Thank you, Thank you Thank you, for this simple solution. We prefer to take back roads, and it's so annoying to have Google think it knows better than we do about the route we'd like to take. I'm actually surprised that there's no class action lawsuit against Google for causing people to look away from their driving to select that they would like to continue with a route, or have Google suddenly change it!
I use a Garmin GPS on my bike (Yamaha Super Tenere) and I'm very used to sticking "waypoints" into routes to force it to "go my way". Or just figure out the route and let it recalculate when you don't do as it says.
Hello Im one of the drivers that frequents these gates. Some gate guards take the job way to seriously and are like robots and very rude lol its nice when you meet friendly salt of the earth folks like yall. South Texas is one of our main areas so hope to see yall n say hello while you are there!!! Cheers
Our number 1 goal was to be pleasant to the people who came through. We actually miss a couple of the guys that were daily drivers since we've moved on. -J
This brings back memories. I did this for about 8 years in 2000 and then another 3 years with my wife. We have alot of great memories and would love to go back to it. The money is good but can at times get interesting. One thing I would sugest getting is a 4 or 8 camera security system. It can help with the gate guarding and also your protection with living in a travel trailer. Also I worked in upper, mid and lower Texas, even in OK. and NM. Just for fun I bought a telescope for the nights to look at the stars. A lot of good memories. Trinity will make a great addition for you in your travels and life. ✌
We have some good motion sensors but I do think if I were planning on gate guarding for a longer period of time I would invest in the cameras like you say! -J
When I started back in 2003? The motion sensors were and are a must. As for cameras, I used a VCR to record the video. I would still get the camera system even if you don't continue the gate guarding just because they will make you know what is happening around the trailer when you are in or out of the trailer. I used a wired system back then but now you could get a wireless system and use solar powered caneras up to 900+ feet away. I don't know if you are have protection but there are some bad people comming across the border now (Just to let you know, we live in The RGV, (Mercedes) and have for 15 years now.) An example would be if you are at a Walmart and hear a noise outside at night you could just see what is happening and prepare for it. Anywho, I just want you and your wife to be safe and have fun with your adventures. @@OpenRoading
I sold the house and am currently at an RV park in my 24 foot tt in CA with my dog, Red, and cat, Winnie. I have befriended a homeless, beautiful black cat with green eyes. She went from being very skinny and hanging around the dumpsters to well-fed.😊 I also made a heated bed for her inside my fence around the RV. I will get her fixed. My dog (and cat) dont know what to make of her lbut I think they may come around. lol.I also have "been known" to throw a few scaps to some raccoons and a beautiful CA grey fox with a black stripe on her back. 😮. Taking care of stray animals is a GREAT THING. ❤
We've been gate guarding since May 2019. It is not a job that everyone will like. We've had good and bad gates. Some are short-term, some long. The nature of the job is uncertain due to a few things. It could be the energy company, the contract with the land owner, personality conflicts, the rig wanting a different Guard company, etc... We've been doing this for 4 1/2 years now. We were out of work (when we wanted to be working) for a total of 12 days in all that time. We were lucky in the fact that we worked all thru COVID. I hope everything works out like you need it to. How's the dog and rabbit getting along?? Y'all stay safe out there!!
Love hearing stories like yours! We actually ran into another couple who was between gates while we were waiting. Kalyn and I have said to each other that if we weren't also involved in other projects that Gate Guarding is probably THE way to go. We have to be a lot more picky in what gates we take because we don't want to lose progress on our other projects. All in all - good experience! Learned a lot! Dog and rabbit are getting along so far. Not fast friends by any means, but Cody isn't being eyed as a meal by Trinity so that's a good thing! -J
@@edwardmcdermott9948$200 per day. Plus the company had a generator for the people guarding the gate. From what I gathered, they were not paid any additional money for anything.
Retired with a 2023 RV available in the backyard, I originally tuned in to check out gate guarding. But I fell in love with Trinity! Thanks for rescuing her, I hope she has a forever home with y’all.
ok so i subscribed because i want to see trnity have a good home, BUT if she doesnt stay with you i will unsubscribe.....They say if a dog finds you and they stay around its for a good reason.... Dogs pick who they love.... I have 3 dogs and they all found me, i didnt go looking for them.... and my 3 dogs are the most loving, loyal and caring dogs.......
Hi Frank! I need you to promise me something....Promise me that you will watch all the way to minute 7 or 8 of our next video (comes out Friday night). It will be worth it, trust me. 🙂 -J
We do the recruiting for Guard1 at the tent in Quartzsite, and the thing about gate guarding is you never know, once they get to know you better you will more than likely get longer term gates, that can be good as long as it's a good gate !! You can turn down gates if you don"t feel comfortable, just know a lot of people will tell you a lot of negative but we have helped a lot of people to get out of debt and be able to do things they would not been able to do other wise , Remember the best day of gate guarding is your last, but compared to a lot of the jobs out there, you can call a lot of the shots !!
Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. Overall our experience with guard 1 was very positive. They had no issues when we turned down gates and I think we had a good working relationship on the job. Our only negatives (and I don't think we did more then mention it in the video) was: 1. Almost no warning that the job was coming to a close. Maybe this is something that is common across the whole industry but getting 12 hours notice that we had to leave was something we did not expect at all. Even if someone said "Hey, the job is wrapping up so we don't know when but there is a good chance we'll be done in the next few days" would have done a lot to ease the shock of the 12 hour notice. 2. When being recruited for gates the recruiter didn't know some basic information: What type of gate is it? Fracking, Drilling, wrap up? | How much does it pay? These two questions were super basic so getting pitched a gate without knowing the answer to those questions was very odd to me. We actually have recommended Guard 1 to some friends who are currently in the process of applying. So we couldn't have hated it too much. 🤣 We would totally work with guard 1 again if the gate was right. We were paid on time and had no issues with water, power, and sewer. -J
I’m thankful that I’m retired and able to travel. I can’t image getting a phone call that suddenly puts you out of work. Keep us posted. On Trinity & thanks for giving her a good home.
We're working hard on getting our work from home money to be our sole income again - this is just a bump in the road that we'll make it over in no time. Thanks so much for the encouragement! -J
I've been struggling with this lately. I have worked for years to get to where I am now, and I am finally working at a large tech company. Only to find the culture is not what it used to be, and that layoffs are a constant fear. So, I'm biding my time, and building my rig, in the meantime, working on my own projects and business ideas. Maybe by the time they decide they pay me too much and let me go, I can finally just go do what I want.
@@luiytheninja3655 The biggest thing people ask us is "Aren't you worried about retirement?" Honestly? Sure! We were hoping that by now we'd have more saved and that our business would be booming. But it hasn't been the case. But what if I do the 9-5, work my butt off, save $500,000 and the economy tanks and the dollar becomes worthless? Or, what if I get to retirement age and then get a terminal diagnosis? All that to say, there are no promises in life. There is no guarantee of financial security even if you make ALL the "right" choices. You should absolutely make wise and considered choices. People who max out credit cards for travel they can't afford are mortgaging their future for a quick burst of fun. But those considered choices for us meant putting our eggs in the entrepreneurship basket and understanding that basket comes with a very low floor....and a very high ceiling. We chose this path because in the meantime we get to explore, and we get to do it together. We're not guaranteed to be able to do that when we're older. This life isn't romantic. It's even downright hard sometimes. Even a little scary. But I wouldn't trade it. -J
Hope you found a new job and I hope Trinity does well with you guys. A sweet dog. We respected a dog and we have had her a year and she is still kind of skittish but she is a love bug. Worth it. Be safe ❤️❤️❤️
I'm a retired truck driver I used to deliver New York City a lot more than I ever wanted to and most of the time that same mapping system that you are telling the truth about would actually show me setting somewhere about 200 miles off in Atlantic Ocean not good when you're down in the burrows it wasn't for security issues that I had no partner being caught up in I'll take up this skate garden gate guarding gig spent my long younger life working the oil fields I loved it but then also love truck driving I worked since 1965 and now I'm taking what IRS gives me out which makes me look back to all the years when I had a son and a family that told me all that work I was doing what worth it dad I can kind of agree well spoken on this gate gig job from an old rough neck keep sunny side up and free roads in front of you
Wow, I'm not quite sure how I wound up watching your video, but it is heartfelt, seemingly genuine, and very interesting! I was wondering if you'd adopt Trinity and so glad you did! I subscribed, mainly to get a sense of your life state and your travels! You're a beautiful couple and I hope the best for you!
See...I don't know what timezone you are in, but generally if you are watching youtube after midnight "I'm not quite sure how I wound up watching ____" could be a daily mantra. 😂 (speaking from experience here of course). Thanks so much for your super kind words. The goal of our channel is to be as real as humanly possible while also still having some clear personal boundaries. Welcome to the ride! -J
That was not very nice. "They don't want to hire people who don't know what day of the week it is." I'm retired, and that would be me and my wife. 😂 Very good video. Thanks for sharing.
I bet a campsite in California still cost an arm or leg 🤕. Here in Arkansas I pay $350 a month for a spot with electric, water, trash, wifi , cable. If I ever left Arkansas I would be very poor.😒. Prices are so different and expensive across our country. It's bs
We RVed through California last year and spent most of the time boondocking because you are correct, campgrounds on the west coast are expensive....along with fuel. -J
We gate guard as one of our Workamper jobs too just with a different company. We started last September. At our first gate about two weeks in my wife was sitting on the RV step looking at her phone and out of know where she got a big sloppy kiss from a white and black Pit bull. We too took him to the vet... no chip. Put ads all over the place including the towns Facebook page. No one claimed him. So now Loki is part of our family. On our second gate we were requested by Trinity to be their gate guard and were told as the rig moves, we will move with it for as long as we wanted to work. We decided to take a few weeks of vacation time to see my family in CA. When we returned they were wrapping up the drilling. We were told the next gate wasn't going to have a guard at it. We were not ready for that nor budgeted for that. Luckly, the company we work for called us after one day of being off and said they had another gate four hours away. Looks like this one may last into March which lines up almost perfect with another Workamper Job we enjoy doing over the summer. Hope it all works out with Trinity, she like Loki are fortunate enough to find caring people.
I love it when jobs line up! We've been told we can move with our current one if it ends before we are ready to be done...but we will see. I've learned not to think of anything as a guarantee in this line of work. 😂 -J
@@OpenRoading Yup, I never worked this field but I did do janitorial work for a subcontracting company and they can end abruptly when the job site changes companies for things outside your control. Sounds like you have fit in and they want you happy, but they cannot even control what their customers decide.
@@markpashia7067 Yeah. It's a little strange to me because the more I've talked to people in the industry the end of a lot of these jobs is semi-predictable toward the end. Like the last few days people generally know it's the last few days. But it seems a lot of the times there are certain people that are left out of that loop for whatever reason. Weird. -J
We JUST found your channel. Love it! You two are so real, and so beautiful, and so enjoyable to watch. Thanks for the great video and the fun channel. Hopefully we'll meet on the road. Do ya'll ever do Quartzsite?
