Directional driller vs relief driller

The differences between directional drillers and relief drillers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a directional driller and a relief driller. Additionally, a directional driller has an average salary of $54,153, which is higher than the $53,739 average annual salary of a relief driller.

The top three skills for a directional driller include CDL, safety procedures and safety standards. The most important skills for a relief driller are rig, flow lines, and .

Directional driller vs relief driller overview

	Directional Driller	Relief Driller
Yearly salary	$54,153	$53,739
Hourly rate	$26.04	$25.84
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	911	1,764
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Directional driller vs relief driller salary

Directional drillers and relief drillers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Directional Driller	Relief Driller
Average salary	$54,153	$53,739
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $83,000	Between $37,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between directional driller and relief driller education

There are a few differences between a directional driller and a relief driller in terms of educational background:

	Directional Driller	Relief Driller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Directional driller vs relief driller demographics

Here are the differences between directional drillers' and relief drillers' demographics:

	Directional Driller	Relief Driller
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 97.5% Female, 2.5%	Male, 99.1% Female, 0.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 1.2% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 1.3% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between directional driller and relief driller duties and responsibilities

Directional driller example responsibilities.

Perform data analysis and provide recommendations to achieve improve performance and accelerate commercialization of Pathmaker (RSS).
Adhere to all safety policies.
Train rig hands in safe operating procedures, maintenance, and repairs for rig and associate equipment.
use of torches such as oxygen and acetylene, propane, map gas, and butane torches.
Make and check the daily safety sheets given to all employees and conduct JSA meetings before every task.
Administer company, government, OSHA and IADC guidelines and regulation to ensure a safe and productive work environment.

Relief driller example responsibilities.

Provide leadership and guidance to direct reports, and manage their efforts to maximize their contribution to operational effectiveness and performance.
Job consist of running mud tanks, mixing chemicals, running derricks, and drilling.
Record daily drilling activities accurately in IADC reports while keeping accurate component tally.
Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.
Lower and explode charges in boreholes to start flow of oil from wells.
Install pvc pipes into holes and making sure that the holes remain clean and free from debris.

Directional driller vs relief driller skills

Common directional driller skills

CDL, 40%
Safety Procedures, 13%
Safety Standards, 7%
Directional Drill, 7%
Shovels, 5%
HSE, 3%

Common relief driller skills

Rig, 85%
Flow Lines, 15%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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