Basis of Presentation and Nature of Operations (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020
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 the Company'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, 2019. 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.
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company's subsidiaries, for which the Company holds a majority voting interest. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.
Other Reclassifications	Other ReclassificationsCertain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation. A majority of the reclassifications were related to discontinued operations. These reclassifications do not impact net loss and do not reflect a material change to the information previously presented in our consolidated financial statements.
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 impairments of long-lived assets, certain financial instruments, acquisition purchase price allocation, litigation, and self-insured risk reserves.
Inventories	Inventories For rental and fishing tools, inventories consisting mainly of grapples and controls 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 the Company 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 value, the Company also makes a comparison between volume of inventory and demand for the ultimate production into which inventory will be converted and increases reserves for excess and obsolete inventory.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements Standards Adopted in 2020. In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-13, "Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments" ("ASU 2016-13"). 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, utilizing an expected loss methodology in place of the previously used incurred loss methodology. ASU 2016-13 will result in the more timely recognition of losses on financial instruments not accounted for at fair value through net income. The provisions require credit impairments to be measured over the contractual life of an asset and developed with consideration for past events, current conditions, and forecasts of future economic information. 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, 2022, with early adoption permitted. The Company early adopted this standard on January 1, 2020, using the prospective transition method, and the standard did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements upon its adoption. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15 "Intangibles — Goodwill and Other - Internal Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract" ("ASU 2018-15"). ASU 2018-15 clarifies the accounting for implementation costs in cloud computing arrangements. We adopted ASU 2018-15 on its January 1, 2020, effective date, using the prospective transition method, and this standard did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Standards Not Yet Adopted In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes” ("ASU 2019-12"). ASU 2019-12 intends to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes and removes certain exceptions to the general principles in the standard. Additionally, the ASU clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application of its requirements. The amendments of ASU 2019-12 are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this pronouncement on its consolidated financial statements. In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)” ("ASU 2020-04"), which provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying US GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by the discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or by another reference rate expected to be discontinued. The amendments are effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020, through December 31, 2022. We are currently evaluating the impacts of the provisions of ASU 2020-04 on our consolidated financial statements.

Disclosure of inventory accounting policy for inventory classes, including, but not limited to, basis for determining inventory amounts, methods by which amounts are added and removed from inventory classes, loss recognition on impairment of inventories, and situations in which inventories are stated above cost.