Awe thank you so much for your kindness! We haven't done Quartzite as of yet. A couple years ago we wintered in Gold Canyon outside Phoenix so we could be convinced to stay in that part of the west again. 😁 Although if we were that close I'm pretty sure the Superstition Mtns would be calling us back...hard! We'll have to keep an eye out for each other! Can't miss us when we have the motorcycle on the front of the truck! -J
@@OpenRoading lol True. That would be hard to get used to. I don't know if you've ever seen our channel, but we'll be doing a video soon to let everyone know our 2024 plans. Maybe you can check it out and see if we'll cross paths sometime this year. We hope your sweet bunny is doing well.
@@lifenlivin4us I will be sure to check it out! I started your shopping trip to Parhump (we boondocked in Beatty and had to make a similar shopping run in 2022) but got super busy. Hoping to finish it up tonight! Cody is still doing well all things considered. Still taking his pain meds and begging for treats which we make sure to never say no to. -J
I am located in South Australia and this was 20 years ago. There were 3 of us guarding a Gate. During the 12 hours of nighttime there were 2 of us, whilst during the 12 hours of daylight, there was only 1. We did Monday to Friday (5 shifts) and another 3 guards covered the weekend. Basically our gate guarding company charged the customer $25 for each Man-hour of guard time. Thus the 6 week contract cost the client $37,800. As a guard supervisor I was earning $22 Australian per hour or $1,320 Australian per week.
Sorry about your bunny. So hard to lose our beloved pets. We had to put down our 15 year old dog who has fulltimed with us this past 10 years. SO so hard. We were going to spread his ashes at one of our favorite hiking places, but decided he should come to Alaska with us as Alaska is the only state he didn't make it to. So his ashes will travel along with us this May to Alaska! I hope your bunny continues to be pain free.
Losing a pet is so so hard. We had another rabbit that we also lost this past summer which made the news that much more difficult. However, Cody has been taking his meds daily like a champ and continues to rule the RV. We feel lucky to have had 4-5 months more with him already and cherish every day longer that we get. -J
For Google Maps (if you're not using Waze already), you can get it to stop by adding stops along the route, but not actually stopping there, so it knows you definitely want to take that route.
Thanks so much. First, let me tell you how much I appreciate this comment. It's full of understanding where there have been some that have not been able to imagine how in the world we could even consider not adopting her. There was a lot that went into saying yes to Trinity (If you haven't watched, her story continues with the next video (thumbnail says "Unemployed"). We had to consider: - Space: whether RV life was right for her and us together. - Cody: we have friends who's dog killed their 3 pet rabbits. Putting a pet in danger was not an option - so Trinity would HAVE to get along with Cody (which she does!) - Financial: Were we ready to take on the lifelong commitment to fully care for her even if that meant putting other financial goals on hold. We sooo appreciate everyone who has reached out with advice and those who have gone out of their way to gift us financially to help, but we never wanted to take on a responsibility that we weren't fully ready to do on our own. We wanted our yes to be *OUR* yes. I know this is a bit of a long reply but it always feels important to me to be clear that we didn't start the channel to ask for money. Yeah, we were broke back in September (If the Truck had died, our travel dreams would have been over) and when we set this big goal for Alaska but our goal was to work and earn our way to our goals and everything in between - and our goal for RUclips was to provide entertainment worthy of views and subscribes so we could earn money while on the road through ads and hopefully relevant sponsors down the road. And that is still our plan. It's why we don't have a Patreon, and there's no "Donate" link in our bio. *There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with those things or creators who use them* and we may do one of those someday in the future, but we did not want to even give the appearance that we were here wanting other people to fund our dreams (especially since the theme of our current series is saving money for what many could intrepret as a vacation.) Honestly, we never imagined that people would even want to give, and we continue to be amazed by people's generosity and desire to help two random strangers on the internet out. 😳 So...I have dropped the link here and there in the comments when people have specifically asked. This is the best way (fewest fees removed) if you ever want to give us an extra financial push for whatever reason: paypal.me/openroading There's also the youtube SuperThanks feature but youtube does take a little bit of an extra cut out of that. But know that Trinity is in good hands, and is ours for life no matter what. Even if we hit financial hard times, we wouldn't consider giving her up because we said yes to her. Sorry for the longwinded comment...I hope you understand why I felt the need to write the book. 😂 -J
My dad lives in a town adjacent to the LBJ Grasslands - we stay there (though not on FS904) when visiting him. Awesome place. If you pick up a Texas road map from the Texas Dept of Highways (get them at the Tourist Info Centers when entering Texas), all the picnic areas along the state highways are marked with black dots on the map. Not all picnic areas are suitable for all RVs - google satellite view is a big help making sure you can get in and out.
Oh that is an awesome tip! Thank you!! More states need these picnic areas. I've never seen so many and it made stopping for a travel break so much easier. -J
I've worked in the oil fields of Texas and Louisiana and Oklahoma and New Mexico for almost 15 years....and it takes a while to get the whole thing figured out......once you DO get 'the pulse' of the job down, you will be able to tell very easily what is going on on the job by what trucks are coming and going and when.....the guys who work on the rig can also be great source of info for rig operations ......
WOW..I WAS A HOTSHOT DRIVER IN TEXAS..AND WAY WAY OUT IN NO WHERE'S ...I WAS SO THANKFUL TO SEE A GUARD...LOOKING FOR RIGS...OUT IN THE RANCHES....EVEN BEING SO TIRED AND SLEEPY..FROM DRIVING FOR MILES..AND ONE MAN, SAID...I'M HERE ALL NIGHT AND WILL BE AWAKE ALL NIGHT..SO I COULD BE IN MY TRUCK AND TAKE A NAP...TO REST...I WAS SO GRATEFUL...YOU HAVE NO IDEA ..
Cattail Cove, Lake Havasu. It's State run but great people. One night I just couldn't sleep so went and sat in my chair next to my camper. Rum in hand, had a cigar. I dozed off. Like 4am something jumped on my lap, furry animal I just petted it and it just chilled. 6am, sunrise. "Don't move!" My new best friend was a female Bobcat. They had guns and tranquilizers and a noose at the ready. Bobbette came back every night. Never killed a pet or attacked a child.. Dumbass RV people leave food out for pets or whatever. Bobbette was not into the kill, she just had to wait until midnight and the restaurant was open. Why me? My ex-wife said I snore... I say I purr.
Im subscribed for the dog. Love the name. I think you will be great dog owners. She just needs lots of love and as much socialization as possible. She probably had a tough early life and doesnt understand yet that most people are good. She probably "knows" 3-4 people ever and half hit her. Great video.
Your channel is brand new to me. I am at 12:11. I doubt this video covers the 30 days. But I am trying to guess if you leave with the dog? P.S. I subbed!
If it is JG gate guarding . Don't they have a spot for you in there yard till the next opening? From the Beet Harvest. I have a question. Did you look at actually driving for a farmer. They start posting in July for corn and/or Beet, on there website. I was paid $30 hr straight time and $20 hr prior to them starting just to interior clean the equipment. That's if your planning for next year. No CDL required!! Gate guarding is something i have been checking into but not real enthusiastic on the idea. Since I'm single but looking for a partner to be able to live on site. I seen a vid on one of these channels. And after i believe 6 months of traveling thru Alaska there total expenditures were in the low 30k range. Keep up the real life video's there enjoyable.
First, Thanks so much for the Super Thanks! I don't think I will ever get used to seeing those notifications. We never expected anyone to ever give us anything toward this adventure so frankly I'm floored by the generosity we've been shown every time it happens. THANK YOU! So, this particular gate was with Guard 1. JG didn't have any openings for us at the time. Guard 1 treated us well and I'd work with them again. Guard 1 did offer another gate within a day, BUT it was a fracking job and we knew the extra traffic was going to put a crimp in our ability to accomplish our other work so we had to turn that down. Those are really good driving rates! Was that in ND? I believe (don't quote me) the farmers around Drayton were paying $20 an hour. I think the drivers were ultimately getting paid more than us once it all shook out, but not much more. That was secondhand information on my part though. $30K doesn't seem far fetched for Alaska. I know Happily Ever Hanks spent around $13K over the course of 70ish days. The $15K we are saving is for specific expenses: Gas, Excursions, and some financial buffer. By removing gas from our normal living budget (which is one of our bigger line items generally) that will help free up money in that budget to cover the added expense of food etc. -J
@@OpenRoading it was in Ada, Mn. About half way between Grand Forks and Fargo. Closer to Fargo. While you were/are Gateguarding , do you know if any of the cdl drivers were workcamping? I'm very familiar with the oilfields in the Basin of Utah and alot of oilfield hands stay in RV's but not, specifically as workcampers as Water haulers. The "Patch" will wear a person out. Very transient occupation. That's why i was wondering if you knew if the cdl drivers were workcamping vs permanent employees. Also a question on your editing program. Which one do you use ? I know youtube takes a huge cut. have you considered starting a Patreon ? Seems to me that maybe a good option. Have a Happy New Year and God Bless.
@@jamesclark5310 I don't know if any of the drivers were workcampers but if I were to guess I don't think they were. As to editing program we use Wondershare Filmora. I'm familiar with, and have used, Premiere and Final Cut, but in my opinion Filmora gives you the biggest bang for your buck especially if you are new to editing. We actually switched from Final Cut to Wondershare because Kalyn wanted to learn editing and was overwhelmed by Final Cut. So we haven't considered Patreon because we don't want to have another platform to maintain. Yes, RUclips takes something like 30% and if the person does a superthanks from an apple device Apple also take a giant chunk. Honestly...this is something we are still trying to figure out how to approach because we aren't asking for money, and don't want to give that appearance. Please don't get me wrong here, there is absolutely nothing wrong with channels who use Patreon or who solicit donations from viewers, it's just not the route we wanted to take. At least not while we are finding our feet here on RUclips. We do have a Paypal link that we've shared with people who have asked (it's paypal.me/openroading ) We both continue to be overwhelmed when people give! -J
Trinity (I named her Patch; because she's from the oil patch😝) will be the BEST dog ever! She's a "pleaser" and recognizes y'alls compasion. I worked in the oil/gas industry for many years, and dealt with a lot of 'newbie' gate guards over rhe years. Y'all definitely seemed to have a good grasp; so I'm sure you'll get another assignment soon. I also had a short-lived life of full-time RVing; so I'm connecting with you guys on multiple levels at this point! OF COURSE, I'M SUBSCRIBING‼️ I'm two weeks late to the game! I'm hoping for the follow-up as soon as I hit send! 😁🤣 Hang in there, y'all. If Trinity needs a forever home, I'm in League City, TX. (and I would NEVER rename her! That's Trinity! Did you name her after the river? 😁
We have been traveling in our RV for 7 years. We use multiple Apps for travel days; Wazes, Google, Maps, and our Atlas. Maps is usually the best. Love your videos.
That's funny.... because if maps is apple maps...That app bugs me more than google maps. 😂 I don't know why it just doesn't work the way my brain does. Just goes to show how much of "what app is best" comes down to pure preference for sure!! -J
Well your gate guarding is definitely way different then my level 3 security work for Pinkerton back in the 1990’s. That included everything from guarding a hole in the ground, to air port gate guarding to work in bank security as an armed guard escorting bank tellers transferring money from the main bank to their drive through. But it still ended the same way in many cases.
That seems like a lot of trouble and hoops to jump through to get a job where they can just cut you off like that. I'll be interested to see if you try to get hired on for another gate and how quick the process is.
