Editor’s Message – Five Decades of Horizontal Directional Drilling

For over a decade now, we’ve been compiling and publishing the HDD Guide, a special supplement with all things HDD.

As you may have heard, HDD turned the big 5-0 in 2021. To celebrate, we packed this year’s Guide full of helpful articles and spec sections to help you navigate any HDD project, as well as trace the evolution of this exciting market.

We kick off the issue with an insightful Q&A with some of the industry’s top professionals. Here, they discuss what’s looking good in the market, how COVID-19 continues to affect the industry and what’s ahead for the next 50 years. Thinking of buying a drill rig? A vacuum excavator? Check out spec sections for each machine.

RELATED: On the Hunt for a New Drill Rig? Read the 2021 HDD Rig Spec Guide

 

Look further in the book and you’ll find informative articles on topics like mud systems, tooling and drill pipe bend radius. Vector Magnetics’ Jed Sheckler tracks the evolution of HDD wireline guidance. MetaFLO Technologies’ Andrew McNabb explains how using the right polymer technology to solidify liquid waste on-site helps crews meet environmental regulations, as well as reduce time and costs. Wrapping up the issue is Mark Miller, P.E., from GeoEngineers Inc. , as he discusses how to reduce risks through thoughtful HDD planning and design.

Product Directories

Once again, we’ve included directories full of different HDD products and equipment. We hope these directories lend a hand if you’re planning to make any purchases or additions to your fleet. From vacuum excavators and drill pipe to tooling and drilling fluids, these directories were created to show you what’s out there and who offers it.

An Eye of HDD

While we cover HDD in every issue of Trenchless Technology, we know there’s so much more to discuss which is why we publish this special issue every year and we hope you enjoy it!

Here’s to staying safe and productive in 2021,

Pam Kleineke, Contributing Editor