Solutions, Carole Kolle, said, “Signs of the boom span beyond online job postings. They’re evident on billboards, signs and other venues companies use to advertise.” Workforce also offers training to those who want to become drivers, and Kolle added, “It’s definitely more than we have ever had before. It’s humongous.”

The interest in driving jobs also caused the Victoria College Truck Driving Training Center to expand its training to the Gonzales area. According to Sherri Pall, the director of the college’s workforce and continuing education the college now offers the two 5 to 6 week training courses to keep up with the demand. “I’ve been telling people the oil field is literally booming with truck driving activities,” she said, expecting it to continue until a pipeline is completed and reduces the need for transportation by truck.

Currently, all the trucking and transportation companies working in oil and gas industry have been noticing the increase which is around 40% higher since last year. The CEO of Klean Corp International, Robby Burdge, whose company provides chemistry and maintenance services to the oil and gas sector, has also noticed the need for more drivers, and similarly the need for better rates.

“It’s a supply-and-demand issue, that’s for sure. It’s a strain everywhere now, but it’s a good strain. The real problem is that drivers seem to shuffle from company to company, rather than new blood entering the region. Many vendors say it’s difficult to find trained, qualified workers.”

Despite this strain, the increased activity in the oil and trucking industry is a positive step for the region.
Burdge added, “It’s blessings abound – Victoria is meeting the need, but it’s difficult. But if it was easy, everybody would do it.”

Looking closely at the oil and gas industry, many companies have taken advantage of the new hiring trends, such as Schneider National, who recently updated its business model to meet with the energy boom. After some research into the oil and gas business, they started hiring driving professionals, noting that many come from the Florida region.

As a first year driver, you can expect to earn around $50,000 per year, with the more advanced drivers earning roughly $65,000. Schneider recruitment manager, Joe Phillips said, “In Florida, anything past Orlando is like the kiss of death for drivers. You’ve got orange juice and tin cans. You’ve got to go where things are happening in the trucking area.”

The company is also looking to hire other professionals to work in the office side of things. Phillips said, “We plan on even opening a Victoria office. It’s in the works as we speak. This is long term for us.” Currently they have spoken to 243 potential drivers and hired 22 as a definite. A further 45 were undergoing background checks and medical evaluations.

If you want to learn more about trucking jobs and truck driving opportunities all around the country, including those in the oil and gas industry, you should visit Oil Job Finder today and become a member. Here you will also discover other kinds of oil jobs and gas careers that you can go into, whether it is working on the pipelines to drilling or being part of the exploration team. As a member you will also gain access to the job board and receive regular tips and advice.

Ohio is being looked at closely as the next oil and gas boom. This comes after various studies have taken place and research has gone into the development of the Utica Shale formation. The Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) released a recent study about how the economy is being positively affected by the State’s oil industry.

The economic study showed the impact of the oil development over the next 5 years. William Siskovic, a board member of the OOGEEP and President of Everflow Eastern Partners LP said, “Ohio’s natural gas and crude oil industry has played an important role in sustaining and securing the state’s energy and economic future for more than 150 years. We strongly believe that the industry will continue to play an important role in the state’s economic recovery and resurgence.”

The in depth research was organized and compiled by a Cleveland based research firm with help from The Ohio State University, Marietta College, Zane State College, and Central Ohio Technical College. Along with the analysis of how the Utica Shale will benefit the economy, projections from 2011 to 2015 were also included. The General Manager for Energy at JobsOhio commented, “Pursuing oil and gas exploration in the Utica has the potential to turn Ohio’s economy around. It’s an amazing economic opportunity.”

These projections target 5 specific aspects, namely personal income, tax revenues, jobs, royalties, and GSP (gross state product). It revealed that more than 200 thousand oil exploration jobs, oil drilling jobs, oil production jobs, and oil pipleline construction jobs could be created and supported. It is estimated that by 2015, the state could experience an income boost in the region of $12 billion. Payments to the communities surrounding the formation, such as schools and businesses in royalties could equate to around $1.6 billion, which is more than has been distributed in the last decade.