So we could have been on a new gate the next day - however it was a busier gate for the same pay and it would have caused Kalyn to have to put the progress on her business on pause and I probably would have had to stop editing for this channel - because of that we said no and waited. We got offered probably 4 gates from different companies during the next week, all similar situations. We got our next gate 10 days later and it's been wonderful. The cut off point is simply when the project is done. So when they are done drilling, fracking, or whatever is going on, they no longer need the gate. Our issue was the lack of a heads up - would have been amazing if we had been made aware 2-3 days prior that we were wrapping up and that we'd be done soon. We wouldn't have even needed an exact end date, just to be made aware. -J
@@lisaannh.y.357 So with our limited experience, companies I recommend looking into: J&G (haven't worked with them but TONS of good reviews and they walked us through the process of getting certified. They just did not have a gate when we were ready) Guard 1 - Company we worked for in this vid. Only complaint about the whole thing was how it all ended but that may be typical for the industry - I don't know. S&S - Another company we have worked for. All in Texas. There are plenty of other companies just make sure you do some google research because some are better than others and some appear to be downright awful to work for (like.....not paying you on time etc). -J
Some of the pipeline companies hire their own gate guards and they get paid hourly about $20 give or take plus $125 per diem per day with 12 hour shifts and they made REALLLLY good money. I worked in the south Texas area south of San Antonio up to west Texas
Yeah! I think it all depends on the situation. A lot of what I was hearing was that there was less work so the pay wasn't as good right now. If regulations let up a bit and more work shows up pay for gate guarding goes up too. I don't know that for sure as we only worked as gate guards for a few months. -J
@@OpenRoading if you go with gate guard companies they usually pay 100 a day or so but if you go with the actual pipeline company as gate guard then that’s where the money is at. Pipeline usually hire their because they’re there for about a year or so and they move them to the gate they need on the right of way that they’re working on. Though for those you have to leave your rv at an rv park and just drive to your location which is always close by and not a far drive.
@@rogeliochavez5063 Yeah - we really wanted to avoid a guard shack situation so that we could keep plugging away at this channel! I'm sure there is a LOT more money to be had out there for people! (I've also heard fire-watch pays really well in the industry!) -J
That's so sweet of you to ask. You can find all things Kalyn over at kalynbrooke.com and ruclips.net/user/kalynbrooke But let me warn you...too much time over there may cause you to buy a planner, learn Notion, and get your life organized. 😀 -J
YESS!!!! SMASH THAT BUTTON! 😂 Thanks so much for stopping by! If you are looking for a Trinity update we do have e a couple more videos out after this one. Just go to the videos section on our channel page. -J
Her adopting us is still kinda unreal to us both. We didn't know we were missing a piece from our family puzzle and holy cow - couldn't imagine life without her now. -J
Most gate guards as control get 15 per hour Not 8.33 a hour. Without doing the exact math that is a 40 somethings % below market value. Oil rigs and suck are 18 to 2q per hour like your doing. So your at a 50 ÷ % lower value. It's your business but I thought you might want to know that. So in bidding a price you should never go below 16 per hour in Texas and gates at oil rigs and oil property not below 18 per hour. They seem yall coming.
We spoke with several gate agencies and couldn’t find anything for more than $250 a day. Pay is more in the summer. I think supply exceeds demand in the winter possibly. I tried to negotiate a couple higher with no luck. -J
The company should have let you know that when you commit to a time period it is with the company not an exact site. We have been guarding with J&G and they are very good about giving you an idea of how long your time could be, yes "could" is the opportune word, because a gate could end or be extended for any reason. The best advice I would give anyone is, be flexible. Understand that the time is approximate and make the best of every gate you sit.
Oh this is very interesting. The 30 days with a company was certainly not made clear to us - that said I'm not sure how I feel about that as I'm saying "yes" to a gate, not a company. The type of gate we needed to be at was quite specific so with one gate ending we couldn't simply shift to another gate without considering whether or not it was a good fit. Ultimately, our experience at this first gate was a good one - we were just caught completely off guard (no pun intended) by the suddenness of completion. -J
@@OpenRoadingAlso remember you are an independent contractor; you can say no to a gate. The company should be able to tell you what phase the operation is in. We have done Flowback and it is not that busy either.
@@philconfer4192 Yep - We said no to several! I just don't get the 30 day commitment part. I understand if I sign up for a gate I'm committing to 30 days but if it ends early am I still supposed to be exclusively with them until the 30 days is up? Guard 1 didn't treat me that way (We are currently working another gate with another company) but I don't know if I burned a bridge unintentionally. We assumed since the gate was done, our commitment was done. -J
@@OpenRoading Not sure about the bridge burning, we have only worked with J&G. I have heard of people leaving a company to work with other companies for a variety of reasons. Getting paid normally being the top reason. I hope that you guys get settled with a company that fits your needs. For us J&G has been a very good fit.
@@philconfer4192 Being new to the whole process I'm more focused on finding the right gates that fit and then making sure it's a reputable company. J&G was wonderful in helping us get set up and then they were actually the ones that pointed us to other recruiters since they didn't have anything available for us right away. So far we've worked for S&S and Guard 1 and would recommend them both. -J
You got me, I subscribed! I want to be a solo workamper. I recently had a similar experience of being found by a dog. And my youngest son just became a guard for a power plant and had to go through the same preparation. BTW, he makes $20/hr, 12 hrs/day, 6 days a week, far more than what I do (bus driving). And he's only 18. 😮
AHH!! So awesome to see you on here! Thanks for the encouragement. Trying my hardest not to end up working at a sorting facility again! Hope med school is treating you well! -J
Yall should look into a gate gig at a farm 🚜 or ranch or receiver that is 6 am to 6 pm Or some are 6 am till 10 pm And 16 to 21 per hour 😊 God bless yall. I am not In business any longer but I would definitely hire you 2 great Americans to labor for me. Common sense, logic and reasoning. A absolute must and yall got it .. and a lot of it And really professional at it
Having do shift work, I can’t imagine having only two folks to monitor a gate 24/7. I can’t imagine you being able to last beyond the first 30 days without being completely exhausted.
I think for a super busy gate I'd agree. And of course it wears on you with any gate, but if you manage the hours well with each other, giving each other some extra time when needed, you can make it work! -J
Bid on jobs for the CORP of engineer jobs. They pay really good and your supplied everything. If you want free volunteer at state parks. It’s easy and your hooked up to full hook ups. 4 years for us.
@@OpenRoading good to hear👍🤓👍❣️🐾🐾❣️.she looks like a gentle giant😁. And looks like she picked people that would love her.❣️..time and patience..❣️ New sub here,enjoy yr content 👍
Thanks so much! She does indeed make me not just a better guy but indeed a happier one! Separation is not in the game plan. If we ever have to “choose between _____ and us” we always choose us. 😄 -J
Working for Justin at J&J security was good but after 9 months we know Alaska was our place to live in small town 6 hours from Anchorage. We worked at few Eog oil sites. Then was ask to work in Baton Rouge. Let me tell you it wasn’t oil site. It was guarding new housing development near the hoods of Baton Rouge. Nightly gunshots. Think the sell men for Justin didn’t tell him it was true Security job. We became friends with Baton Rouge sheriff department fast…
I thought I invented the motorcycle in front of rig 10 years ago, when I first started doing it with never seeing it before. Awesome, but pulled into a heavily wooded campground late one night with every site filled and lack of full headlights really was a factor and less room to turn with 3 more feet hanging out front. That was a rough back-in but I had my Yamaha TW200!!!
Oh boy,, this is bringing back memories of oil rigs in ND. They need constant water & lots of supplies 24-7. There is absolutely no way anyone sticks around for more than 30 days! I was sort of happy to see them cut you guys free early because you needed a break from that 24 hour/day job. Always love seeing your video pop up & cant wait to see what's next!
We always love seeing familiar names in the comments week after week! We we're hoping to go 30 days since it wasn't a busy rig, buttttttt as you'll see in a week or two, it really worked out very well for us by lining us up pretty perfectly for our next gig. -J
Google once screamed at me to do a U-turn NOW, hum I was in the middle of a 4 lane highway almost at the bridge to go across to the city, it wanted me to turn back and add another 35 minutes to get to the SAME spot across the bridge! I just kept driving and it re-adjusted itself to where I was but stubbornly kept trying like yours. (I usually write down some highlights on a paper next to me. Like hwy 4 exit 77, rr44 left on hwy 3, and I save the route for offline direction so I can review it offline .
Your dog looks just like my dog , except mine looks more like the colors of a Rottweiler.... My dog is a CowPu. An Australian Cattle Dog. They are very Smart dogs. Mine is a male. They come in 5 different colors
We're thinking of getting a DNA test because there are like 3 different breeds and we can't make up our mind which one she is closest to 😂 And now you've given us a 4th! LOL -J
Trinity is a blessing. A gift. Let her be family. We got Trixie when we moved here. The people who had her no longer wanted her so she's part of our family now and she's more than welcome. Just lover her and let her love you. She'll see what it's like to be around good people now
I don't know if you've watched any of the videos after this one but yes, Trinity has been an absolutely amazing addition to the family. I don't think a more perfect fit of a dog exists. (I type as we finish our breakfast smoothies from the couch and she is resting up against Kalyn's lap.) -J
This is my 1st time on your channel, at 1st i was thinking awea Bunny like i used to have. Then Trinity comes in the picture. I used to have a Pitbull and moved into a new house. The old renters came by a month after we moved in and asked if we had fed the rabbit in the back yard? WHAT? A rabbit in the back yard with my dog? We go out back and the bunny and my dog are laying with each other in the AZ sun. 2yrs later and they were still friends!
Such a beautiful thing. Trinity wants to be friends with Cody but he's still a little stand-off-ish. He's not afraid of her (one time he jumped on her from the couch 😂) but he hasn't been comfortable enough to sleep closer than like 3 feet from her. But we are so glad that they get along. -J
Yeah...thinking we may have to find another map solution before Alaska. We've used google for 4 years though and haven't hit a low bridge yet! So that's good right!? 😂 (If you've ever hit a low bridge I apologize!) -J
Welcome to the oilfields! People dont realise how much goes into getting oil from deep underground. So many men needing SO much equipment. Hopefully u guys can learn the phases of a frac pad so u can estimate how much time b4 you will need 2 bounce to the next pad.
We always turned down the frac pads because we knew that it we wouldn't be able to get what we wanted out of that job. (Mainly, time to work on our side hustles). In the end we ended up working 2 gate gigs, the one in this video and then a 12 hour, stay on site gig that was an absolute 1 in a million opportunity. Paid the same amount as the 24 hour gig and had zero traffic to check in. Just had to keep an eye on equipment overnight in the middle of nowhere. -J
Wait so you got $200 a day total? not $200 each? If so yikes, I would also think that if you in any way signed a contract for 30 days of committed work they need to pay you for 30 days regardless of if they use you. Although gotta say one of the recommended videos to the right for me is titled "Why You Should Never Gate Guard"
It generally pays more in the summer and depending on the location you can sometimes get more. Our current gate is paying $200 for a 12 hour shift. What was so attractive to us about these jobs is that you can work on your own thing while "clocked in." There are not many jobs out there where I can edit my youtube video while getting paid by someone else. I know some other people like it because they can sit and watch netflix between cars etc. Because of that I didn't see it as poor pay...If I were having to be fully focused on the task in front of me then yes...I would agree, but for me the benefit of getting paid by someone else to edit my youtube channel was super valuable. A quick caveat - you have to be selective of your gates! Some are busy and that would knock the value right off for me. Our current gate I literally just watch out my window all night and in over a month...zero people have showed up while I do my own work from the comfort of my home. -J
Sounds like the well/pad finished up. I'm surprised that no one gave you an idea that the job was almost over though. When they are about done with a project they have a general idea when they will be completely finished. in about 7 years of working on drilling rigs I only had 2 wells where they called it quits early. but even then it took some time for them to finish up everything that had to be done on location before the site was empty.
