How Deep Is the Eagle Ford?

October 22, 2013 R.T. Dukes

The Eagle Ford has been drilled at depths that range from a few thousand to 14,000+ ft in South Texas.

How Deep is the Eagle Ford Formation Found?

The fairway of the play is found at approximate depths of 8,000-12,000 ft below the surface.

Oil gets heavier and harder to produce in the more shallow portions of the play and dry gas is found in deeper portions of the play. It's the sweet spot between the heavy oil and dry gas where operators get high volumes of natural gas and condensate or oil wells.

Eagle Ford Depth Map

Share your thoughts - Be sure to comment below

Must-Know Items for Truck Drivers in the Eagle Ford

October 11, 2013 Elizabeth Alford

Earlier this year we wrote a series of stories about the federal government’s efforts to regulate the training of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators. For 28 years, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has attempted to standardize training requirements for entry level drivers (ELDT).

We Need Safer Roads, But...

There have been several heated conversations from trucking industry leaders, educators and safety advocates on what is a sufficient standard that will actually keep our roadways safer. Everyone agrees that implementing something to reduce accidents would be a good thing, but there are many opinions on how it should be done. Suggestions have ranged from enforcing stricter testing procedures by demonstrating performance based standards to an actual set number of hours that an individual must complete before obtaining their commercial driver’s license (CDL), as well as where and how the training can be performed.

On September 19th, 2013 the proposed federal rule was withdrawn because of over 700 comments sent to FMCSA stating several major concerns on how the ruling would negatively affect the industry. Protestors stated that the proposed ruling would do little to improve safety as requested by the federal courts.

The proposed rule may not have become law but the issue is far from dead. So here we go again. FMCSA is going back to the drawing board to research how safety can be measured among all drivers and what ruling can they implement to ensure the roadways will be safer.

Beyond the CDL Knowledge & Skills Test

[ic-r]The Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas has energized the Texas economy and provided many high paying jobs. The majority of them require a CDL. To get one you have to take knowledge and skills tests. To pass them requires a little preparation. Individuals seeking employment in the Eagle Ford are preparing for their CDL tests with training at truck driving schools at their local colleges, private for-profit schools or in company training programs. Some use self-guided study paired with borrowing Uncle John’s truck.

You may find a school or company offering “training” that seems quick and easy. You’ll be given copies of test questions from DPS, told to study them and get your CDL permit. Then you will be allowed to practice with a truck before scheduling your skills test at DPS. Sounds like a bargain and a fast track to starting your driving career but you should think twice. That is not training, and it could get you in trouble very quickly. You may find that inadequate training leads to ruining your driving record, wrecking your Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) score and preventing employment with good carriers that have strict standards.

Getting a CDL is just a start. Licensed CMV drivers have a huge responsibility. There’s much more to becoming a professional driver than just studying the test questions, meeting the basic requirements and squeaking through a driving test. You might think you could learn anything else you need through trial and error, but those errors could be deadly to your fellow drivers, even to you.

FMCSA may have withdrawn the ELT proposed rule at this time but don't let that stop you from making sure you have all the information to succeed. Have respect for yourself and your career. Make an investment in thorough training. You want to be doing this for a long time.

Truck Driving in the Eagle Ford Shale Play

September 19, 2013 Elizabeth Alford

Even those who are not in the trucking industry have an inkling of an idea about the driver shortage. Ads for jobs for holders of commercial driver’s licenses pepper the newspaper classifieds. Recruitment ads fill television and computer screens not to mention the Job Board on this site, suggesting to even the casual viewer that drivers are in demand.

The industry needs about 100,000 new drivers every year. Why that many? Experienced drivers reaching retirement age are parking their trucks. Safety initiatives, in particular the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program, have pushed many less-than-competent drivers out of the industry. New hours of service regulations have cut productive driving time so it takes more drivers to deliver the same amount of freight.

If you’ve been eyeing truck driving as a career, you might be wondering if this is the time to make your move but what type of trucking? The boom in oilfield service means a variety of drivers are needed for that industry segment.

