Directional drilling salary: Hourly wage for Directional Drilling Technician

What Is A Directional Driller? Directional Driller Overview

The energy field is constantly growing and developing. This means the job opportunities are increasing and developing in more fields. When it comes to oil drilling, experienced horizontal or directional drilling experts are in high demand.

As a directional driller, you’ll need to not only have proficiency in operating heavy and complicated machinery, but you’ll also need to be a safety expert. You and your coworkers will be operating drilling machinery in an oil field and physical labor will be a requirement of the job. Effective communication will be a large part of keeping everyone around you safe while staying fast and efficient.

Most companies allow you to have at most a high school diploma/GED in order to start with them but will require you to take a directional drilling school program. You’ll need experience as a driller or technician to apply for the directional driller position, where you’ll be trained until you’re ready. On average, a directional driller makes between $48,000 and $150,000 a year, depending on the company.

What Does a Directional Driller Do

When it comes to the most important skills required to be a directional driller, we found that a lot of resumes listed 39.8% of directional drillers included cdl, while 12.7% of resumes included safety procedures, and 7.5% of resumes included safety standards. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.

How To Become a Directional Driller

If you’re interested in becoming a directional driller, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We’ve determined that 44.0% of directional drillers have a bachelor’s degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.1% of directional drillers have master’s degrees. Even though some directional drillers have a college degree, it’s possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Average Salary

$54,153

Top directional driller jobs near you

Career Path For a Directional Driller

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what’s a career path you ask? Well, it’s practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of field engineer you might progress to a role such as project engineer eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title construction manager.

Directional Driller

Directional Drillers in America make an average salary of $54,153 per year or $26 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $83,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $35,000 per year.

Average Directional Driller Salary

$54,153 Yearly

$26.04 hourly

$35,00010%

$54,000Median

$83,00090%

What Am I Worth?

Roles and Types of Directional Driller

There are several types of directional driller, including:

Floor Hand

Role:

The Floor hand is responsible for performing service rig functions to ensure continuous production in line with established standards. They work on oil and gas drilling rigs under the supervision of a driller, perform routine inspections on equipment, and conduct maintenance checks.

Also, they help in removing or installing wellhead and associated equipment and report safety hazards, accidents, or maintenance issues to the rig operator or supervisor. Additionally, they service gas and oil wells and transports rigs, and other vehicles. The floor hand also performs other tasks as assigned.

Floor hands usually possess a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent education. You must know about basic mechanical functions. Although Employers provide on-the-job training, you must possess teamwork, problem-solving, multitasking, and communication skills. You must pay rapt attention to safety and be able to work under harsh conditions. The average salary of a Floor hand is $33,090 per year. It varies between $23,000 and $48,000.

• Average Salary: $36,554
• Degree: High School Diploma

OverviewHow To BecomeJobs

Roustabout

Role:

Roustabouts are manual laborers who work at an oilfield or oil and gas drilling industries. One of the major duties of a roustabout is to clean up drill sites and rigs. This cleaning could include pulling scattered remains and trash away from the drilling sites to avoid accidents and getting injured. As a roustabout, you are also to transport materials and store them.

Also, one of your responsibilities is to receive and transport materials and supplies as well as ensuring proper equipment installation. Maintaining drilling and extraction tools is also part of your duty. In addition, roustabouts frequently need to repair pump equipment.

No formal educational qualification is needed for this role. Usually, most candidates have at least a high school diploma. Other skills and qualifications include strength and dexterity, team coordination, communication skills, ability to manage time, and physical and mental stamina. The average annual income for this role is $36,960.

• Average Salary: $31,841
• Degree: High School Diploma

OverviewHow To BecomeJob DescriptionJobs

Driller

Role:

The term Driller is most commonly associated with the petroleum industry. They are considered in charge of the drilling process. The drillers must supervise all the operations till there is smooth running of each well. And make sure the standard operating procedures (SOPs) are followed throughout.

Physical fitness, along with high school graduation, is all you need to dive into this field. As drilling is a physically demanding field, the ratio of drillers having a higher education is extremely low. You will still find 8-9% of the Drillers in the industry have acquired a bachelor’s degree. Your employer balances out the challenging nature of the job with a large number of holidays.

As a driller, you can earn $13 per hour, on average, and work about 40 hours a week. This is an on-site job and a demanding one as well. You have to wear all the protective gear while you are in action.

