Career Overview
Operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap subsurface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.
Also Known As
- Blast Hole Driller
- Drill Operator
- Driller
- Well Driller
Alternate Job Titles
- Auger Operator
- Blast Driller
- Blast Hole Driller
- Boring Machine Operator
- Churn Drill Operator
- Churn Driller
- Construction Driller
- Construction Well Drill Operator
- Core Driller
- Debris Monitor
- Deep Well Contractor
- Diamond Driller
- Directional Drill Operator
- Directional Driller
- Drill Hand
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Operate controls to stabilize machines and to position and align drills.
- Start, stop, and control drilling speed of machines and insertion of casings into holes.
- Regulate air pressure, rotary speed, and downward pressure, according to the type of rock or concrete being drilled.
- Select and attach drill bits and drill rods, adding more rods as hole depths increase, and changing drill bits as needed.
- Drive or guide truck-mounted equipment into position, level and stabilize rigs, and extend telescoping derricks.
- Operate machines to flush earth cuttings or to blow dust from holes.
- Verify depths and alignments of boring positions.
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Control Precision
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Multilimb Coordination
- Reaction Time
- Manual Dexterity
- Depth Perception
- Rate Control
- Near Vision
- Perceptual Speed
- Visualization
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Attention to Detail
- Perseverance
- Stress Tolerance
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Achievement
- Relationships
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- Adjustable combination wrenches
- Air rotary drills
- Alternating current AC generators
- Backhoe-equipped tractors
- Bobcats
- Cable tool drills
- Chain slings
- Core drill rigs
- Desanders
- Digital video cameras
- Downhole hammers
- Downhole well testing equipment
- Drill pipe tongs
- Drilling collars
- Earth drilling machines
Work Environment
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Exposed to Hazardous Equipment
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $44,450 |
| Median | $59,600 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $87,760 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 17,410
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $65,010
Helpers--Extraction Workers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $48,400
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $46,630
Continuous Mining Machine Operators
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $63,380
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $52,550
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.