Per diem is the line techs most often leave on the table, and it is the one that decides whether a long travel rotation is worth taking.
Gathered Oct 10, 2026 from public salary and freight sources. These are not RigTicket figures and are never mixed into the tables above.
Techs average near $26.50. GWO or LOTO certified reaches the top of this.
Meal per diem on travelling contracts, commonly $60 to $75.
RigTicket figures are quartiles rather than averages, so one emergency call-out at triple rate cannot drag the number somewhere nobody charges. Middle is the median and half of everyone sits between low and high. Published ranges are listed separately, dated and sourced, and are never mixed into them.
Other trades: rig welders · hot shot drivers
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