Approximately $479 billion in tax revenue is estimated and the GSP is expected to be around $12.3 billion with a statewide output of more than $23 billion. The Executive Director of the OOGEEP, Rhonda Rede said, “The data clearly demonstrates the transformative force oil and gas exploration and development could have on the state’s economy. Ohio has been given great geological gifts and the economic potential is tremendous.”

The Utica Shale formation is still in the process of being developed for drilling, but the first well was drilled in 1860 and the natural gas and crude oil industry has been contributing to the economy on an ongoing basis since then. As of 2010, nearly 13 thousand oil jobs were reported in Ohio with earnings in the region of $793 million per year. With 64 active wells at the moment throughout the 49 counties, Ohio is currently the 4th largest oil producer in the United States.

The Executive Vice President of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, Tom Stewart, responded to the study, “For well over a century, Ohio has been blessed with plentiful oil and natural gas resources. Today, Ohio is beginning a new era of oil and gas exploration made possible by a triumph of technology that is unlocking reservoirs that until now were not accessible. The result will be the development of vast new supplies of reliable energy and the creation of jobs in the oil and gas sector, as well as in other business sectors, who are counting on this resource to expand authentic economic opportunity in Ohio.”

To find out more about exciting oil and gas career opportunities, visit Oil Job Finder.

Ceres Power is going to be expanding and opening up a new manufacturing factory in Sussex with over 170 new oil and gas jobs being created it the process. It is said that the facility will produce up to 30 thousand fuel cell CHP (Combined Heat and Power) products per year which means that there are plenty more “green collar” jobs to offer in the near future.

The jobs at the Sussex facility will be in the engineering field with skilled technicians and manufacturers required. Ceres Power also states that they might be able to export the CHP product globally in a few years time and more jobs will be required for production of this nature.

State Business Minster, Mark Prisk opened the facility and it is hoped that aside from new oil jobs, this will also help to clean the environment and save on electricity costs.

According to Prisk, “Here in Britain we have a vibrant low carbon environmental goods and services market which is already the sixth largest in the world and worth £112bn. It is thanks to innovative research and product development by companies such as Ceres Power that we are leading the world with this sort of technology and which will help us realize our ambition to make the UK a leading high tech, highly skilled economy.”

The advanced fuel cell technology is being developed at the new facility and the module will be integrated with the CHP product which will essentially replace a traditional boiler. The group has already partnered with British Gas which will install these CHP products into every home in Britain who buys one. They claim that using their system will save you up to 25 % on your energy bill and lower your carbon emissions.

He added, “Ceres Power’s work in developing a revolutionary new product that can convert natural gas into electricity and heat without burning it will cut costs of annual energy bills and has the potential to make a major contribution to reducing carbon emissions in millions of homes in the UK and across Europe.”

The Chairman of Ceres Power, Brian Count, said, “Ceres Power is committed to continuing to commercialize its world-leading technology and position the UK as a leader in the deployment and manufacture of low carbon advanced manufactured products. We look forward to creating significant further skilled jobs in the UK and generating export opportunities in partnership with the UK government.”

If you want to learn more about the different types of oil and gas jobs, you should visit Oil Job Finder, where you will not only learn about gas and oil related careers, but what you need to do to get one of these jobs.  You will gain access to over 180 pages of information about oil and gas employment once you become a member and be able to access the Job Board to search for the most current openings.

A £50 million investment over the rest of the year by Swire Oilfield Services will see Aberdeen getting a job boost with a new headquarters being built, and £20 million of the amount being invested in the North Sea operations. This company specializes in supplying offshore units for carrying cargo, and has 20 new oil jobs available at its headquarters.

The chief operating officer, Rupert Bray, said, “Whilst there may be some uncertainty in the North Sea due to recent tax changes, the global offshore energy industry presents a real opportunity to expand the company’s global market presence.  There is currently a high demand for safe, reliable, high quality, and internationally approved offshore cargo carrying units around the world. As the largest global provider of these units and associated services, Swire has the resources and commitment to invest in growth and to assist the offshore industry in achieving its safety, quality and productivity targets.”

The work on the new headquarters will begin in the Altens area in July and the types of jobs that will be provided range from oil and gas industry management positions, admin jobs, and other office related oil careers.