Yeah. We started to get suspicious about 1 day before but no heads up. From what I’ve heard from other guards it’s a pretty common thing…the guard is often out of the communication loop. -J
You are correct, people do and I will strive to be more careful. I actually worked in news as a videographer for 8 years and covered many fatal car crashes. I want to be super clear - I was using it for a GPS which is completely legal in most states and cities. Would you have posted this comment if I had gotten video of me hitting a button on a GPS suctioned to my dash? -J
@@OpenRoading that’s a good question. No I wouldn’t have posted then because a dash mounted gps is more line of sight and I believe you would have been in more direct control with two open hands. As an ex EMS I’ve also seen more than my fair share of deaths and crashes caused by phone usage while driving. They still resonate very deeply with me which I guess explains my intolerance. On the bright side I love your story / journey and have just subscribed.
@@CHRIS_HITCHCOCK That makes a lot of sense. And I don't at all hold it against anyone for pointing it out. And like I said...I will be more careful. I don't want me to become a statistic or to rip someone else's loved one away from them. -J
I agree about Trinity. Also, how can making two hundred dollars a day cover your food and expenses, and still give you enough gas money to get to Alaska? Obviously there’s more money around
So if you watch the "We're Broke" video you'll see that Kalyn has her own business and I edit podcasts. These two ventures help us make ends meet...but barely. We haven't been able to save anything AND travel is pretty much out of the question until we get a little more growth on them. I'm not sure how $200 a day seems small when most work camping jobs net you $500 $700 a week + a full hookup site. That's often seen as a great workcamping gig at least that I have found. $200 a day = $6,000 a month and Kalyn and I can easily live on between $3k to 4k a month. So even if we didn't have our other irons in the fire we'd be saving $1-2K per month after accounting for taxes. Now in our case, we're able to save much more because of our other stuff we are working on. The other thing that appeals to us about gate guarding is that if you get on the right gates you actually are only "working" for a few hours a day, otherwise you are just being paid to be there and wait. Which...allows us to work on our other stuff while we're waiting. Other jobs where you have to clock in and clock out for 8-10 hours a day, those are hours we couldn't work on growing our own businesses. I hope that helps make sense of it! -J
I'm kind of slow. I also like animals, RUclips, Building, sleep and food. I Imagine your stress is compounded by feeling the need to document everything on your RUclips channel, editing and The other ancillary social media sites one with a RUclips channel seems to always belong to in order to get the word out. Your dog will tell you what to do if you slow down And listen to it. Good luck
Thanks so much for your kind words. We've been super intentional about not going crazy with other social media outlets exactly for the reasons you mentioned 😂. Kalyn runs an Instagram account but thats the only active social media we use for this because...we need to have sanity somewhere! Have a wonderful week! -J
Texas has a terrible problem with dogs being abandoned, even being tied to trees and left to die... Please, please, have a heart ❤️ and adopt these poor animals who are literally dying ☹️ of starvation, coyote attacks and just want a hoooman to love.
That really stinks that they did that with no notice or anything. Just you're done in the morning and have to be out. You'd think they would have a little courtesy. For that reason, I don't think gate guard duty would be for us.
I think experiences on this vary based on comments in here - it was a question I asked our current company when we took the job "How much notice will I get" and he said while we may not know we are done working till the day before, if we need an extra day to leave he wouldn't have a problem with that - and that was nice. Takes the "departure stress" down a notch. -J
We have a beautiful dog that we raised from puppy and picked her out the litter. We are dog people. This is the only dog we’ve ever owned. It does all those skittish weird psycho things that even make my very patient wife be at wits end. We agree that we will never assume ever again that just because a dog has the same personality traits that you’re experiencing that someone did something wrong to the dog and possibly abused it. Our dog like all dogs we’ve ever owned have been lucky to get a home that loves dogs like we do. Our dog was just born that way. But we love her and she’s going nowhere.
Fair. But there certainly is a rough past there somewhere with the large scar on her side, small one on her head, and bits of her ears missing. Could be fights with other animals - but my money is still on some sort of abuse. If I walked into someones home and the dog was skittish I wouldn't assume abuse, but when all appearances are that the dog has been dumped...it's a pretty short leap when you start seeing other signs. But of course I could be 100% wrong. I don't deny that for a second. -J
We did it from November - February and never had an issue. That is just our experience. We were also selective on gates. There are some people that believe you are obligated to simply take whatever gate is offered and I'm of the opinion that since you are a 1099 contractor you get to say yes and no to whatever gates you wish. We were offered a couple of gates that as we did research on crime we thought that there was no way we would do those gates at the same rate of gates in safer areas so we simply said no. I've also spoken to several gate guards and some have stories of getting things stolen and others have done it for years without a problem. Some friends of ours are in the middle of gate guarding right now if you want to check them out. www.youtube.com/@thewanderingshores -J
Please, please, stop looking down at the map on your phone while you’re driving, please! It’s an accident waiting to happen, as my dad used to say. Good luck everything.
That's why I have the "Ditch!" alarm installed in the front seat! 😂 You are right though...It is a habit I need to correct. It only takes one crash. -J
Goodness, do you have any idea how large the fines would be using your phone while driving here in Australia. Plus 4 points when you only get 12 in total. Lose all of them and you’re off the road.
USA is similar (although different rules in different states). Some states make exceptions for map usage. I do find it interesting that no one would think twice if I was double checking a piece of paper that said "Turn left on main street, go 6 miles..." Etc. But you are correct. -J
This is a great video! I started out watching one of your other videos, and you mentioned this video. Wow, I’m so glad I watched it. I teach math at a juvenile detention facility. And I’m planning to show this video to my boys. I think they need to see this. I think the most awesome thing about it is adopting that awesome dog! I wanted to have a dog like that, but it was just too much for our family and I had to give it back to the ranch that I got him from. I still am sad about that. But those are great awesome dogs. They’re smart. Don’t teach him to play checkers! He will likely beat you lol :-)
To avoid Google thinking it knows better. Select the route you want, but ad a stop midway (small town) and that forces it to stay on your route. 👍🏻
I love intelligent people in the comment section! Thanks! -J
I've done this too.
Thank you, Thank you Thank you, for this simple solution. We prefer to take back roads, and it's so annoying to have Google think it knows better than we do about the route we'd like to take. I'm actually surprised that there's no class action lawsuit against Google for causing people to look away from their driving to select that they would like to continue with a route, or have Google suddenly change it!
I use a Garmin GPS on my bike (Yamaha Super Tenere) and I'm very used to sticking "waypoints" into routes to force it to "go my way".
Or just figure out the route and let it recalculate when you don't do as it says.
But the way, I subscribed to see what the "Trinity" storyline does.
Good on ya both for caring👍
Hello Im one of the drivers that frequents these gates. Some gate guards take the job way to seriously and are like robots and very rude lol its nice when you meet friendly salt of the earth folks like yall. South Texas is one of our main areas so hope to see yall n say hello while you are there!!! Cheers
Our number 1 goal was to be pleasant to the people who came through. We actually miss a couple of the guys that were daily drivers since we've moved on. -J
Thank you for saving the dog!
❤️🐕
Keep that dog! It’s so hard to find them that chill.
She is pretty chill that's for sure! -J
This brings back memories. I did this for about 8 years in 2000 and then another 3 years with my wife. We have alot of great memories and would love to go back to it. The money is good but can at times get interesting. One thing I would sugest getting is a 4 or 8 camera security system. It can help with the gate guarding and also your protection with living in a travel trailer. Also I worked in upper, mid and lower Texas, even in OK. and NM. Just for fun I bought a telescope for the nights to look at the stars. A lot of good memories. Trinity will make a great addition for you in your travels and life. ✌
We have some good motion sensors but I do think if I were planning on gate guarding for a longer period of time I would invest in the cameras like you say! -J
When I started back in 2003? The motion sensors were and are a must. As for cameras, I used a VCR to record the video. I would still get the camera system even if you don't continue the gate guarding just because they will make you know what is happening around the trailer when you are in or out of the trailer. I used a wired system back then but now you could get a wireless system and use solar powered caneras up to 900+ feet away. I don't know if you are have protection but there are some bad people comming across the border now (Just to let you know, we live in The RGV, (Mercedes) and have for 15 years now.) An example would be if you are at a Walmart and hear a noise outside at night you could just see what is happening and prepare for it. Anywho, I just want you and your wife to be safe and have fun with your adventures. @@OpenRoading
I sold the house and am currently at an RV park in my 24 foot tt in CA with my dog, Red, and cat, Winnie. I have befriended a homeless, beautiful black cat with green eyes. She went from being very skinny and hanging around the dumpsters to well-fed.😊 I also made a heated bed for her inside my fence around the RV. I will get her fixed. My dog (and cat) dont know what to make of her lbut I think they may come around. lol.I also have "been known" to throw a few scaps to some raccoons and a beautiful CA grey fox with a black stripe on her back. 😮. Taking care of stray animals is a GREAT THING. ❤
So sweet. I don't recommend adopting the fox and the raccoon though. 😉 -J
This dog adopted you!!! It is meant to be. Glad you guys added him to your family. Well done!
Not sure how this comment got past me without a reply but yes...she really did adopt us not the other way around. -J
We've been gate guarding since May 2019. It is not a job that everyone will like. We've had good and bad gates. Some are short-term, some long. The nature of the job is uncertain due to a few things. It could be the energy company, the contract with the land owner, personality conflicts, the rig wanting a different Guard company, etc... We've been doing this for 4 1/2 years now. We were out of work (when we wanted to be working) for a total of 12 days in all that time. We were lucky in the fact that we worked all thru COVID.
I hope everything works out like you need it to. How's the dog and rabbit getting along?? Y'all stay safe out there!!
Love hearing stories like yours! We actually ran into another couple who was between gates while we were waiting. Kalyn and I have said to each other that if we weren't also involved in other projects that Gate Guarding is probably THE way to go. We have to be a lot more picky in what gates we take because we don't want to lose progress on our other projects.
All in all - good experience! Learned a lot!
Dog and rabbit are getting along so far. Not fast friends by any means, but Cody isn't being eyed as a meal by Trinity so that's a good thing! -J
@@OpenRoading 😅🤣 Not being looked at like a snack is a big improvement! 😎
Indeed!
$250 and you got 12 days? plus moving around expenses??..
@@edwardmcdermott9948$200 per day. Plus the company had a generator for the people guarding the gate. From what I gathered, they were not paid any additional money for anything.
Retired with a 2023 RV available in the backyard, I originally tuned in to check out gate guarding. But I fell in love with Trinity! Thanks for rescuing her, I hope she has a forever home with y’all.