Trucking in the Oilfield

Jobs for drivers in the Eagle Ford Shale play include the transportation of hazardous and non-hazardous materials like sand, cement, crude oil or water. You may be moving rigs and equipment. So you’ll be operating all types of equipment such as flat beds, tankers, dry van, end dump, belly dump, pole trucks and oversize equipment.

Is the Work Hard?

[ic-r]Trucking has never been an easy job. There’s so much more to CMV operation than simply getting the vehicle from Point A to Point B. Drivers have to deliver cargo undamaged and on time while guarding the safety of those which whom they’re sharing the road as well as their own safety. It all has to be done within the limits set by complex regulations that seem to change daily, if not hourly.

Trucking in the oilfield presents additional challenges. Working in the oil and gas industry as a commercial driver is very demanding, requiring you to work long hours which many times include duties other than driving. Your cargo may consist of extremely expensive equipment or supplies. Time may be even more of an essence than in other trucking jobs if production has come to halt waiting for your payload. The temptation to exceed the legal limits placed on your working hours will be great although you’ll quickly realize it’s not worth risking your health and safety not to mention your license.

The roads that you travel take a beating and will test your vehicle-handling skills to the max. Most of the work is local, usually within a 60-mile radius of the fleet facility. Drivers usually work an 11-hour day, much of it spent waiting to be offloaded at a rig site. Some sites won’t allow trucks to move at night.

What About Pay?

Most oilfield CMV drivers are paid weekly. Jobs sometimes include important benefits like medical insurance as well as dental and vision coverage. You may be offered participation in a 401(k) retirement program with the company matching your contribution. Paid vacation days may be part of the package. Depending on location salaries are around $45,000 a year and can reach $70,000 a year.

What Do I Need to Know?

For starters you will need a CDL and you’ll likely need one or more Endorsements. We highly recommend getting the Hazardous Material, Tanker and Doubles & Triples Endorsements to increase your skills and job readiness.

Beyond the knowledge and skills you need to get the required license and endorsements, you’ll need to be creative and inventive as well as self-reliant. Your equipment might break down in a location where assistance might not arrive for some time. You need to know your equipment thoroughly, be able to troubleshoot problems and be prepared to make basic repairs. You’ll realize that it’s very important to conduct thorough vehicle inspections at the beginning of your shift as well as a post trip in order to prevent breakdowns that rob you of productivity.

There are easier jobs than trucking in the Eagle Ford Shale Play but not all are as rewarding. The field is wide open to drivers with the necessary skills and a professional attitude. Check it out. You may be just right for trucking in the oilfield and it might be just right for you.

Natural Gas Emissions From Well Completions Lower Than Previously Estimated

September 17, 2013 R.T. Dukes

Natural gas emissions from well completions looks to be much less than previously thought by researchers and the EPA. As much as 50 times lower.

The University of Texas and the Environmental Defense Fund released a study that looked at methane emissions from onshore production sites. The study found emissions from well completions were 97% lower than national emissions estimates made by the EPA for 2011 and published in April.

“My take from the study is that hydraulic fracturing has an immaterial impact on methane emissions. ”

The group took onsite measurements of emissions from 190 well sites sampled throughout U.S. producing regions. The findings weren't all positive, but overall they were less alarming than previous studies.

The major findings include:

Production emissions estimates based on the data are 10% lower than EPA production emissions reported in 2011
Methane emissions from well completions are as much as 97% lower than emissions estimated by the EPA
Pneumatic devices and equipment leaks are 70% and 50% higher than current EPA emissions estimates, respectively
An estimated 0.42% of gross gas production is lost through emissions (much lower than previous estimates as high as 8%)

Combined with other recent studies, the overall leakage of methane into the atmosphere could be less than 1.5%. That's much lower than a Cornell study that suggested volumes as high as 8%.

Watch for the industry to react by making improvements that decrease emissions from pneumatic devices and equipment.

