Basis of Presentation and Nature of Operations (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Basic Energy Services, Inc. and subsidiaries (“Basic” or the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial reporting. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete financial statements. Certain information relating to Basic's organization and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in accordance with GAAP and financial statement requirements promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The notes to the consolidated financial statements (unaudited) should be read in conjunction with the notes to the consolidated financial statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. In the opinion of management, all adjustments which are of a normal recurring nature considered necessary for a fair presentation have been made in the accompanying unaudited financial statements. On June 28, 2018, the SEC adopted amendments that expanded the definition of “smaller reporting company” by increasing the applicable public float and revenue thresholds. Under the amended definition, which became effective on September 10, 2018, a company qualifies as a smaller reporting company if it has (i) a public float of less than $250 million at the end of its most recently completed second fiscal quarter or (ii) less than $100 million in annual revenues and either no public float or a public float of less than $700 million. Based on the Company's public float (the aggregate market value of its common equity held by non-affiliates) as of June 29, 2018, the Company is considered a smaller reporting company under the revised SEC rules and, as such, is eligible to use certain scaled financial and non-financial disclosure requirements. Smaller reporting companies may elect to comply with the scaled reporting requirements separately, thereby permitting the Company to choose such disclosure requirements on an item-by-item basis.
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Basic's subsidiaries, for which Basic holds a majority voting interest. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.
Segment Information	Segment Information In the first quarter of 2019, Basic revised its reportable segments for financial reporting purposes to combine its contract drilling operations with its rig manufacturing operations to form an Other Services segment. The Company's business now consists of the following four segments: Well Servicing, Water Logistics, Completion & Remedial Services, and Other Services. See Note 13, "Business Segment Information" for further information.
Estimates, Risks and Uncertainties	Estimates, Risks and UncertaintiesPreparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management uses historical and other pertinent information to determine these estimates. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Areas where critical accounting estimates are made by management include litigation, asset retirement obligations and self-insured risk reserves.
Inventories	Inventories For rental and fishing tools, inventories consisting mainly of grapples, controls and drill bits are stated at lower of cost or net realizable value. Other inventories, consisting mainly of manufacturing raw materials, rig components, repair parts, drilling and completion materials and gravel, are held for use in the operations of Basic and are stated at lower of cost or net realizable value, with cost being determined on the first-in, first-out method. In addition to comparing the carrying amount of inventory to its market, Basic also makes a comparison between volume of inventory and demand for the ultimate production into which inventory will be converted. During the period ended September 30, 2019, Basic determined that due to decreased demand for rigs and equipment manufactured by Basic's wholly owned subsidiary, Taylor Industries, LLC, the subsidiary would change its focus to servicing and providing parts for previously manufactured equipment. Related to this change in strategy, certain manufacturing inventories were determined not to be fully recoverable.
Asset Retirement Obligations	Asset Retirement ObligationThe Company has the obligation to plug and remediate its saltwater disposal wellsites when the assets are to be retired. This asset retirement obligation ("ARO") includes plugging inactive assets, removal of surface equipment, and returning the land to its original state. The Company records a liability for the fair value of asset retirement obligations ("AROs") that we can reasonably estimate, on a discounted basis, in the period in which the asset is acquired. The fair value of the liability is calculated using discounted cash flow techniques and based on internal estimates and assumptions related to (i) future retirement costs, (ii) expected remaining lives of the assets (iii) future inflation rates, and (iv) credit adjusted risk-free interest rates. Significant increases or decreases in these assumptions could result in a significant change to the fair value measurement.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 - “Leases (Topic 842).” The purpose of this update is to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. Basic has adopted the standard effective January 1, 2019, and has included the disclosures required by ASU 2016-02. For further discussion see Note 5, "Leases". In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. ASU 2016-13 requires a financial asset (or a group of financial assets) measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. In addition, the ASU requires credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. The amendments in this ASU broaden the information that an entity must consider in developing its expected credit loss estimate for assets measured either collectively or individually. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Basic is currently evaluating the impact of this pronouncement on its consolidated financial statements In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, "Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract." ASU 2018-15 requires implementation costs incurred by customers in cloud computing arrangements to be deferred over the noncancellable term of the cloud computing arrangements plus any optional renewal periods (1) that are reasonably certain to be exercised by the customer or (2) for which exercise of the renewal option is controlled by the cloud service provider. The effective date of this pronouncement is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years, and early adoption is permitted. The standard can be adopted either using the prospective or retrospective transition approach. Basic is currently evaluating the impact of this pronouncement on its consolidated financial statements.