She does indeed! Thanks so much for watching, new videos featuring Trinity (and with us as supporting cast) every week! -J
Trinity is adorable! You can tell she has a lot of love to give y'all! Can't wait for the next episode... Safe travels!
Very very true! -J
ok so i subscribed because i want to see trnity have a good home, BUT if she doesnt stay with you i will unsubscribe.....They say if a dog finds you and they stay around its for a good reason.... Dogs pick who they love.... I have 3 dogs and they all found me, i didnt go looking for them.... and my 3 dogs are the most loving, loyal and caring dogs.......
Hi Frank!
I need you to promise me something....Promise me that you will watch all the way to minute 7 or 8 of our next video (comes out Friday night). It will be worth it, trust me. 🙂 -J
@@OpenRoading as long as you promise that if you ever come thru Tucson arizona you stop and say hello
We want to see more of your National Park so we'll be through someday! -J
@@OpenRoading which park is that?
@@RoadTrippingFrank Saguaro national park!
We do the recruiting for Guard1 at the tent in Quartzsite, and the thing about gate guarding is you never know, once they get to know you better you will more than likely get longer term gates, that can be good as long as it's a good gate !! You can turn down gates if you don"t feel comfortable, just know a lot of people will tell you a lot of negative but we have helped a lot of people to get out of debt and be able to do things they would not been able to do other wise , Remember the best day of gate guarding is your last, but compared to a lot of the jobs out there, you can call a lot of the shots !!
Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. Overall our experience with guard 1 was very positive. They had no issues when we turned down gates and I think we had a good working relationship on the job. Our only negatives (and I don't think we did more then mention it in the video) was:
1. Almost no warning that the job was coming to a close. Maybe this is something that is common across the whole industry but getting 12 hours notice that we had to leave was something we did not expect at all. Even if someone said "Hey, the job is wrapping up so we don't know when but there is a good chance we'll be done in the next few days" would have done a lot to ease the shock of the 12 hour notice.
2. When being recruited for gates the recruiter didn't know some basic information: What type of gate is it? Fracking, Drilling, wrap up? | How much does it pay? These two questions were super basic so getting pitched a gate without knowing the answer to those questions was very odd to me.
We actually have recommended Guard 1 to some friends who are currently in the process of applying. So we couldn't have hated it too much. 🤣
We would totally work with guard 1 again if the gate was right. We were paid on time and had no issues with water, power, and sewer. -J
I’m thankful that I’m retired and able to travel. I can’t image getting a phone call that suddenly puts you out of work. Keep us posted. On Trinity & thanks for giving her a good home.
We're working hard on getting our work from home money to be our sole income again - this is just a bump in the road that we'll make it over in no time.
Thanks so much for the encouragement! -J
Well, I'm guessing that the universal dog distribution system has chosen you to be blessed with Trinity!!!
@@houseportraitscalligraphy7474 LOL the good old U.D.D.S. 😂 Yep - they got us a good one. -J
I've been struggling with this lately. I have worked for years to get to where I am now, and I am finally working at a large tech company.
Only to find the culture is not what it used to be, and that layoffs are a constant fear.
So, I'm biding my time, and building my rig, in the meantime, working on my own projects and business ideas. Maybe by the time they decide they pay me too much and let me go, I can finally just go do what I want.
@@luiytheninja3655 The biggest thing people ask us is "Aren't you worried about retirement?"
Honestly? Sure! We were hoping that by now we'd have more saved and that our business would be booming. But it hasn't been the case.
But what if I do the 9-5, work my butt off, save $500,000 and the economy tanks and the dollar becomes worthless?
Or, what if I get to retirement age and then get a terminal diagnosis?
All that to say, there are no promises in life. There is no guarantee of financial security even if you make ALL the "right" choices.
You should absolutely make wise and considered choices. People who max out credit cards for travel they can't afford are mortgaging their future for a quick burst of fun.
But those considered choices for us meant putting our eggs in the entrepreneurship basket and understanding that basket comes with a very low floor....and a very high ceiling. We chose this path because in the meantime we get to explore, and we get to do it together. We're not guaranteed to be able to do that when we're older.
This life isn't romantic. It's even downright hard sometimes. Even a little scary. But I wouldn't trade it. -J
Trinity is a good girl… those eye brow dogs are usually very friendly and personable both with family and strangers.
She's amazing! And we just love her tan points. -J
Hope you found a new job and I hope Trinity does well with you guys. A sweet dog. We respected a dog and we have had her a year and she is still kind of skittish but she is a love bug. Worth it. Be safe ❤️❤️❤️
More info on the new job next week! Love hearing rescue stories! -J
Im in tears...Thank You for being kind to her...Shes a precious dog 🩷🐾🩷
If you don't want to be re routed you can add a couple of towns on YOUR route as Waypoints. Problem solved.
And this is why I love the internet. Thank you sir! -J
That Google maps issue is exactly how we ended up with our RV Garmin! It’s crazy how it will just switch routes with no announcement!
We will have to consider something like that sometime. Usually we can get away with google and pre-planning but this was just downright annoying. -J
I'm a retired truck driver I used to deliver New York City a lot more than I ever wanted to and most of the time that same mapping system that you are telling the truth about would actually show me setting somewhere about 200 miles off in Atlantic Ocean not good when you're down in the burrows it wasn't for security issues that I had no partner being caught up in I'll take up this skate garden gate guarding gig spent my long younger life working the oil fields I loved it but then also love truck driving I worked since 1965 and now I'm taking what IRS gives me out which makes me look back to all the years when I had a son and a family that told me all that work I was doing what worth it dad I can kind of agree well spoken on this gate gig job from an old rough neck keep sunny side up and free roads in front of you
Wow, I'm not quite sure how I wound up watching your video, but it is heartfelt, seemingly genuine, and very interesting! I was wondering if you'd adopt Trinity and so glad you did! I subscribed, mainly to get a sense of your life state and your travels! You're a beautiful couple and I hope the best for you!
See...I don't know what timezone you are in, but generally if you are watching youtube after midnight "I'm not quite sure how I wound up watching ____" could be a daily mantra. 😂 (speaking from experience here of course).
Thanks so much for your super kind words. The goal of our channel is to be as real as humanly possible while also still having some clear personal boundaries. Welcome to the ride! -J
That was not very nice. "They don't want to hire people who don't know what day of the week it is." I'm retired, and that would be me and my wife. 😂 Very good video. Thanks for sharing.
Hahaha!! I don’t know sometimes either!! Too funny. -J
The first time I woke up and didn't know what day it was - I knew I was officially retired!
I work a 14 day on 14 day off schedule - it all blends together for me 🤣
When I worked Prudhoe Bay, I did 21 12's on, 21 off.
I wasn't even sure what week it was!!
LOL - I have to double check the day too. I would hate to see what that would be like if I was on stuff. hehehehe
I bet a campsite in California still cost an arm or leg 🤕. Here in Arkansas I pay $350 a month for a spot with electric, water, trash, wifi , cable. If I ever left Arkansas I would be very poor.😒. Prices are so different and expensive across our country. It's bs
We RVed through California last year and spent most of the time boondocking because you are correct, campgrounds on the west coast are expensive....along with fuel. -J
We gate guard as one of our Workamper jobs too just with a different company. We started last September. At our first gate about two weeks in my wife was sitting on the RV step looking at her phone and out of know where she got a big sloppy kiss from a white and black Pit bull. We too took him to the vet... no chip. Put ads all over the place including the towns Facebook page. No one claimed him. So now Loki is part of our family. On our second gate we were requested by Trinity to be their gate guard and were told as the rig moves, we will move with it for as long as we wanted to work. We decided to take a few weeks of vacation time to see my family in CA. When we returned they were wrapping up the drilling. We were told the next gate wasn't going to have a guard at it. We were not ready for that nor budgeted for that. Luckly, the company we work for called us after one day of being off and said they had another gate four hours away. Looks like this one may last into March which lines up almost perfect with another Workamper Job we enjoy doing over the summer. Hope it all works out with Trinity, she like Loki are fortunate enough to find caring people.
I love it when jobs line up! We've been told we can move with our current one if it ends before we are ready to be done...but we will see. I've learned not to think of anything as a guarantee in this line of work. 😂 -J
@@OpenRoading Yup, I never worked this field but I did do janitorial work for a subcontracting company and they can end abruptly when the job site changes companies for things outside your control. Sounds like you have fit in and they want you happy, but they cannot even control what their customers decide.
@@markpashia7067 Yeah. It's a little strange to me because the more I've talked to people in the industry the end of a lot of these jobs is semi-predictable toward the end. Like the last few days people generally know it's the last few days. But it seems a lot of the times there are certain people that are left out of that loop for whatever reason. Weird. -J
So cool, you were probably meant to meet the dog. The gate is secondary!!! The more people I meet , the more I like my dog!!!!?
That 2005 fifth wheel is probably built stronger than the new ones👍🇺🇲
We have been coming to a similar conclusion… -J
The dog has adopted you, so I think you take it with you.
She has definitely worked her way into our hearts! - K
We JUST found your channel. Love it! You two are so real, and so beautiful, and so enjoyable to watch. Thanks for the great video and the fun channel. Hopefully we'll meet on the road. Do ya'll ever do Quartzsite?
Awe thank you so much for your kindness!
We haven't done Quartzite as of yet. A couple years ago we wintered in Gold Canyon outside Phoenix so we could be convinced to stay in that part of the west again. 😁 Although if we were that close I'm pretty sure the Superstition Mtns would be calling us back...hard!
We'll have to keep an eye out for each other! Can't miss us when we have the motorcycle on the front of the truck! -J
@@OpenRoading lol True. That would be hard to get used to. I don't know if you've ever seen our channel, but we'll be doing a video soon to let everyone know our 2024 plans. Maybe you can check it out and see if we'll cross paths sometime this year. We hope your sweet bunny is doing well.
@@lifenlivin4us I will be sure to check it out! I started your shopping trip to Parhump (we boondocked in Beatty and had to make a similar shopping run in 2022) but got super busy. Hoping to finish it up tonight!
Cody is still doing well all things considered. Still taking his pain meds and begging for treats which we make sure to never say no to. -J
I am located in South Australia and this was 20 years ago.
There were 3 of us guarding a Gate.
During the 12 hours of nighttime there were 2 of us, whilst during the 12 hours of daylight, there was only 1.
We did Monday to Friday (5 shifts) and another 3 guards covered the weekend.
Basically our gate guarding company charged the customer $25 for each Man-hour of guard time.
Thus the 6 week contract cost the client $37,800.
As a guard supervisor I was earning $22 Australian per hour or $1,320 Australian per week.
So in 20 years the guard gets about the same and you work all 7 days. Sounds about right. 😂 -J
@@OpenRoadingBut you're not at work. You take down their name and what company they work for. The gates aren't that busy.
What is this in reference to? -J
@@mongolordofdarknessEven if it isn't your idea of work, it's still work. I think it's something I may look into in the future.
Isn't there some technology that can do this job cheaper and better than humans???
Trinity should definitely be part of your family!!!
Stay tuned! -J
Sorry about your bunny. So hard to lose our beloved pets. We had to put down our 15 year old dog who has fulltimed with us this past 10 years. SO so hard. We were going to spread his ashes at one of our favorite hiking places, but decided he should come to Alaska with us as Alaska is the only state he didn't make it to. So his ashes will travel along with us this May to Alaska! I hope your bunny continues to be pain free.