• Average Salary: $49,896
• Degree: High School Diploma

OverviewHow To BecomeJob DescriptionJobs

View More

States With The Most Directional Driller Jobs

Number Of Directional Driller Jobs By State

Directional Driller Education

Directional Driller Majors

Business

14. 7 %

Petroleum Engineering

10.3 %

Electrical Engineering

Directional Driller Degrees

Bachelors

44.0 %

High School Diploma

29.4 %

Associate

14.1 %

• CDL, 39.8%
• Safety Procedures, 12.7%
• Safety Standards, 7.5%
• Directional Drill, 7.0%
• Shovels, 4.9%
• Other Skills, 28.1%

Directional Driller diversity

Directional Driller Gender Distribution

Female

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia’s data science team found that:

• Among directional drillers, 2.5% of them are women, while 97.5% are men.

• The most common race/ethnicity among directional drillers is White, which makes up 63.4% of all directional drillers.

• The most common foreign language among directional drillers is Spanish at 60.0%.

Online courses for directional driller that you may like

Advertising Disclosure  The courses listed below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the course, we may receive a commission.

1. Salesforce Sales Development Representative

If you’ve always wanted a rewarding career, the tech sales industry may be the path for you. If you’re an ambitious problem-solver who likes to win, you’ll find tech sales not only fulfilling, but lucrative as well. As the tech industry continuously introduces innovative services and products, tech sales roles have become more crucial than ever. SDRs are in the front lines of the tech biz, connecting with customers and clients, and coming up with the smartest solutions for their problems. Sales…

2. Mindfulness and Well-being

The goal of the Specialization is to showcase the ways in which the practice of mindfulness is an effective means of enhancing and maintaining optimal health and overall well-being that can be implemented in every aspect of daily living. The intention of the Specialization is to supply learners with practical tools to support thriving in life. Each course will feature mindfulness practices, directions for implementation and application, experiential exercises and reflection opportunities…

3. Recurring Digital Payment, PayPal, ACH(NACHA/Direct Debit)

(

259

)

Business oriented course – ACH(NACHA/BACS) Direct Debit Digital Payments, PayPal…

Job type you want

Full Time

Part Time

Internship

Temporary

How Do Directional Drillers Rate Their Jobs?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Directional Driller Reviews

Jun 2019

The wages, as a general rule, are exceedingly high. The work is never the same day to day and are challenging every day. Further there is a great balance between managment and operational work.

It takes a lot of experience to get a handle on the job. One mistake can ruin your carreer and possibly leave you in a litigious situation. We are paid to have answers. Thinking costs $20 to $50 a minute. As such, a bad day can last 16 to 20 hours and be very stressful.

Top Directional Driller Employers

Most Common Employers For Directional Driller

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	Stryker	$75,445	$36.27	3
2	Baker Hughes, a GE	$61,324	$29. 48	75
3	Baker Hughes	$61,007	$29.33	122
4	Schlumberger	$60,929	$29.29	105
5	Halliburton	$59,985	$28.84	125
6	Precision Drilling	$59,126	$28.43	7
7	Ryan	$58,341	$28. 05	16
8	Gyrodata	$55,286	$26.58	6
9	Ice Miller	$55,270	$26.57	2
10	Metropolitan Water District of Southern California	$54,374	$26.14	5

Show More

Directional Driller Videos

How To Get A Job On A Drilling Rig With No Experience

• Zippia Careers
• Construction and Extraction Industry
• Directional Driller

Updated April 6, 2023

Directional Drilling Operator Oil & Gas Salary the United States

Average Base Salary

Average Hourly Rate

$57.

11 (USD)/hr

Average Bonus

$2,328 (USD)/yr

Compensation Data Based on Experience

The average directional drilling operator oil & gas gross salary in United States is $118,779 or an equivalent hourly rate of $57. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $2,328. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in United States. An entry level directional drilling operator oil & gas (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $85,189. On the other end, a senior level directional drilling operator oil & gas (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $146,574.

Quickly search for salaries in other careers and locations in our salary database.

Job Title

City, State, Country or US Zip Code

This page is a promotion for SalaryExpert’s Assessor Platform and is not intended for professional use.

Professionals should subscribe to SalaryExpert’s Assessor Platform.

ERI’s compensation data are based on salary surveys conducted and researched by ERI. Cost of labor data in the Assessor Series are based on actual housing sales data from commercially available sources, plus rental rates, gasoline prices, consumables, medical care premium costs, property taxes, effective income tax rates, etc.

DO YOU WORK IN HR OR COMPENSATION?

Try our professional compensation software to generate detailed salary and cost of living reports.

Try a Free Demo

Estimated Salary in 2028:

$143,958 (USD)

5 Year Change:

21 %

Based on our compensation data, the estimated salary potential for Directional Drilling Operator Oil & Gas will increase 21 % over 5 years.

Performs maintenance

100%

Positions truck

100%

Starts rig

100%

This chart displays the highest level of education for:
Directional Drilling Operator Oil & Gas, the majority at 100% with less than hss.

Typical Field of Study: Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation Training

See how education can impact your salary

the United States

Cost of living is calculated based on accumulating the cost of food, transportation, health services, rent, utilities, taxes, and miscellaneous.

