What does a drill operator do?
A Drill Operator works at oil and gas companies where they are in charge of operating drilling machinery and equipment. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their employment, it typically includes managing staff, measuring and marking drilling spots, conducting measurements and assessments, maintaining documents, and performing regular maintenance checks to ensure quality and efficiency. A Drill Operator must maintain an active communication line with staff while adhering to the company's safety regulations and standards.
Drill operator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real drill operator resumes:
- Operate heavy equipment such as dozer, track hoe and pipe fusing machine.
- Observe all NYSDOT, NYSDEC, OSHA regulations
- Operate a Vermeer directional bore drill for underground cable.
- Work in shop and run hot shots as needed.
- Train new employees on CNC turret lathe and shop floor operations.
- Fill in when need as driller on vermeer 100x120 and vermeer 100x140.
- Offload saltwater barges through filter system before injecting in grind at high rpms.
- Operate numerous types of drilling equipment including truck, track and ATV mount drills.
- Operate heavy equipment, including motor graders, heavy loaders, carryalls, bulldozers, backhoes.
- Perform geotechnical and environmental drilling with HSA, air and mud rotary, and direct push equipment.
- Operate crane as needed to assist crew rig up and rig down hardline and well flow equipment.
- Hoe operator/foreman for gas pipeline installation and hoe and dozer operator for well site construction and reclamation.
- Operate excavator and backhoe to expose and excavate (bell-hole) high pressure lines for tie-ins, crossings and boring.
- Operate a backhoe for foundations, curb and gutter, sidewalks, entrances and other projects pertaining to the job layout.
- Signale and verbally direct workers engage in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials.
Drill operator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 35% of Drill Operators are proficient in CDL, Safety Procedures, and Directional Drill. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Coordination, and Visual ability.
We break down the percentage of Drill Operators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CDL, 35%
Operate Directional Bore Machine, CDL driver
- Safety Procedures, 11%
Detonated explosives following safety procedures.
- Directional Drill, 8%
Operated directional drilling and locating equipment to complete underground installation of fiber optic cable and utilities, drove semi-truck to transport equipment
- Construction Equipment, 7%
Operated all available construction equipment.
- OSHA, 7%
Adhere to all MSHA, OSHA, DOT and federal/state regulations.
- Underground Utilities, 6%
Read blueprints, locate underground utilities and mark them, drill in designated areas, repair damaged pipes
"cdl," "safety procedures," and "directional drill" are among the most common skills that drill operators use at work. You can find even more drill operator responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a drill operator to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "material moving machine operators signal and direct workers to load and unload material." Drill operators often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "performed high-profile installation applications including drilling & excavating in close proximity to high pressure gas mains & fiber optic telecommunication lines. "
Coordination. Another essential skill to perform drill operator duties is coordination. Drill operators responsibilities require that "material moving machine operators must have steady hands and feet to guide and control heavy machinery precisely." Drill operators also use coordination in their role according to a real resume snippet: "meet productivity goals & quality standards- communicate in english, both verbal and written- good hand-eye coordination- attention to detail"
Visual ability. drill operators are also known for visual ability, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to drill operator responsibilities, because "material moving machine operators must be able to see clearly where they are driving or what they are moving." A drill operator resume example shows how visual ability is used in the workplace: "perform quality checks mostly visual. "
Mechanical skills. A big part of what drill operators do relies on "mechanical skills." You can see how essential it is to drill operator responsibilities because "material moving machine operators make minor adjustments to their machines and perform basic maintenance on them." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical drill operator tasks: "connected mechanical joints to attach fusible pvc to steel. "
The three companies that hire the most drill operators are:
- Novinium
33 drill operators jobs
- Michels12 drill operators jobs
- Star Construction Management11 drill operators jobs
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Compare different drill operators
Drill operator vs. Directional driller
A Directional Driller specializes in drilling wells at different angles for better sources. They operate a variety of tools and machinery, follow guidelines, and conduct measurements and assessments to ensure quality and efficiency. There are also instances when they must produce progress and evaluation reports, maintain documentation, and develop maintenance strategies for the equipment. Directional Drillers must maintain an active communication line with co-workers, all while adhering to the company's safety policies and workplace regulations.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, drill operator responsibilities require skills like "construction equipment," "osha," "underground utilities," and "hand tools." Meanwhile a typical directional driller has skills in areas such as "safety standards," "shovels," "hse," and "survey data." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that directional drillers earn slightly differ from drill operators. In particular, directional drillers are 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a drill operator. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Drill operator vs. Oil rig driller
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, drill operator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "safety procedures," "directional drill," "construction equipment," and "osha." Meanwhile, an oil rig driller has duties that require skills in areas such as "rig," "direct supervision," "direct assistance," and "detect problems." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, oil rig drillers achieve similar levels of education than drill operators. They're 2.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Drill operator vs. Relief driller
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a drill operator is likely to be skilled in "cdl," "safety procedures," "directional drill," and "construction equipment," while a typical relief driller is skilled in "rig," "flow lines," "commitment safety," and "diesel motors."
Most relief drillers achieve a similar degree level compared to drill operators. For example, they're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Drill operator vs. Rotary driller
Types of drill operator
Updated January 8, 2025