Losing a pet is so so hard. We had another rabbit that we also lost this past summer which made the news that much more difficult. However, Cody has been taking his meds daily like a champ and continues to rule the RV. We feel lucky to have had 4-5 months more with him already and cherish every day longer that we get. -J
Im gonna MASH that Subscribe BUTTON!!! Gotta follow for Trinity!!!
Thank you!! 😊 -J
For Google Maps (if you're not using Waze already), you can get it to stop by adding stops along the route, but not actually stopping there, so it knows you definitely want to take that route.
So many people in the comments here that are much smarter with technology than I am. I'm here for it! Thank you! -J
I get that but one shouldn't have to do that once a route is picked. Apple Maps is just as bad.
@@KuptisOriginal 100%. Like...I picked this route! If you think something is better, offer it...BUT DON'T SWITCH WITHOUT MY CONSENT! 😂 -J
If you need money to help with trinity I bet you could ask us and we will help, I know I will. Please don’t be shy if you need help I will help you.
Thanks so much.
First, let me tell you how much I appreciate this comment. It's full of understanding where there have been some that have not been able to imagine how in the world we could even consider not adopting her.
There was a lot that went into saying yes to Trinity (If you haven't watched, her story continues with the next video (thumbnail says "Unemployed").
We had to consider:
- Space: whether RV life was right for her and us together.
- Cody: we have friends who's dog killed their 3 pet rabbits. Putting a pet in danger was not an option - so Trinity would HAVE to get along with Cody (which she does!)
- Financial: Were we ready to take on the lifelong commitment to fully care for her even if that meant putting other financial goals on hold.
We sooo appreciate everyone who has reached out with advice and those who have gone out of their way to gift us financially to help, but we never wanted to take on a responsibility that we weren't fully ready to do on our own. We wanted our yes to be *OUR* yes.
I know this is a bit of a long reply but it always feels important to me to be clear that we didn't start the channel to ask for money. Yeah, we were broke back in September (If the Truck had died, our travel dreams would have been over) and when we set this big goal for Alaska but our goal was to work and earn our way to our goals and everything in between - and our goal for RUclips was to provide entertainment worthy of views and subscribes so we could earn money while on the road through ads and hopefully relevant sponsors down the road. And that is still our plan. It's why we don't have a Patreon, and there's no "Donate" link in our bio. *There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with those things or creators who use them* and we may do one of those someday in the future, but we did not want to even give the appearance that we were here wanting other people to fund our dreams (especially since the theme of our current series is saving money for what many could intrepret as a vacation.)
Honestly, we never imagined that people would even want to give, and we continue to be amazed by people's generosity and desire to help two random strangers on the internet out. 😳 So...I have dropped the link here and there in the comments when people have specifically asked.
This is the best way (fewest fees removed) if you ever want to give us an extra financial push for whatever reason: paypal.me/openroading
There's also the youtube SuperThanks feature but youtube does take a little bit of an extra cut out of that.
But know that Trinity is in good hands, and is ours for life no matter what. Even if we hit financial hard times, we wouldn't consider giving her up because we said yes to her.
Sorry for the longwinded comment...I hope you understand why I felt the need to write the book. 😂 -J
My dad lives in a town adjacent to the LBJ Grasslands - we stay there (though not on FS904) when visiting him. Awesome place. If you pick up a Texas road map from the Texas Dept of Highways (get them at the Tourist Info Centers when entering Texas), all the picnic areas along the state highways are marked with black dots on the map. Not all picnic areas are suitable for all RVs - google satellite view is a big help making sure you can get in and out.
Oh that is an awesome tip! Thank you!!
More states need these picnic areas. I've never seen so many and it made stopping for a travel break so much easier. -J
I've worked in the oil fields of Texas and Louisiana and Oklahoma and New Mexico for almost 15 years....and it takes a while to get the whole thing figured out......once you DO get 'the pulse' of the job down, you will be able to tell very easily what is going on on the job by what trucks are coming and going and when.....the guys who work on the rig can also be great source of info for rig operations ......
Thanks for sharing! We had a good relationship with a few of the guys coming on and off. Honestly some of the nicest people we've met on the road. -J
The 'oil field community' is smaller than you would think and everybody looks out for everybody......gate guards included. @@OpenRoading
Trinity looks exactly like my Emmy who passed. I miss her so much. She was a German Shepherd/Lab mix. ❤
I'm so sorry for your loss. Animals take so much of our hearts when they go. 😥 -J
@@OpenRoadingThank you.
WOW..I WAS A HOTSHOT DRIVER IN TEXAS..AND WAY WAY OUT IN NO WHERE'S ...I WAS SO THANKFUL TO SEE A GUARD...LOOKING FOR RIGS...OUT IN THE RANCHES....EVEN BEING SO TIRED AND SLEEPY..FROM DRIVING FOR MILES..AND ONE MAN, SAID...I'M HERE ALL NIGHT AND WILL BE AWAKE ALL NIGHT..SO I COULD BE IN MY TRUCK AND TAKE A NAP...TO REST...I WAS SO GRATEFUL...YOU HAVE NO IDEA ..
My favorite part was watching Trinity's amazing transformation. Thank you for showing her some love.
She has really become a huge part of the family -J
Cattail Cove, Lake Havasu. It's State run but great people. One night I just couldn't sleep so went and sat in my chair next to my camper. Rum in hand, had a cigar. I dozed off. Like 4am something jumped on my lap, furry animal I just petted it and it just chilled.
6am, sunrise. "Don't move!" My new best friend was a female Bobcat. They had guns and tranquilizers and a noose at the ready. Bobbette came back every night. Never killed a pet or attacked a child.. Dumbass RV people leave food out for pets or whatever. Bobbette was not into the kill, she just had to wait until midnight and the restaurant was open. Why me? My ex-wife said I snore... I say I purr.
I love the fact you saved that beautiful dog 🐕 your both my inspiration
Thanks. She didn’t give us much choice. 😂 Couldn’t imagine life without her now. -J
Im subscribed for the dog. Love the name. I think you will be great dog owners. She just needs lots of love and as much socialization as possible. She probably had a tough early life and doesnt understand yet that most people are good. She probably "knows" 3-4 people ever and half hit her. Great video.
She's getting lots of love! If you haven't seen the "Unemployed" video you'll want to watch it. 🙂 -J
I liked your channel before but I totally fell in love with you when you adopted your dog!! You rock!
That's so kind of you to say. Thank you! -J
Great video. Google maps does that to me as well. I'm not sure how to remedy it.
I’ve never had it be THAT frustrating. It kept trying to change us over for at least an hour. -J
Your channel is brand new to me. I am at 12:11. I doubt this video covers the 30 days. But I am trying to guess if you leave with the dog? P.S. I subbed!
Be sure to watch "Unemployed" after this one! -J
If it is JG gate guarding . Don't they have a spot for you in there yard till the next opening?
From the Beet Harvest. I have a question. Did you look at actually driving for a farmer. They start posting in July for corn and/or Beet, on there website.
I was paid $30 hr straight time and $20 hr prior to them starting just to interior clean the equipment.
That's if your planning for next year. No CDL required!!
Gate guarding is something i have been checking into but not real enthusiastic on the idea. Since I'm single but looking for a partner to be able to live on site.
I seen a vid on one of these channels. And after i believe 6 months of traveling thru Alaska there total expenditures were in the low 30k range.
Keep up the real life video's there enjoyable.
First, Thanks so much for the Super Thanks! I don't think I will ever get used to seeing those notifications. We never expected anyone to ever give us anything toward this adventure so frankly I'm floored by the generosity we've been shown every time it happens.
THANK YOU!
So, this particular gate was with Guard 1. JG didn't have any openings for us at the time. Guard 1 treated us well and I'd work with them again.
Guard 1 did offer another gate within a day, BUT it was a fracking job and we knew the extra traffic was going to put a crimp in our ability to accomplish our other work so we had to turn that down.
Those are really good driving rates! Was that in ND? I believe (don't quote me) the farmers around Drayton were paying $20 an hour. I think the drivers were ultimately getting paid more than us once it all shook out, but not much more. That was secondhand information on my part though.
$30K doesn't seem far fetched for Alaska. I know Happily Ever Hanks spent around $13K over the course of 70ish days.
The $15K we are saving is for specific expenses: Gas, Excursions, and some financial buffer.
By removing gas from our normal living budget (which is one of our bigger line items generally) that will help free up money in that budget to cover the added expense of food etc.
-J
@@OpenRoading it was in Ada, Mn. About half way between Grand Forks and Fargo. Closer to Fargo.
While you were/are Gateguarding , do you know if any of the cdl drivers were workcamping? I'm very familiar with the oilfields in the Basin of Utah and alot of oilfield hands stay in RV's but not, specifically as workcampers as Water haulers. The "Patch" will wear a person out. Very transient occupation. That's why i was wondering if you knew if the cdl drivers were workcamping vs permanent employees.
Also a question on your editing program. Which one do you use ?
I know youtube takes a huge cut. have you considered starting a Patreon ? Seems to me that maybe a good option.
Have a Happy New Year and God Bless.
@@jamesclark5310 I don't know if any of the drivers were workcampers but if I were to guess I don't think they were.
As to editing program we use Wondershare Filmora. I'm familiar with, and have used, Premiere and Final Cut, but in my opinion Filmora gives you the biggest bang for your buck especially if you are new to editing. We actually switched from Final Cut to Wondershare because Kalyn wanted to learn editing and was overwhelmed by Final Cut.
So we haven't considered Patreon because we don't want to have another platform to maintain. Yes, RUclips takes something like 30% and if the person does a superthanks from an apple device Apple also take a giant chunk. Honestly...this is something we are still trying to figure out how to approach because we aren't asking for money, and don't want to give that appearance.
Please don't get me wrong here, there is absolutely nothing wrong with channels who use Patreon or who solicit donations from viewers, it's just not the route we wanted to take. At least not while we are finding our feet here on RUclips. We do have a Paypal link that we've shared with people who have asked (it's paypal.me/openroading )
We both continue to be overwhelmed when people give! -J
Surely you aren't driving a truck, pulling a big RV, looking at your phone.
Trinity (I named her Patch; because she's from the oil patch😝) will be the BEST dog ever! She's a "pleaser" and recognizes y'alls compasion. I worked in the oil/gas industry for many years, and dealt with a lot of 'newbie' gate guards over rhe years. Y'all definitely seemed to have a good grasp; so I'm sure you'll get another assignment soon. I also had a short-lived life of full-time RVing; so I'm connecting with you guys on multiple levels at this point! OF COURSE, I'M SUBSCRIBING‼️ I'm two weeks late to the game! I'm hoping for the follow-up as soon as I hit send! 😁🤣 Hang in there, y'all. If Trinity needs a forever home, I'm in League City, TX. (and I would NEVER rename her! That's Trinity! Did you name her after the river? 😁
Thanks for being so awesome. Trinity has found her forever home…with us. 😀. So one of the companies we were working for at the time was Trinity… 😂 -J
We have been traveling in our RV for 7 years. We use multiple Apps for travel days; Wazes, Google, Maps, and our Atlas. Maps is usually the best. Love your videos.
