The remote work reality
West Texas oilfield sites are not like a city job. The nearest town can be an hour away, roads are often private lease roads, and service trucks have to cover big distances to reach many locations in a day. That shapes everything: how many units you order, how often they are serviced, how they are anchored and what you ask your vendor before the first load arrives. The oilfield and industrial rental page lists the equipment; this guide is about planning.
Pad sites and crew counts
Crew size at a pad changes through the life of the job. Pad construction and drilling mobilize one group, completions bring a bigger one, and production has a few pumpers on occasional visits. Plan for the peak phase of each. Pad construction work follows the construction ratios in 1926.51(c) (one toilet for 20 or fewer workers, one per 40 for 21 to 199, one per 50 at 200 or more), while production and drilling operations may fall under 29 CFR 1910.141 instead. Confirm which applies with the operator's safety lead; oilfield safety programs often set stricter numbers than either. See the job-site sanitation guide for the arithmetic.
- Count everyone on location: operator, service company, rig crew, water haulers, security, inspectors.
- Count both shifts if day and night crews overlap at changeover.
- Add units for a phase like fracking, when third-party crews arrive in large numbers.
Shifts and servicing cadence
Twelve-hour shifts mean heavy use during the same windows each day, and overlapping crews mean heavier use at handover. A unit that serves 15 people through one long shift will fill faster than one serving 15 people on an eight-hour day. Weekly service is a common start, but in summer heat with a large crew, more visits are common. Ask your vendor how service is scheduled, who tells them when units need extra attention and what the contact process is when something is wrong. A long drive for a missed pump-out is costly for everyone. The servicing page explains the basics.
Lease-road access
Lease roads in the Permian are mostly caliche, graded by the operators, and conditions vary. Rain can turn them to soft clay in places, washouts happen, and heavy traffic cuts ruts. Check these before you send a truck:
- Who owns and maintains the road, and is there a gate with a code or a guard?
- Does the road need a safety orientation or a specific permit to enter?
- Can a pump truck turn around on the pad?
- Is there a firm, level spot for units away from traffic and equipment swing paths?
- Are there cattle guards, pipeline crossings or low-water crossings?
Write the directions down, including GPS coordinates. Navigation apps are unreliable on private roads.
Wind anchoring
The wind in the Permian is not a rumor. Gusts roll empty units, and a unit that falls over on a pad is a safety issue and a mess. Standard units are light, so anchor every one. Use stakes or straps, place them behind a windbreak where possible, and orient doors away from prevailing wind. Dust is the other half: it settles in water tanks and gets into everything, so ask about covered or closed handwashing equipment. Where crews are far from water, see holding tank rental.
Heat and cold
Summer afternoons on a pad with no shade can reach well over 100 degrees, and a plastic unit in direct sun is miserable. Shade structures, roof vents and extra servicing help. Winter nights can drop below freezing, so handwash tanks need freeze protection and waste tanks may need antifreeze-safe additives. Read the weather planning guide for the details. Crews here often need showers or sinks to clean up before heading home, and a mobile shower trailer can serve a camp or a long turnaround.
Contractor safety programs and orientation questions
Operators run contractor safety programs, and portable sanitation vendors often fall under them. Before you commit, ask these questions of any vendor, including us when we take your call and relay your requirements:
- What safety orientation does the driver need, and who will provide it?
- Does the site require specific PPE, such as hard hats, safety glasses, FR clothing or H2S monitors?
- Which contractor management or safety-training system does the operator use, and is the vendor already in it?
- What are the rules on vehicle speed, check-in, and spill reporting?
- What happens if a spill or damage occurs on the pad?
- How do drivers get access to the gate and to the units?
We do not claim any safety credentials; your operator's requirements are what matter, and we can talk through them with you.
Turnarounds and shutdown surges
Midland and Odessa also support refinery, plant and processing work. Turnarounds and shutdowns bring large temporary crews in a short window, and the sanitation count can jump from a handful to dozens of units for a few weeks. Give notice as early as you can. Tell us the start date, the number of workers, whether shifts run through the night and where units need to go. Plan for extra handwashing and extra servicing. See the Midland planning page and the Odessa planning page for local considerations.
Housekeeping that prevents complaints
On remote locations the little things become big. Stock extra toilet paper and hand soap with the vendor so a crew is never out of supplies between visits. Keep units away from the wellhead, flare, loading area and equipment swing radius, and mark the spot with cones or flagging so haulers do not back into it. Ask the foreman to report a full or damaged unit the same shift it happens rather than at the end of the week. Remind crews that trash, rags and PPE do not belong in the tank, since solids that should not be there can slow or stop a pump-out. A little discipline protects the service schedule.
What to have ready when you call
Have the lease name or GPS point, directions from the nearest highway, a crew count by phase and shift, the start date and expected length, and any site safety requirements. We will confirm equipment and coverage for the exact location.
Last updated November 6, 2026. This guide is general information, not legal, engineering or regulatory advice.