View Cost of Living Page

The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is the world’s third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas…

Sourced from Wikipedia

Are you paid fairly?

Calculate your market salary rate to find out

Calculate Salary

Monitors and participates in safe and efficient control of all directional oil and gas drilling operations, following an established plan. Operates and helps set up directional rigs that extract oil and gas from underground on land or water. Drills horizontal wells and steers the well bore through projected well paths; precisely controls well bore trajectory using various techniques, tools, and… technologies to intersect subsurface targets at predetermined coordinates, landing in pre-determined target zones; and ensures the well path is safely separated from other wells. Performs diagnostic tests, determines issues down hole, and eliminates variables, arriving at the best solution. Performs well-path projections and drills string analysis as well as torque and drag modeling, designing ideal tool string for the planned well.
Read More

account_balance Hayden Tower Service

location_on Kansas City

Horizontal Directional Drill Operator ESSENTIAL SKILLS & REQUIREMENTS: Experience in the field as a . .. oil and gas drilling practices, directional drilling, operations, technical support, and …

account_balance Cannon Construction

location_on Methow

Horizontal Directional Drill Operator Cannon Companies is looking to hire a full-time AT HDD … Must be knowledgeable drilling in various soil conditions and mixing drill mud conducive to those …

account_balance Cannon Construction

location_on Seattle

… directional drilling activities. Are you highly motivated with a positive attitude? Would you like to work for a company that cares about you and your career development? If so, please read on! Must …

Learn About Our Products

SalaryExpert, powered by ERI, provides verified salary and cost of living data to the public with a comprehensive platform for evaluating compensation, career, relocation, and education decisions.

Access Our Assessor Productsarrow_right

• 
  Oil & Gas Directional Driller
• 
  Driller Directional Oil & Gas
• 
  Directional Driller Oil & Gas Drilling

With a PhD-level research team in house, SalaryExpert, provides up-to-date salary and compensation data. Download our free white papers to learn more.

Planning Global Compensation Budgets for 2023 – UPDATED

2023 CEO Pay Trends in the Nonprofit World

National Compensation Forecast April 2023

View All White Papers

Quickly search for salaries in other careers and locations in our salary database.

Job Title

City, State, Country or US Zip Code

This page is a promotion for SalaryExpert’s Assessor Platform and is not intended for professional use.

Professionals should subscribe to SalaryExpert’s Assessor Platform.

ERI’s compensation data are based on salary surveys conducted and researched by ERI. Cost of labor data in the Assessor Series are based on actual housing sales data from commercially available sources, plus rental rates, gasoline prices, consumables, medical care premium costs, property taxes, effective income tax rates, etc.

Performs maintenance

100%

Positions truck

100%

Starts rig

100%

See how skills can impact your salary

Learn About Our Products

SalaryExpert, powered by ERI, provides verified salary and cost of living data to the public with a comprehensive platform for evaluating compensation, career, relocation, and education decisions.

Access Our Assessor Productsarrow_right

How Much Should You Be Paid?

Calculate your market salary using our salary calculator.

• 
  Oil & Gas Directional Driller
• 
  Driller Directional Oil & Gas
• 
  Directional Driller Oil & Gas Drilling

Directional drilling

Innovative Service Company

PetroEngineering

One of the most important activities of the “Innovative Service Company” is the services of directional drilling (HDD). The HDD division is staffed by highly qualified technical personnel with rich experience and professional competencies in the construction of directional wells, equipped with the most modern equipment and innovative software for the implementation of HDD projects of any complexity.

Well design

The use of innovative LANDMARK software allows ISK PetroEngineering to provide services for directional drilling of complex wells at the highest quality level, performing the following complex calculations: depending on the mining and geological conditions and the drilling equipment used

Calculation and provision of the entire complex of the bottom of the drill string: bits, downhole motors, non-magnetic drill collars, jars, calibrators, centralizers, check and overflow valves, subs

Mechanical and hydraulic calculations when drilling wells:
– Calculation of jar work
– Calculation of running casing strings.

Selection of PDM with optimal energy characteristics

Telemetry, logging while drilling (MWD/LWD)

Provision of telemetry equipment with hydraulic and electromagnetic communication channels in the following configurations:

Inclinometry+gamma (MWD/MWD+Gamma): Time-tested, unpretentious, reliable and easy-to-use telesystems with electromagnetic communication channel BTS-172-50, ABTS-EM-172-4, ABTS-120EM, ABTS-106EM, RDT-203 allow to achieve the optimal price / quality ratio of the services provided for drilling the most common types of directional and horizontal wells.

Inclinometry + Gamma + Resistivity (MWD + LWD): The most modern telesystems with a hydraulic communication channel LHE-630N, MWD “NewTech” provide a complex of LWD measurements using resistivity for the implementation of horizontal well drilling projects, as well as especially complex wells in geological , technical and other reasons.