That's funny.... because if maps is apple maps...That app bugs me more than google maps. 😂 I don't know why it just doesn't work the way my brain does. Just goes to show how much of "what app is best" comes down to pure preference for sure!! -J
Well your gate guarding is definitely way different then my level 3 security work for Pinkerton back in the 1990’s. That included everything from guarding a hole in the ground, to air port gate guarding to work in bank security as an armed guard escorting bank tellers transferring money from the main bank to their drive through. But it still ended the same way in many cases.
Yes, this is level 2 work so a little bit down the ladder from what you were doing for sure. 🙂 -J
I like these two; and the dog too. And the bunny….
🤗 So glad you enjoy the peek into our lives! -J
That seems like a lot of trouble and hoops to jump through to get a job where they can just cut you off like that. I'll be interested to see if you try to get hired on for another gate and how quick the process is.
So we could have been on a new gate the next day - however it was a busier gate for the same pay and it would have caused Kalyn to have to put the progress on her business on pause and I probably would have had to stop editing for this channel - because of that we said no and waited. We got offered probably 4 gates from different companies during the next week, all similar situations. We got our next gate 10 days later and it's been wonderful.
The cut off point is simply when the project is done. So when they are done drilling, fracking, or whatever is going on, they no longer need the gate. Our issue was the lack of a heads up - would have been amazing if we had been made aware 2-3 days prior that we were wrapping up and that we'd be done soon. We wouldn't have even needed an exact end date, just to be made aware. -J
What company do you go through to find these opportunities? @@OpenRoading
@@lisaannh.y.357 So with our limited experience, companies I recommend looking into:
J&G (haven't worked with them but TONS of good reviews and they walked us through the process of getting certified. They just did not have a gate when we were ready)
Guard 1 - Company we worked for in this vid. Only complaint about the whole thing was how it all ended but that may be typical for the industry - I don't know.
S&S - Another company we have worked for.
All in Texas. There are plenty of other companies just make sure you do some google research because some are better than others and some appear to be downright awful to work for (like.....not paying you on time etc). -J
Some of the pipeline companies hire their own gate guards and they get paid hourly about $20 give or take plus $125 per diem per day with 12 hour shifts and they made REALLLLY good money. I worked in the south Texas area south of San Antonio up to west Texas
Yeah! I think it all depends on the situation. A lot of what I was hearing was that there was less work so the pay wasn't as good right now. If regulations let up a bit and more work shows up pay for gate guarding goes up too. I don't know that for sure as we only worked as gate guards for a few months. -J
@@OpenRoading if you go with gate guard companies they usually pay 100 a day or so but if you go with the actual pipeline company as gate guard then that’s where the money is at. Pipeline usually hire their because they’re there for about a year or so and they move them to the gate they need on the right of way that they’re working on. Though for those you have to leave your rv at an rv park and just drive to your location which is always close by and not a far drive.
@@rogeliochavez5063 Yeah - we really wanted to avoid a guard shack situation so that we could keep plugging away at this channel! I'm sure there is a LOT more money to be had out there for people! (I've also heard fire-watch pays really well in the industry!) -J
What is Kayln’s business so we can help support?
That's so sweet of you to ask. You can find all things Kalyn over at
kalynbrooke.com
and
ruclips.net/user/kalynbrooke
But let me warn you...too much time over there may cause you to buy a planner, learn Notion, and get your life organized. 😀 -J
After watching your recently-uploaded videos, I had to search to see when/where you found Trinity. She's so sweet! So glad you adopted her.
I think she adopted us. 😂 -J
Trinity has come to you at a good time. She’s a good girl! Thanks for giving her the chance she deserves with your precious bunny.
She's fitting right into the fam! -J
@@OpenRoading I'm glad you opened your hearts to Trinity.
😊
Never been here before but love the content and here to see what's next. I also smashed that button for your husband lol
YESS!!!! SMASH THAT BUTTON! 😂 Thanks so much for stopping by! If you are looking for a Trinity update we do have e a couple more videos out after this one. Just go to the videos section on our channel page. -J
If you want more control of your GPS routing and keep it from rerouting you automatically set one or more waypoints on the route you want to take
Great advice. Thank you! - K
I'm semi-retired and I don't know what day of the week it is. No drugs involved.
🤣 I lived to regret this statement....because 3 days into the overnight shift and I was struggling to know what my name was. 🤣 -J
When you're retired, it doesn't *MATTER* what day it is! Everyday is *SATURDAY!* 👍😁
I used to work with a guy that would say "mash" that button, I laughed every time he said it. Good luck, can't wait for the next video.
MASH IT! 😂 -J
Awww that poor puppy, she is soo sweet. She just kinda found yall. How cute, yall are great to take care of her!!
Her adopting us is still kinda unreal to us both. We didn't know we were missing a piece from our family puzzle and holy cow - couldn't imagine life without her now. -J
I'm glad you adopted Trinity👍🇺🇲
We are too! Couldn’t imagine life without her at this point. -J
Most gate guards as control get 15 per hour
Not 8.33 a hour.
Without doing the exact math that is a 40 somethings % below market value.
Oil rigs and suck are 18 to 2q per hour like your doing.
So your at a 50 ÷ % lower value.
It's your business but I thought you might want to know that.
So in bidding a price you should never go below 16 per hour in Texas and gates at oil rigs and oil property not below 18 per hour.
They seem yall coming.
We spoke with several gate agencies and couldn’t find anything for more than $250 a day. Pay is more in the summer. I think supply exceeds demand in the winter possibly. I tried to negotiate a couple higher with no luck. -J
The company should have let you know that when you commit to a time period it is with the company not an exact site. We have been guarding with J&G and they are very good about giving you an idea of how long your time could be, yes "could" is the opportune word, because a gate could end or be extended for any reason. The best advice I would give anyone is, be flexible. Understand that the time is approximate and make the best of every gate you sit.
Oh this is very interesting. The 30 days with a company was certainly not made clear to us - that said I'm not sure how I feel about that as I'm saying "yes" to a gate, not a company. The type of gate we needed to be at was quite specific so with one gate ending we couldn't simply shift to another gate without considering whether or not it was a good fit.
Ultimately, our experience at this first gate was a good one - we were just caught completely off guard (no pun intended) by the suddenness of completion. -J
@@OpenRoadingAlso remember you are an independent contractor; you can say no to a gate. The company should be able to tell you what phase the operation is in. We have done Flowback and it is not that busy either.
@@philconfer4192 Yep - We said no to several!
I just don't get the 30 day commitment part. I understand if I sign up for a gate I'm committing to 30 days but if it ends early am I still supposed to be exclusively with them until the 30 days is up?
Guard 1 didn't treat me that way (We are currently working another gate with another company) but I don't know if I burned a bridge unintentionally. We assumed since the gate was done, our commitment was done. -J
@@OpenRoading Not sure about the bridge burning, we have only worked with J&G. I have heard of people leaving a company to work with other companies for a variety of reasons. Getting paid normally being the top reason. I hope that you guys get settled with a company that fits your needs. For us J&G has been a very good fit.
@@philconfer4192 Being new to the whole process I'm more focused on finding the right gates that fit and then making sure it's a reputable company. J&G was wonderful in helping us get set up and then they were actually the ones that pointed us to other recruiters since they didn't have anything available for us right away. So far we've worked for S&S and Guard 1 and would recommend them both. -J
You got me, I subscribed!
I want to be a solo workamper. I recently had a similar experience of being found by a dog. And my youngest son just became a guard for a power plant and had to go through the same preparation. BTW, he makes $20/hr, 12 hrs/day, 6 days a week, far more than what I do (bus driving). And he's only 18. 😮
Hopefully he can put away some of that cash for the future! I think when I was 18 I was making $7 an hour and stupidly putting away nothing. 😂 -J
So glad to see your channel growing Joe!! Great content
AHH!! So awesome to see you on here! Thanks for the encouragement. Trying my hardest not to end up working at a sorting facility again!
Hope med school is treating you well! -J
Yall should look into a gate gig at a farm 🚜 or ranch or receiver that is 6 am to 6 pm
Or some are 6 am till 10 pm
And 16 to 21 per hour 😊
God bless yall.
I am not In business any longer but I would definitely hire you 2 great Americans to labor for me.
Common sense, logic and reasoning. A absolute must and yall got it .. and a lot of it
And really professional at it
Having do shift work, I can’t imagine having only two folks to monitor a gate 24/7. I can’t imagine you being able to last beyond the first 30 days without being completely exhausted.
I think for a super busy gate I'd agree. And of course it wears on you with any gate, but if you manage the hours well with each other, giving each other some extra time when needed, you can make it work! -J
Bid on jobs for the CORP of engineer jobs. They pay really good and your supplied everything. If you want free volunteer at state parks. It’s easy and your hooked up to full hook ups. 4 years for us.
Awesome! -J
Awesome job for multitasking. Pup will come around ❣️🐾🐾❣️. Please keep her, she found you for a reason 💞
We did. :) She's part of the family now. -J
@@OpenRoading good to hear👍🤓👍❣️🐾🐾❣️.she looks like a gentle giant😁. And looks like she picked people that would love her.❣️..time and patience..❣️
New sub here,enjoy yr content 👍
@@adventuresinmichiganwlisa9852 Thanks so much! -J
15:43 you make that man happy. Look at his smile. World needs more happy couples. Dont ever separate.
Thanks so much! She does indeed make me not just a better guy but indeed a happier one!
Separation is not in the game plan. If we ever have to “choose between _____ and us” we always choose us. 😄 -J
Working for Justin at J&J security was good but after 9 months we know Alaska was our place to live in small town 6 hours from Anchorage. We worked at few Eog oil sites. Then was ask to work in Baton Rouge. Let me tell you it wasn’t oil site. It was guarding new housing development near the hoods of Baton Rouge. Nightly gunshots. Think the sell men for Justin didn’t tell him it was true Security job. We became friends with Baton Rouge sheriff department fast…
Ooof! Not a gate I'd want to guard for sure! 😂 Give me the one down a 6 mile dirt road that no one wants to travel down in the first place!! -J
Oh I hope you keep Trinity 😀. She is so sweet
Stay tuned! (I type as she lays to me). -J
I thought I invented the motorcycle in front of rig 10 years ago, when I first started doing it with never seeing it before. Awesome, but pulled into a heavily wooded campground late one night with every site filled and lack of full headlights really was a factor and less room to turn with 3 more feet hanging out front. That was a rough back-in but I had my Yamaha TW200!!!
I was laughing this week because I drove through Moab and saw at least a dozen dirt bikes on the front of trucks. 😂😂 You are a pioneer!! -J
Oh boy,, this is bringing back memories of oil rigs in ND. They need constant water & lots of supplies 24-7.
There is absolutely no way anyone sticks around for more than 30 days! I was sort of happy to see them cut you guys free early because you needed a break from that 24 hour/day job.
Always love seeing your video pop up & cant wait to see what's next!
We always love seeing familiar names in the comments week after week!
We we're hoping to go 30 days since it wasn't a busy rig, buttttttt as you'll see in a week or two, it really worked out very well for us by lining us up pretty perfectly for our next gig. -J
Google once screamed at me to do a U-turn NOW, hum I was in the middle of a 4 lane highway almost at the bridge to go across to the city, it wanted me to turn back and add another 35 minutes to get to the SAME spot across the bridge! I just kept driving and it re-adjusted itself to where I was but stubbornly kept trying like yours. (I usually write down some highlights on a paper next to me. Like hwy 4 exit 77, rr44 left on hwy 3, and I save the route for offline direction so I can review it offline .