Other jobs that you can get in the oil and gas industry include:

SCADA Engineer Jobs

SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and the engineers are certified to work on these systems which monitor all the part of the pipeline operations.

Oil Pipeline Construction Diver Jobs

Pipeline Construction Divers are directly involved in the repair and construction of the pipelines.

Oil and Gas Pipeliner Jobs

The maintenance and repair on the pipelines are performed by the oil pipeliners.

Oil Pipeline Walker Jobs

The pipeline walkers are those who specialize in location washouts, leaks, damaged communication infrastructure, joint breaks, and the like.

Oil and Gas Pipeline Welder Jobs

Pipeline welders perform welds on the pipelines and gas mains in accordance with industry standards.

Oil and Gas Pipelayer Jobs

Pipelayers organize the different parts of the pipeline and align it to prepare it for welding.

To find out more about oil and gas jobs that could be offered and what other kinds of hands on oil careers options there are, visit Oil Job Finder and become a member. Here you will gain access to 180 or more pages on the oil and gas industry and jobs including oil rig jobs, petroleum pipeline jobs, oil sands jobs, Alaska oil jobs, Barnett Shale jobs, North Dakota oil jobs, oil refinery jobs, offshore oil rig jobs, oil exploration jobs and more.

Alaska’s wild frontier is being brought into the spotlight with the proposal of the North Slope propane plant expansion at Prudhoe Bay. The Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority is hoping to extract large amounts of rich propane which will alleviate some of the pressures on the economy, provide oil and gas jobs, and cut down energy prices for the people of Alaska.

The Authority’s plan is to sell all the oil to the international market in the hopes of securing $383 million in revenue per year. Additionally, the Authority plans to buy some of the propane themselves and sell it to the local market at the same prices as before as a cheap form of energy. The thinking behind this is that it will lower the cost of propane due to the fact that it will be delivered by barge and truck to the United States instead of being shipped from outside.

This is good news to the local villages, as over the past few months, the price of diesel and other fuels has been astronomical. Mary Anne Pease, the propane supply coordinator for the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority said at a recent conference, “There’s a need for alternative energy today.”

Along with the North Slope proposal, the Senate Finance Committee has also authorized a study to be done regarding the gas jobs and oil jobs on the North Slope. The Committee is said to be spending $200,000 on the study which will provide more accurate jobs data with regards to the conflicting data received during the oil production tax debate.

Currently, due to the high fuel and electricity prices and no power cost equalization subsidies, many households across Alaska are getting rid of their electric stoves and other appliances in favor of propane ones. This figure is about 16 percent, according to Ingemar Mathaison, the energy coordinator for the Northwest Arctic Borough.

He commented, “Without the subsidy, rural electric costs are huge. In Northwest, the village of Deering pays 75 cents a kilowatt hour, about six times higher than rates paid by customers with Anchorage Municipal Light and Power. The highest Northwest rate is in Kobuk at 87 cents a kilowatt hour.”

The Authority is awaiting the support of the oil companies, and once this happens a huge expansion will take place with hundreds of gas industry jobs and oil production jobs being made available. Working on a huge project like this also means long term careers which will be set in place for the propane production that will begin after the plant is finished.

If you are interested in one of these gas jobs, then you should check out the Oil Job Finder website. Here you will not only find the details of how to go about getting an oil job and working in the oil drilling and exploration industry, but you will also learn all about the gas industry, how to go about searching for jobs in the gas industry.

There is plenty of information including a comprehensive look at the Alaska Pipeline project, the Canadian Oil Sands, the North Dakota Oil project, and Barnett Shale. You will find out what kinds of oil jobs and gas jobs are out there, and discover what you need to study to enable you to get into the oil and gas industry.  There is also a Jobs Board with regularly updated oil and gas career opportunities that you can apply for.

