The 3 T’s to Beat the HDD Labor Crunch
Tech, Training, and Tooling to Keep Crews Productive
Across the HDD industry, finding and keeping skilled drillers has never been tougher. Veteran operators are retiring. Younger workers are entering the trades more slowly than projects are growing. At the same time, HDD adoption is expanding as trenchless methods prove less disruptive to natural environments.
While this growth benefits the industry, it presents real challenges for small and mid-sized crews. High turnover, fewer labor options, and a greater percentage of inexperienced operators can lead to production-draining inefficiencies and bottlenecks.
The result? Labor shortages slow projects, limit bidding capacity, and increase safety risks.
While there’s no overnight fix, contractors can make real improvements using a simple framework: the 3 T’s—Tech, Training, and Tooling.
- Tech streamlines operations and keeps jobs organized.
- Training builds essential skills quickly, without long downtime.
- Tooling choices make crews more effective—regardless of experience level.
Why Traditional Models Are Struggling
For decades, training meant pairing a greenhorn with a seasoned driller and letting them learn through shadowing. Today, fewer veterans are available to mentor, and the pace of work leaves little room for extended learning curves. Relying on this model alone simply can’t keep up with the industry’s speed and complexity.
The Everyday Pain Points
Operational issues often make labor shortages worse. With fewer hands on deck, wasted time hurts more:
- Ticket Management Delays: Hunting for locate ticket details—or finding they’ve expired—can halt production for days. High turnover compounds the problem as institutional knowledge disappears.
- Task and Time Tracking Gaps: Poor scheduling or manual timesheets can send the wrong crew to the wrong job or lead to misreported hours.
- Coverage Gaps: A no-show locator can trigger a scramble to reshuffle crews, cutting into productivity.
The 3 T’s: Field-Proven Solutions for the HDD Labor Crunch
1. Tech: Streamlining Jobsite Operations
Modern job management platforms centralize locate tickets, crew schedules, and job progress in one place. Features like automated ticket expiry alerts, real-time task assignments, and crew availability dashboards prevent administrative friction from draining productivity.
2. Training: Keeping the HDD Knowledge Baseline
The HDD industry offers robust in-depth programs—academies, mud schools, and OEM rig simulators—that build advanced skills and expertise. These longer-format programs remain vital for top-tier training.
Shorter-format, online learning adds another layer. Micro-learning and blended models make it possible to bring every crew member—regardless of experience—up to a consistent baseline quickly. Short courses can:
- Provide essential concepts in under an hour.
- Be accessed anywhere—at the yard, in the truck, or between bores.
Some industry platforms already deliver an HDD 101 course for beginners in under 60 minutes. Used alongside more comprehensive training, it acts as a knowledge fast-pass, accelerating onboarding and reducing early mistakes.
3. Tooling: Smarter Choices That Reduce Skill Dependence
The right tooling can reduce skill demands and speed up work:
- Quick-change connections allow bit-to-reamer swaps without multiple wrenches or heavy torque work.
- Versatile adapters and reamers fit multiple rigs and ground conditions, cutting down on the number of specialty tools needed.
- Low-maintenance designs extend service intervals and avoid field repairs that can stall production—especially critical with less-experienced operators.
By standardizing on user-friendly, adaptable tooling systems, contractors can minimize costly field errors and keep crews moving.
The Takeaway
Labor shortages and turnover aren’t going away soon—but you can multiply the effectiveness of your existing crew by:
- Leveraging tech to digitize operations.
- Using fast-track training to give all crew members the same baseline knowledge.
- Selecting tooling that’s easier to use and maintain.
When technology coordinates, training equips, and tooling simplifies, crews can focus on what they do best: putting pipe in the ground—safely, efficiently, and profitably.
About the Author
Joshua Parker, M.B.A., is the Director of Marketing & eCommerce at Melfred Borzall, a pioneering manufacturer in the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) industry with over 80 years of innovation. With two decades of marketing experience—ten of those within HDD—Joshua has played a key role in transforming how drillers access tooling and industry knowledge. Leading the development of a first-of-its-kind eCommerce experience, as well as industry-recognized ad campaigns and digital content strategies, he has helped drive unprecedented growth while modernizing the way HDD professionals connect with essential tools and insights.