Crazy!!! Yeah I always have the “main concept” of the route in my head - that way I know if it’s trying to re-route me. -J
Use a GPS and not a phone.
We’re thinking about it! -K
Use a rand McNally rv gps
Your dog looks just like my dog , except mine looks more like the colors of a Rottweiler.... My dog is a CowPu. An Australian Cattle Dog. They are very Smart dogs. Mine is a male. They come in 5 different colors
We're thinking of getting a DNA test because there are like 3 different breeds and we can't make up our mind which one she is closest to 😂 And now you've given us a 4th! LOL -J
Trinity is a blessing. A gift. Let her be family. We got Trixie when we moved here. The people who had her no longer wanted her so she's part of our family now and she's more than welcome. Just lover her and let her love you. She'll see what it's like to be around good people now
I don't know if you've watched any of the videos after this one but yes, Trinity has been an absolutely amazing addition to the family. I don't think a more perfect fit of a dog exists. (I type as we finish our breakfast smoothies from the couch and she is resting up against Kalyn's lap.) -J
thank you for saving the dog ❤
😀
This is my 1st time on your channel, at 1st i was thinking awea Bunny like i used to have.
Then Trinity comes in the picture.
I used to have a Pitbull and moved into a new house.
The old renters came by a month after we moved in and asked if we had fed the rabbit in the back yard?
WHAT? A rabbit in the back yard with my dog?
We go out back and the bunny and my dog are laying with each other in the AZ sun. 2yrs later and they were still friends!
Such a beautiful thing. Trinity wants to be friends with Cody but he's still a little stand-off-ish. He's not afraid of her (one time he jumped on her from the couch 😂) but he hasn't been comfortable enough to sleep closer than like 3 feet from her. But we are so glad that they get along. -J
This is my first video of yours and I’m hooked, I just enjoy regular people.
Regular people, that is us through and through! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to drop us a comment. -J
Hi there I was just checking out your video and at the time mark 10.07 it appears someone walked out from between your truck and rv
That sneaky guy was ME! 😁 Doing a quick final walk around. -J
We gave up on Google maps long time ago….. we absolutely love Trinity- she is a perfect fit for the family ❤
Yeah...thinking we may have to find another map solution before Alaska. We've used google for 4 years though and haven't hit a low bridge yet! So that's good right!? 😂 (If you've ever hit a low bridge I apologize!) -J
Welcome to the oilfields! People dont realise how much goes into getting oil from deep underground. So many men needing SO much equipment. Hopefully u guys can learn the phases of a frac pad so u can estimate how much time b4 you will need 2 bounce to the next pad.
We always turned down the frac pads because we knew that it we wouldn't be able to get what we wanted out of that job. (Mainly, time to work on our side hustles).
In the end we ended up working 2 gate gigs, the one in this video and then a 12 hour, stay on site gig that was an absolute 1 in a million opportunity. Paid the same amount as the 24 hour gig and had zero traffic to check in. Just had to keep an eye on equipment overnight in the middle of nowhere. -J
Wait so you got $200 a day total? not $200 each? If so yikes, I would also think that if you in any way signed a contract for 30 days of committed work they need to pay you for 30 days regardless of if they use you. Although gotta say one of the recommended videos to the right for me is titled "Why You Should Never Gate Guard"
It generally pays more in the summer and depending on the location you can sometimes get more. Our current gate is paying $200 for a 12 hour shift.
What was so attractive to us about these jobs is that you can work on your own thing while "clocked in." There are not many jobs out there where I can edit my youtube video while getting paid by someone else. I know some other people like it because they can sit and watch netflix between cars etc.
Because of that I didn't see it as poor pay...If I were having to be fully focused on the task in front of me then yes...I would agree, but for me the benefit of getting paid by someone else to edit my youtube channel was super valuable.
A quick caveat - you have to be selective of your gates! Some are busy and that would knock the value right off for me. Our current gate I literally just watch out my window all night and in over a month...zero people have showed up while I do my own work from the comfort of my home. -J
Thanks!
Sounds like the well/pad finished up. I'm surprised that no one gave you an idea that the job was almost over though. When they are about done with a project they have a general idea when they will be completely finished.
in about 7 years of working on drilling rigs I only had 2 wells where they called it quits early. but even then it took some time for them to finish up everything that had to be done on location before the site was empty.
Yeah. We started to get suspicious about 1 day before but no heads up. From what I’ve heard from other guards it’s a pretty common thing…the guard is often out of the communication loop. -J
Put. Your. Phone. Down.
People die because of people looking at phone screens.
You are correct, people do and I will strive to be more careful. I actually worked in news as a videographer for 8 years and covered many fatal car crashes.
I want to be super clear - I was using it for a GPS which is completely legal in most states and cities. Would you have posted this comment if I had gotten video of me hitting a button on a GPS suctioned to my dash? -J
@@OpenRoading that’s a good question. No I wouldn’t have posted then because a dash mounted gps is more line of sight and I believe you would have been in more direct control with two open hands. As an ex EMS I’ve also seen more than my fair share of deaths and crashes caused by phone usage while driving. They still resonate very deeply with me which I guess explains my intolerance.
On the bright side I love your story / journey and have just subscribed.
@@CHRIS_HITCHCOCK That makes a lot of sense. And I don't at all hold it against anyone for pointing it out. And like I said...I will be more careful. I don't want me to become a statistic or to rip someone else's loved one away from them. -J
I agree about Trinity. Also, how can making two hundred dollars a day cover your food and expenses, and still give you enough gas money to get to Alaska? Obviously there’s more money around
So if you watch the "We're Broke" video you'll see that Kalyn has her own business and I edit podcasts. These two ventures help us make ends meet...but barely. We haven't been able to save anything AND travel is pretty much out of the question until we get a little more growth on them.
I'm not sure how $200 a day seems small when most work camping jobs net you $500 $700 a week + a full hookup site. That's often seen as a great workcamping gig at least that I have found.
$200 a day = $6,000 a month and Kalyn and I can easily live on between $3k to 4k a month. So even if we didn't have our other irons in the fire we'd be saving $1-2K per month after accounting for taxes.
Now in our case, we're able to save much more because of our other stuff we are working on.
The other thing that appeals to us about gate guarding is that if you get on the right gates you actually are only "working" for a few hours a day, otherwise you are just being paid to be there and wait. Which...allows us to work on our other stuff while we're waiting. Other jobs where you have to clock in and clock out for 8-10 hours a day, those are hours we couldn't work on growing our own businesses.
I hope that helps make sense of it! -J
I'm kind of slow. I also like animals, RUclips, Building, sleep and food. I Imagine your stress is compounded by feeling the need to document everything on your RUclips channel, editing and The other ancillary social media sites one with a RUclips channel seems to always belong to in order to get the word out.
Your dog will tell you what to do if you slow down And listen to it. Good luck
Thanks so much for your kind words. We've been super intentional about not going crazy with other social media outlets exactly for the reasons you mentioned 😂. Kalyn runs an Instagram account but thats the only active social media we use for this because...we need to have sanity somewhere!
Have a wonderful week! -J
Texas has a terrible problem with dogs being abandoned, even being tied to trees and left to die...
Please, please, have a heart ❤️ and adopt these poor animals who are literally dying ☹️ of starvation, coyote attacks and just want a hoooman to love.
We totally adopted Trinity! You can see the rest of her story in the video with the Thumbnail "Unemployed" ❤️ -J
That really stinks that they did that with no notice or anything. Just you're done in the morning and have to be out. You'd think they would have a little courtesy. For that reason, I don't think gate guard duty would be for us.
I think experiences on this vary based on comments in here - it was a question I asked our current company when we took the job "How much notice will I get" and he said while we may not know we are done working till the day before, if we need an extra day to leave he wouldn't have a problem with that - and that was nice. Takes the "departure stress" down a notch. -J
Security guard uniforms.. at least you wear a company badge on your Sleve. Security ". Across the back.
We had I think 3 shirts each....not enough to get us through a week. At my new gate I have 1 shirt. -J
We have a beautiful dog that we raised from puppy and picked her out the litter. We are dog people. This is the only dog we’ve ever owned. It does all those skittish weird psycho things that even make my very patient wife be at wits end. We agree that we will never assume ever again that just because a dog has the same personality traits that you’re experiencing that someone did something wrong to the dog and possibly abused it. Our dog like all dogs we’ve ever owned have been lucky to get a home that loves dogs like we do. Our dog was just born that way. But we love her and she’s going nowhere.
Fair. But there certainly is a rough past there somewhere with the large scar on her side, small one on her head, and bits of her ears missing. Could be fights with other animals - but my money is still on some sort of abuse.
If I walked into someones home and the dog was skittish I wouldn't assume abuse, but when all appearances are that the dog has been dumped...it's a pretty short leap when you start seeing other signs.
But of course I could be 100% wrong. I don't deny that for a second. -J
I use Waze. I don’t know all its limitations, but so far doesn’t deviate from what I set it at.
Nice! I used that once upon a time. Maybe I should go back. -J
Is this line of work becoming more dangerous?
We did it from November - February and never had an issue. That is just our experience. We were also selective on gates. There are some people that believe you are obligated to simply take whatever gate is offered and I'm of the opinion that since you are a 1099 contractor you get to say yes and no to whatever gates you wish.
We were offered a couple of gates that as we did research on crime we thought that there was no way we would do those gates at the same rate of gates in safer areas so we simply said no.
I've also spoken to several gate guards and some have stories of getting things stolen and others have done it for years without a problem.
Some friends of ours are in the middle of gate guarding right now if you want to check them out. www.youtube.com/@thewanderingshores
-J
@@OpenRoading thanks so much for info. Happy Travels 🙂👍
ITS A GOD SEND..FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK..IN THE WORLD YOUR IN...WE ARE ALWAYS...GRATEFUL TO SEE A GUARD GATE KEEPER..
That’s awesome to hear the other side! -J
Please, please, stop looking down at the map on your phone while you’re driving, please! It’s an accident waiting to happen, as my dad used to say. Good luck everything.
That's why I have the "Ditch!" alarm installed in the front seat! 😂
You are right though...It is a habit I need to correct. It only takes one crash. -J
Goodness, do you have any idea how large the fines would be using your phone while driving here in Australia. Plus 4 points when you only get 12 in total. Lose all of them and you’re off the road.
USA is similar (although different rules in different states). Some states make exceptions for map usage.
I do find it interesting that no one would think twice if I was double checking a piece of paper that said "Turn left on main street, go 6 miles..." Etc.
But you are correct. -J
This is a great video! I started out watching one of your other videos, and you mentioned this video. Wow, I’m so glad I watched it. I teach math at a juvenile detention facility. And I’m planning to show this video to my boys. I think they need to see this. I think the most awesome thing about it is adopting that awesome dog! I wanted to have a dog like that, but it was just too much for our family and I had to give it back to the ranch that I got him from. I still am sad about that. But those are great awesome dogs. They’re smart. Don’t teach him to play checkers! He will likely beat you lol :-)
Thanks so much! 🤗
And yes - she is super smart. Her master plan continues to play out and we continue to be pawns. 😂 -J
Google maps suck for that reason! Gave it up