The Cook Inlet in Alaska will see the first oil rig drilling in 16 years if all goes according to plan. A joint venture between Kenai Offshore Ventures, a subsidiary of Buccaneer Energy Ltd., Sydney, and Ezion Holdings Ltd., Singapore has been approved by the Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority (AIDEA) in the hopes that it will provide a huge profit for the area and create plenty of oil rig jobs and oil drilling jobs. Buccaneer was able to enter the inlet due to having recently purchased Stellar Oil and Gas

According to the consulting engineers, the Cook Inlet job has the capability to provide work and oil for 5 years. They have certified 12.7 million bbl of oil equivalent in Buccaneer’s 100% owned Southern Cross Unit and also certified a combined additional 60.6 million boe in the North West Cook Inlet and Southern Cross Units.

KOV estimates that over 500 oil and gas jobs will be created due to this 5 year drilling plan which has secured a $109.5 million contract.

AIDEA Board Chairman Mike Felix commented, “Today’s Board action is the culmination of many months of hard work by a dedicated team of people devoted to the successful completion of thorough due diligence and complex negotiations for the benefit of Alaskans. We are very pleased to take this important step with Buccaneer, and to move forward with much-needed drilling in the Cook Inlet.”

“AIDEA is perfect for this type of enterprise because its reason for being is to work both public and private sector issues to create jobs, tax bases and opportunities in Alaska,” said CEO of Buccaneer Energy, Curtis Burton.

If you think you have what it takes to work in an oil drilling job or get an oil rig job, then you should visit Oil Job Finder. You will get all the details on how to go about getting an oil and gas job, what you can earn and what oil rig training is required. The various oil rig jobs that you can get include:

Roustabout - Responsible for painting, cleaning, and helping out with anything and everything at all times.
Roughneck – Typical entry-level position where you must be able to do basically everything.
Motorman – Makes sure everything on the oil rig is functioning correctly.
Derrickhand – Ensures that the drill is functioning and guiding pipe 80 feet above the platform.
Driller – Manager of a small crew, who operates the drills extracting the oil and gas.
Toolpusher – Oil rig supervisor; responsible for all the costs, safety procedures, and rig operations.
Commercial Deepwater Diver – Makes sure that the maintenance, cleaning, repairs, exploration, and general safety of operations for the underwater drilling platform is conducted.

Approval of the $35 billion Australia Pacific liquefied natural gas (APLNG) project by Federal Environmental and Water Minister, Tony Burke, has caused a stir among the locals. “After a rigorous assessment, which sought the advice of experts and included public consultation, I have concluded that the APLNG project can go ahead without unacceptable impacts on matters protected under national environment law,” he announced.

The gas project involves tapping coal steam gas resources in central Queensland, centering around Gladstone, and the oil and gas industry officials at the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) have reassured the critics that strict environmental conditions would be in place. Among the safety measures put in place, there will be regular and ongoing monitoring of the Great Artesian Basin, and a system has been initiated in the event of any groundwater contamination.

Mr Burke reassured the public, “In relation to the Great Artesian Basin, I have taken a precautionary approach by requiring ‘early warning’ thresholds and detailed ongoing monitoring. In making my decision, I considered the potential impacts on agricultural land, and have set strict environmental conditions to ensure water resources are properly managed to protect nationally significant matters.”

On the positive side, the companies in charge of the project Origin Energy and ConocoPhillips, will be offering about 5000 oil and gas industry jobs over the next 4 years. This is the third in a series of projects, the other being run by Queensland Gas and Santos. These will also be providing 5000 oil pipeline construction jobs each, with many positions, including those of engineer and office clerk already being advertised for.

APPEA called it “a win for good process over fear campaigns” which also led the chief executive, Belinda Robertson to comment, “Contrary to the claims of a noisy and misleading minority, Australia’s coal seam gas industry is the most carefully scrutinized and heavily regulated in the country. Assessing liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects is akin to a marathon, not a sprint”.

The main concerns about the project involved the possibility that 23 harmful chemicals would leak into the groundwater and that none of these chemicals had been assessed by a national regular as yet. Principal hydrologist with the Queensland government, John Hillier said that he was concerned about the effects of the coal steam gas extraction on the basin.

Mr Burke, however, said that the water extraction thresholds had been tested and approved. “Water pressure must be maintained above conservative thresholds that will be set on the advice of experts. Should these be exceeded, the companies must have plans ready to re-establish pressure, through re-injection or other means. In making my decision, I considered the potential impacts on agricultural land, and have set strict environmental conditions to ensure water resources are properly managed to protect nationally significant matters.”