You can view a full summary presentation at engr.utexas.edu

5 Tips for Making the Most of an Oil & Gas Conference & Expo

September 13, 2013 R.T. Dukes

Let's be honest. Conferences are expensive. Very expensive - Registration fees, airfare, auto rental, food – and maybe most of all your time and associated opportunity costs. The list goes on. Both DUG Eagle Ford in San Antonio and the South Texas Oilfield Expo in Corpus Christi are September 18-19, and I know some of you are going to attempt to attend both. Make the most of it.

How much business comes from a conference won't be known until months down the road, but you can make sure you get the most out of the event with the following tips.

Learn more about maximizing your Eagle Ford Advertising

1. Take Notes (It's obvious. You know it and still don't do it.)

Some people call it paralysis by analysis. Conferences are packed full of content and you're meeting new people. It's easy to overlook the fact that you'll forget most of what you learn before the day is over.

Smart phones make this easy. Use the notes function on your phone or download an app like Evernote that makes taking notes and sharing them across devices very easy.

2. Don't Make Every Conversation & Presentation a Page of Notes

If you are there to learn, write down 1-3 takeaways from each presentation or conversation.

Seriously. For a lot of people, this is why they don't take notes. It's overwhelming and it shouldn't be. If it's more than you can read in a glance, it is too much.

If you are there to meet business contacts, get their business card and write 1-3 things about your conversation on the back of it.

It's amazing how a lead can seem hot at a conference and a few days later you don't even remember their face....err, or they yours.

In your notes, star or highlight the most important things you don't want to miss a week later (your top 10%).

3. Create a Plan & Don't Follow It

It sounds crazy, but most conferences have a structure you should plan around. With that, the conversations in the coffee line or at lunch are often the best.

When you see people wearing a company logo or standing at a company booth you are interested in, introduce yourself. Serendipitous, unplanned meetings are one of the often missed benefits of a conference. Miss the next presentation if the person is a potential business contact.

Two tips:

Quality contacts will last longer and be more valuable than any piece of information learned in one of the presentations
Go to the breakout rooms after the presentations you're most interested in. It's a less intimidating setting for the presenter and is where they will let down their guard. The result is you get real answers and not prepared remarks (the company line).

Are you advertising online to complement and bolster your marketing and sales efforts? EagleFordShale.com reaches more than 50,000 readers each month and more than 500,000 unique readers each year. Online advertising demonstrates you and your company understand the “constant on” and mobile device world in which we live.

4. Follow Up With Contacts In Real Time

[sws_blue_box box_size="630"]My experience is that people only follow up with a fraction of the people they meet. It is hard to remember every person and every conversation. Add a time element to a fuzzy memory and we don't act or we send a canned (copy and paste) email that isn't personal and it's hardly effective. [/sws_blue_box]

Use an app like LinkedIn's CardMunch to take a picture of business cards and have information automatically imported into your contact list. You can add the person as a LinkedIn contact straight from the app.

Send a follow up email when you are on a break or when you get to the hotel. If you don't, the statistics indicate you won't.

5. Use Social Media At The Conference

I'm not a natural at social media, so don't expect anything revolutionary from me. What I can say is that the world is on social media and the oil & gas industry is too.

Let me repeat that another way. YOU are on Facebook and use social media in some capacity, so it's not just people that have too much time on their hands.

I've seen everything from small transactions to major business leads come through the likes of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. These connections are happening every day.

My top three "getting started" social media tips are:

Use LinkedIn and Facebook status updates to tell professional contacts and friends you are going to a conference. You'll be surprised. Someone you went to high school or college with is in the oil & gas industry and will comment.
Use Twitter to get real time updates at the conference. The event sponsor and many of the attendees will use Twitter while they are there. There is no reason you shouldn't learn from them in real time.
If you're naturally social (a salesperson) or you handle marketing for your company, you should be using social media at the conference. Share photos, details about events you are involved in, and interact with the other people at the conference.

We hope the tips above make your next conference the most valuable to date. If you have more ideas, please share them in the comments below.

Let us know if you plan to attend an Eagle Ford Conference soon (Contact Us Here). We'll be sure to stop by your booth to introduce ourselves.

Feel free to contact us through any of the following: