Driller vs relief driller

The differences between 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 driller and a relief driller. Additionally, a relief driller has an average salary of $53,739, which is higher than the $49,896 average annual salary of a driller.

The top three skills for a driller include CDL, preventative maintenance and safety policies. The most important skills for a relief driller are rig, flow lines, and .

Driller vs relief driller overview

	Driller	Relief Driller
Yearly salary	$49,896	$53,739
Hourly rate	$23.99	$25.84
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	1,593	1,764
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 61%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Driller vs relief driller salary

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

	Driller	Relief Driller
Average salary	$49,896	$53,739
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $63,000	Between $37,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Nabors Industries	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between driller and relief driller education

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

	Driller	Relief Driller
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 61%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Driller vs relief driller demographics

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

	Driller	Relief Driller
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0%	Male, 99.1% Female, 0.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 1.2% White, 63.5% 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 driller and relief driller duties and responsibilities

Driller example responsibilities.

Manage and perform rig operations, repair large mud pump motors, hoppers, shakers, generators, valves and agitators.
Perform data analysis and provide recommendations to achieve improve performance and accelerate commercialization of Pathmaker (RSS).
Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and power wrenches and tongs.
Assist in the drilling of oil and gas wells as a floor hand operating pipe spinners, tongs, and slips.
School, forklift, and CPR train
Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables.

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.

Driller vs relief driller skills

Common driller skills

CDL, 26%
Preventative Maintenance, 18%
Safety Policies, 14%
Geotechnical, 10%
Well Control, 3%
CPR, 2%

Common relief driller skills

Rig, 85%
Flow Lines, 15%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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