Ms Roberston commented, “Most Australians understand natural gas is a cleaner burning fuel and that the further development of Australia’s gas export industry represents Australia’s best opportunity to assist the largest and fastest-growing economies of Asia move to a less carbon-intensive energy future.”

Some conditions were set aside in the deal including the demand to “secure land five times the size of the project site that can be included into the national park estate or set aside forever.” The increased job opportunities totaling 15 thousand, means that Gladstone and surrounding towns are in for quite an economic boost. If you are looking for a gas industry job like this one, look no further than Oil Job Finder, where you will learn all about different career options in the oil and gas industry.

Oil giant, Royal Dutch Shell has announced that they want to explore the large Karoo Basin in South Africa to search for shale gas deposits, which many political parties, environmental organizations, and the public have opposed. The outcry comes due to the fact that Shell plans to use a method called fracking (hydraulic fracturing) which uses an immense amount of water, fracturing chemicals and sand to create fissures in the rocks for the gas to escape to the surface. It is said that this method is very risky and could contaminate surrounding water sources, and have a negative impact on the environment.

According to Gareth Morgan, the Democratic Alliance Water and Environmental Affairs spokesperson, “The proposal by Shell to explore for gas over 90 000 square kilometers of the south-western Karoo Basin is wholly premature and should not be entertained by Petroleum Agency South Africa (PASA). The process is highly controversial and has been banned in several areas in the United States. The precautionary principle has to apply when considering any proposal that involves fracking, and for the moment we simply do not know enough about the deep geology of the Karoo, nor is it evident how the already water-stressed Karoo could provide the water for this thirsty activity.

Shell however understands the concerns of the people and said that they have put various safety measures in place. They will study the rock formations to see which ones are stable enough to handle the fracking process and that the drilling would occur in carefully contained boundaries with special barriers in place to contain the chemical fracturing fluid.

“In the Karoo, we expect that thousands of meters of rock separate the natural gas formations from the shallow groundwater aquifers. The risk of seeping gas into aquifers or to the surface is extremely low, said a Shell spokesperson.”

Derek Light, a lawyer representing various Karoo land owners and farmers, said, “We are very concerned about the environmental impact, especially because fracking is not regulated in South Africa.”

Head of conservation at WWF South Africa, Mark Botha also stated, “We’ve got some serious concerns about fracking, it is as yet an unproven technology with unacceptable risks for fresh water abstraction and pollution.”

Shell still maintains that fracking is the best method to extract the shale gas that is deep under the Karoo Basin, and that every environmental precaution and study is taking place to ensure the safety of the drilling to avoid any kind of contamination.

More details about the plan of action with regards to the environment will be confirmed at the end of April, and all of the public’s concerns will be taken very seriously and incorporated into their Environmental Management Plan.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the gas exploration in South Africa and earning great money, become a member of Oil Job Finder. Here you will learn about every possible oil and gas job available, how much they pay, and the working conditions. You will also get details on what qualifications you need for any of the gas and oil jobs listed.

As a member, you will gain access to a database of employers offering oil and gas jobs around the world, so that you can get a better idea of who you would like to work for. Make sure that you also check out the Job Board regularly for any new gas exploration and oil production jobs being offered. There are additional resources that you can use for finding a gas job such as advice on how to send in an application, and tips for job interviews.

With the technology in the gas and oil industry becoming more and more advanced, there are now discussions about drilling for shale gas in the province of New Brunswick along the coast of Canada. High paying jobs like the shale gas jobs are needed in this area, but there is some debate over how environmentally friendly it is, with New Brunswick residents skeptical about the success of shale gas wells.

New Brunswick has one of the largest deposits of shale gas in North America, but in the past extracting it was not effective or safe, because the technology was just not available. Now that we are in the 21st century, the oil and gas industry has been worked on dramatically so that shale gas, which is a natural gas, can be produced all over the world. New Brunswick now has the opportunity to cash in on their untapped resource. According to a recent report the shale gas represents 20 percent of the entire US gas supply, and it is thought that by 2035, it could be around 50 percent.

