Williston, ND

Williston is the capital city of the Bakken. Every major cycle in the North Dakota oil boom since 2008 has run through this town, and the service companies that have stayed through the downturns know the rhythm of the basin better than anyone. Rig counts here can move by double digits in a quarter when prices recover, and the companies positioned to field equipment fast when the basin heats up take the work that slower operators leave on the table.

We finance oilfield equipment for companies working the Bakken and Three Forks formations out of Williston, whether that's a single frac pump, a full drilling spread, or an oilfield trucking fleet. The minimum is $50,000 and our deals in the Bakken region typically run from $150,000 to $3 million, reflecting the heavy iron that Bakken operations require. Short-form programs are available up to roughly $400,000. Full deals fund in one to two weeks.

The Bakken's extreme weather, long hauls between locations, and the logistics complexity of running equipment in northwestern North Dakota create equipment demands that differ from Texas or New Mexico. We know what operators here actually run and what the collateral is worth through the basin's cycle. That knowledge matters when underwriting equipment that lives at minus 30 Fahrenheit for months at a time.

The Bakken and Three Forks Play

The Williston Basin underlies parts of North Dakota, Montana, and Saskatchewan, but the heart of the Bakken shale play is concentrated in the northwestern North Dakota counties of Williams, Mountrail, McKenzie, and Dunn. Williston, the Williams County seat, sits in the geographic center of this activity and serves as the logistics hub for a large portion of the basin's service sector.

Bakken wells are oil-dominant and horizontal, typically running laterals of one to two miles and requiring large multi-stage completion programs. That completion intensity drives demand for frac spreads with substantial horsepower, high-capacity blenders, and the sand logistics infrastructure to supply a major hydraulic fracturing program in a remote geography. The infrastructure challenges of operating in the Williston Basin, including limited midstream capacity in some areas and extreme winter conditions, add cost and complexity that service companies have to build into their equipment selection and maintenance budgets.

North Dakota's oil production peaked at around 1.4 million barrels per day in late 2019 before the 2020 downturn reduced activity sharply. The recovery brought production back to meaningful levels and rig counts have stabilized in a range that supports a robust but not overheated service sector. For companies that held through the downturn, the current environment rewards those who have the equipment ready to run when operators release AFEs.

Equipment We Finance for Bakken Operators

Bakken operations require heavy, cold-rated equipment. The asset categories that flow through our financing programs from Williston include:

• Drilling rigs, including modern AC-drive units that dominate current Bakken development and older mechanical rigs used in workover programs
• Frac spreads and individual pump units, blenders, and hydration equipment for completion companies running Bakken stages
• Coiled tubing units for well intervention and completions work on horizontal Bakken producers
• Oilfield trucks of all types, including Kenworth and Peterbilt units rigged up for winch, gin pole, and heavy haul work in the basin
• Frac tanks and water transfer equipment for completion fluid management in a water-scarce region
• Man camps and modular accommodations for crews working remote locations hours from the nearest town
• Light towers and generator sets for remote location power

We also finance equipment for oilfield trucking companies that haul crude from Bakken tank batteries that don't have pipeline takeaway, which remains a meaningful segment in some parts of the basin.

Credit and Documentation in the Bakken

Companies that worked the 2014-2016 and 2019-2020 Bakken downturns sometimes have credit histories that don't fully reflect what their businesses have become since then. Revenue can swing dramatically with basin activity, and lenders who only look at a credit score miss the story of a company that survived two major downturns and came out with equipment and customers intact.

We evaluate the full picture. Bank statements showing current cash flow, equipment value as collateral, and the business's track record in the basin factor into approval alongside credit score. B and C credit programs are available for operators in the 500-620 score range when the overall business profile supports the loan. The rate and structure will reflect the risk, but the ability to finance exists.

For strong credit operators, Section 179 financing structures allow you to match the full first-year deduction against the financing so the tax benefit is realized immediately rather than stretched over the equipment's depreciable life. Bakken equipment typically qualifies, and using the deduction intelligently can significantly reduce the net cost of acquisition in year one.

Capital for the Bakken Basin

The basin doesn't wait and neither should your equipment financing. Apply now and we'll have terms structured for your specific spread or unit before the next rig release comes through.