Oil Patch Truckers Face Tough Application Process - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

 With more than one-thousand commercial driver's license jobs available in North Dakota, it's no secret truck drivers are needed. But, getting hired is another story.

  Ed Tartaglia is a truck driver from Reno, Nevada. He's been living at the Tiger Discount Truck Stop in Dickinson for two weeks, trying to secure a job in the oil fields as a truck driver. But despite his experience, he says, it hasn't been easy. Tartaglia says the job applications can be 20 pages long, there are several interviews, a driving test and drug test to pass before he can be hired.

  But Tartaglia isn't the only driver from out of state. MBI Energy Services says it's hired drivers from all 50 states. It receives about 500 applications a month, but only has about 125 open positions. Managers say the toughest part is making sure drivers are fit for the North Dakota roads. Out of the 500 applications, about 25 percent will be interviewed, and only about fifty drivers may be hired.

  So for now, Tartaglia says he'll continue networking and hopes it's just a matter of time before he can start working in North Dakota's oil patch.