So far, New Brunswick has been home to about 60 wells which have been drilled via fracturing, which is a hydraulic process. To compare, in the US Pennsylvania already has 1500 wells in production with industry officials predicting an extra 35 thousand by 2030.

Environmentalists there were just as concerned about the production of so many shale gas wells, with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council reporting that they were called for “swift action on new regulations and greater oversight of drilling and extraction of natural gas.”

However a compromise was sought as the Environmental Council’s president Don Welsh stated, “shale gas is a once-in-a-generation energy and economic opportunity for Pennsylvania [and] we have a deep historical, political and fiduciary responsibility to get this right for the citizens.”

This is the kind of compromise that New Brunswick is seeking.

“We need shale gas. We need the high-paying jobs, we need the rural economic renewal and we need the long term stream of tax and royalty revenue to pay for our public services,” said David Campbell, an economic development consultant based in the New Brunswick town of Moncton.

If you want to learn more about the different kinds of shale gas jobs that you can get, you should visit Oil Job Finder and become a member. You will also find out many details about oil pipeline jobs, oil rig jobs, drilling jobs and exploration jobs. Additionally you will get the scoop on the Canada Oil Sands project, Barnett Shale jobs, Alaska Oil jobs, and oil jobs in North Dakota.

You will find out all you need to know about the qualifications you need to work in the oil and gas industry and get insight into jobs including geologist jobs, engineer jobs, roustabout jobs, roughneck jobs, derrickhand jobs, and much more.

If you want to keep on top of the job market in New Brunswick or anywhere in the world where oil and gas jobs might come up, you should become a member and check the Job Board regularly for new listings.

If you are interested in the oil and gas industry where you can earn a great salary and work pretty much anywhere in the world, there are lots of different kinds of oil and gas jobs that you can get. There are various aspects you will need to look at before deciding exactly where you want to work in the oil and gas industry. Firstly there are oil rig jobs which are dangerous, but that pay really well. These jobs will also take you out to sea for many months at a time, so you will have to have the right disposition to handle a job like this.

There are oil exploration jobs which will also require you to be comfortable with being out at sea for lengthy periods, but there are land based exploration jobs. You can either work as a driller or a similar job where you do not require a degree, but exploration jobs can also include engineers, geologists and others that you will need a qualification for. 

Then you can get oil pipeline jobs which are more technical as it will involve the laying of heavy pipelines and working with machinery. Here are the main oil pipeline jobs that you can apply for:

SCADA Engineer Jobs

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) Engineers are certified to work on special SCADA systems that monitor the various aspects of the pipeline operations.

Oil Pipeline Construction Diver Jobs

Pipeline Construction Divers are professional divers and are specifically involved with the repair of pipelines as well as the construction of new ones. They are also responsible for the maintenance of structures associated with offshore oil and gas production.

Oil and Gas Pipeliner Jobs

Pipeliners perform repair and maintenance on the pipelines along with the supporting infrastructure including pumping stations and storage tanks.

Oil Pipeline Walker Jobs

Oil pipeline walkers are specialist pipeliners who patrol the oil and natural gas pipelines and systems to locate any breaks in the joints, leaks, washouts, and damaged wires and poles responsible for the communication infrastructure.

Oil and Gas Pipeline Welder Jobs

Pipeline welders are specialized in both gas and electric welding and perform welds on pipelines and gas mains following the correct industry standards.

Oil and Gas Pipelayer Jobs

Pipelayers organize various segements of pipeline to prepare them for being welded and must ensure that they are correctly aligned.

Oil and Gas Pipe Inspector Jobs

Pipe inspectors are responsible for carefully inspecting section of the pipe, as well as steel tubing, drill pipe and various other materials for faults by using optical and magnetic scanning equipment.

Pipeline Supervisor Jobs

Pipeline Supervisors must oversee the daily operations of pipeline facility to ensure that everything is running safely and working according to correct industry regulations and standards.

Pipeline Design Engineer Jobs

Pipeline Design Engineers are responsible for drafting construction specifications project models related to the design and construction of pipelines and the infrastructure for the oil and gas industry.

If you want to find out more about oil and gas jobs and where you can start applying, look no further than Oil Job Finder.