Drilling design and support center

The Well Drilling Design and Support Center in Samara develops and generates project documentation for drilling wells, and also provides objects with round-the-clock monitoring thanks to the use of domestic software SUMIGI (BITAS), which allows you to control the drilling process remotely in real time, and to detect in advance even the slightest deviation. The center is staffed by highly qualified engineering staff, who regularly take advanced training courses, which allows you to always stay up to date with the latest technologies.

Survey management

In the process of drilling wells with extended reach, or when drilling a dense grid of wells, ISK Petroengineering has the ability to use the Survey Management software, which makes it possible to identify and level the anomalous effects of the earth’s crust or BHA elements on downhole telesystem sensors during drilling. the software allows to drill wells with the accuracy of a gyroscopic device, which does not require inclinometry in an open hole.0003

Directional drilling in numbers

151

Employees

2185

Wells drilled

1888

Directional wells 9000 3

225

Horizontal wells

44

Field parties

12

Designed wells with Survey Management

120

Drilled wells with remote monitoring

11

Pilot surveys conducted using new technologies and equipment

How to Become a Directional Driller in 6 Steps

The energy industry offers a variety of job opportunities, including working in oil fields or extracting natural resources. If you have a penchant for working with machinery, you might be interested in becoming a directional driller. Learning how to prepare for a job as a directional driller will also help you determine if the job is right for you. In this article, we will define directional drillers, discuss what they do, explain how to become a directional driller, review their working conditions, and list their average salary.

What is a directional driller?

A directional driller is a person who operates drilling equipment and works in the oil and gas industry. They specialize in operating drilling rigs from different angles, unlike oilmen who operate their equipment vertically. The goal of drilling at different angles is to access multiple oil reserves from a single well. An oil well is a hole that drillers make to access oil or gas fields underground. Conventional drilling requires the well to be directly above an oil or gas reservoir, so each well can only access one reservoir. In contrast, directional drillers can access multiple reservoirs from a single well.

What does a directional drilling specialist do?

Directional drilling specialists typically have the following job duties:

• Working with drilling equipment

• Lateral and horizontal well drilling

• Maneuvering drills and other heavy equipment to locate nearby oil reservoirs

• Working with other professionals in the oil and gas industry such as horizontal drillers and technicians

• Using GPS technology to find new oil wells or mineral deposits

• Measurement of wells and distances between drilling sites and reservoirs of resources

• Working with colleagues on drilling projects

• Study and follow industry safety protocols

• Promptly inform management about safety issues in the workplace to address them

How to become a directional driller

To learn how to become a directional driller, follow these six steps:

1.

Graduate from high school

safety technology. You can earn a high school diploma or GED to develop critical thinking, math, and study skills. While studying, you can also enroll in courses online or at your local community college to learn about the safety protocols that a career in directional drilling requires.

2. Consider graduating

Although most employers may not require it, many directional drillers start their careers with a bachelor’s degree. Prospective directional drillers often study subjects that could help them in their future careers, such as mathematics. Earning a bachelor’s degree will help you improve your problem-solving skills and can give you technical skills that will help you in your future career.

3. Gaining Work Experience as a Driller

Many directional drillers start their careers in entry-level positions, often as drillers or technicians. In these roles, you can receive training in drilling, oilfield work, and the mathematical and technical skills you need to succeed as a directional driller. In addition, doing an entry-level job in your industry can help you connect with a company that may offer you a position as a directional driller in the future.

4. Enroll in training programs

To specialize in directional drilling, consider enrolling in a specialized training program. You can ask your current manager what programs he recommends, or you can search the Internet for them. Training programs usually last from one to eight weeks. During the training, you can learn about the equipment and methods that directional drillers use to access underground resources.

5. Apply for a Directional Drilling Trainee position

To become a Directional Drilling Trainee, check with your company to see if a Directional Drilling Trainee is available. You can also contact companies in your industry and ask for a job with the directional drillers who work there. Working with professional directional drillers can provide you with important on-the-job training in the use of basic machines and technologies. Internship positions often last six months or until you have enough experience to qualify for a position as a directional driller.

6. Apply for a Directional Driller job

Once you have gained experience and training, you can start applying for a Directional Driller position. Update your resume to reflect your education and recent work experience, with the most recent experience at the top of the resume. You can contact your company or do research online to find open directional driller jobs. Using your connections with friends or colleagues in the oil and gas industry can help you find potential jobs and they can give you referrals.
Related: How to write a resume for the oil and gas industry (with tips, template and example)

Job Description

A directional driller works on the street, in oil fields, or anywhere the company collects oil or minerals. To carry out their daily duties, they usually work with directional drills and perform manual work.