Tens of thousands of workers have flooded into rural North Dakota to take jobs created by the state’s oil boom. Now, there’s a shortage of housing and there’s a shortage of restaurants. There’s a shortage of workers for non-oil businesses. And at the end of the day, there’s not a whole lot to do.

Some guys, though, have brought one hobby with them: tinkering with their pickups and showing them off. Todd Melby talked to a customizer shop about one distinct way to show off.

Listen to his story in the audio player above.

Diesel engines can be tuned so they pour out black smoke. In Williston, North Dakota diesel pickup truck owners turn to Mark Pyatt at Killer Diesel Performance.

Todd Melby

Todd’s series “Black Gold Boom” is an initiative of Prairie Public and the Association for Independents in Radio.