HR and workers' comp for energy operations that run in some of the toughest sites.

Oilfield and pipeline crews routinely run 14/14, 21/7, or other rotation patterns that break standard biweekly payroll assumptions. We configure pay cycles around the actual rotation, track hitch-on and hitch-off dates, and handle the overtime, shift differential, and travel-day rules that apply when crews come on and off the rig. Field supervisors approve hours from any device; the back office never has to chase paper timesheets.

Yes, but day rates are a Fair Labor Standards Act minefield after the Helix Energy Solutions v. Hewitt Supreme Court decision. We help energy clients structure day-rate pay so it complies with the FLSA salary basis test where applicable, calculate the regular rate correctly for overtime purposes, and document the arrangement so it withstands a Department of Labor audit. Where day rates are not defensible, we move workers to a guaranteed weekly salary plus overtime model.

Per-diem can be tax-free to the employee and fully deductible to the employer when it follows IRS accountable plan rules. Meaning the assignment is away from the employee's tax home, the rate stays within GSA limits for the locality, and the time and place are substantiated. We configure per-diem rules by location, track the duration of each assignment so workers do not cross the one-year tax-home threshold, and flag situations where per-diem becomes taxable wages.

Energy operators that run their own service trucks, vacuum trucks, or hot-shot drivers sit under both OSHA general industry rules and the DOT Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. The two regimes overlap on drug and alcohol testing, hours-of-service documentation, and incident reporting. We maintain dual-compliant employment files: DOT driver qualification files, random testing pools that satisfy 49 CFR Part 382, and OSHA 300 logs that capture recordable incidents whether they happen on a rig floor or behind the wheel.

Yes. We run consortium-style random testing pools that satisfy DOT Part 382 and PHMSA Part 199 requirements, coordinate pre-employment, post-incident, reasonable-suspicion, and return-to-duty testing, manage chain-of-custody paperwork, and maintain the substance-abuse-professional referral process required after a positive result. Results flow into the employee file automatically, and we generate the annual MIS report DOT requires from covered employers.

Drivers who haul crude, condensate, produced water, frac sand, or other regulated materials need a CDL with the hazmat endorsement, TSA security threat assessment clearance, and hazmat function-specific training under 49 CFR 172 Subpart H. We track endorsement expiration dates, store training records, and apply the correct workers' comp class code so hazmat drivers are not lumped in with general truck drivers. Which would either overcharge premiums or trigger an audit reclassification later.

State unemployment tax follows the worker, not the rig. We apply the four-factor localization-of-services test from the U.S. Department of Labor to determine the correct SUTA state for each employee, register your company in every state where you have a reportable presence, file the quarterly returns, and respond to claims. When a crew moves from a Texas play to a North Dakota basin mid-quarter, the system reallocates wages to the right state automatically.

Energy work touches some of the highest-rated NCCI and state-bureau class codes in the country. 6235 oil or gas well drilling, 6216 oil or gas lease operator, 7222 trucking oil-field equipment, and the 5000-series construction codes for pipeline and facility work. Through our PEO master policy, these codes are pooled across a large employer base, which typically lowers the effective rate and stops one bad year from spiking your experience modifier. We also audit job duties so workers are coded to the work they actually perform, not to whatever code was easiest at setup.