Basis of Presentation and Nature of Operations (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Basic Energy Services, Inc. and subsidiaries (“Basic” or the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial reporting. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete financial statements. Certain information relating to Basic's organization and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in accordance with GAAP and financial statement requirements promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The notes to the consolidated financial statements (unaudited) should be read in conjunction with the notes to the consolidated financial statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. In the opinion of management, all adjustments which are of a normal recurring nature considered necessary for a fair presentation have been made in the accompanying unaudited financial statements.

On June 28, 2018, the SEC adopted amendments that expanded the definition of “smaller reporting company” by increasing the applicable public float and revenue thresholds. Under the amended definition, which became effective on September 10, 2018, a company qualifies as a smaller reporting company if it has (i) a public float of less than $250 million at the end of its most recently completed second fiscal quarter or (ii) less than $100 million in annual revenues and either no public float or a public float of less than $700 million. Based on the Company's public float (the aggregate market value of its common equity held by non-affiliates) as of June 29, 2018, the Company is considered a smaller reporting company under the revised SEC rules and, as such, is eligible to use certain scaled financial and non-financial disclosure requirements. Smaller reporting companies may elect to comply with the scaled reporting requirements separately, thereby permitting the Company to choose such disclosure requirements on an item-by-item basis.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Basic's subsidiaries, for which Basic holds a majority voting interest. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

Segment Information

In the first quarter of 2019, Basic revised its reportable segments for financial reporting purposes to combine its contract drilling operations with its rig manufacturing operations to form an Other Services segment. The Company's business now consists of the following four segments: Well Servicing, Water Logistics, Completion & Remedial Services, and Other Services. See Note 13, "Business Segment Information" for further information.

Estimates, Risks and Uncertainties

Estimates, Risks and UncertaintiesPreparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management uses historical and other pertinent information to determine these estimates. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Areas where critical accounting estimates are made by management include litigation, asset retirement obligations and self-insured risk reserves.

Inventories

For rental and fishing tools, inventories consisting mainly of grapples, controls and drill bits are stated at lower of cost or net realizable value. Other inventories, consisting mainly of manufacturing raw materials, rig components, repair parts, drilling and completion materials and gravel, are held for use in the operations of Basic and are stated at lower of cost or net realizable value, with cost being determined on the first-in, first-out method.

In addition to comparing the carrying amount of inventory to its market, Basic also makes a comparison between volume of inventory and demand for the ultimate production into which inventory will be converted. During the period ended September 30, 2019, Basic determined that due to decreased demand for rigs and equipment manufactured by Basic's wholly owned subsidiary, Taylor Industries, LLC, the subsidiary would change its focus to servicing and providing parts for previously manufactured equipment. Related to this change in strategy, certain manufacturing inventories were determined not to be fully recoverable.

Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset Retirement ObligationThe Company has the obligation to plug and remediate its saltwater disposal wellsites when the assets are to be retired. This asset retirement obligation ("ARO") includes plugging inactive assets, removal of surface equipment, and returning the land to its original state. The Company records a liability for the fair value of asset retirement obligations ("AROs") that we can reasonably estimate, on a discounted basis, in the period in which the asset is acquired. The fair value of the liability is calculated using discounted cash flow techniques and based on internal estimates and assumptions related to (i) future retirement costs, (ii) expected remaining lives of the assets (iii) future inflation rates, and (iv) credit adjusted risk-free interest rates. Significant increases or decreases in these assumptions could result in a significant change to the fair value measurement.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 - “Leases (Topic 842).” The purpose of this update is to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. Basic has adopted the standard effective January 1, 2019, and has included the disclosures required by ASU 2016-02. For further discussion see Note 5, "Leases".

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. ASU 2016-13 requires a financial asset (or a group of financial assets) measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. In addition, the ASU requires credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. The amendments in this ASU broaden the information that an entity must consider in developing its expected credit loss estimate for assets measured either collectively or individually. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Basic is currently evaluating the impact of this pronouncement on its consolidated financial statements

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, "Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract." ASU 2018-15 requires implementation costs incurred by customers in cloud computing arrangements to be deferred over the noncancellable term of the cloud computing arrangements plus any optional renewal periods (1) that are reasonably certain to be exercised by the customer or (2) for which exercise of the renewal option is controlled by the cloud service provider. The effective date of this pronouncement is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years, and early adoption is permitted. The standard can be adopted either using the prospective or retrospective transition approach. Basic is currently evaluating the impact of this pronouncement on its consolidated financial statements.