Description
Operate horizontal and earth boring machines to create pilot bores and enlarge holes for utilities, anchors, foundations, and environmental work. Set up and align equipment, control drilling parameters and fluids, manage cuttings and tooling, install casings or product pipe, and perform routine maintenance and job documentation.
- • Regulate air pressure, rotary speed, torque, and thrust according to ground conditions.
- • Verify depths, alignments, and bore paths before and during operations.
- • Start, stop, and control drilling speed and insertion of casings or sleeves into bores.
- • Select appropriate drills, reamers, augers, and tooling based on soil and rock conditions.
- • Operate controls to position, align, level, and stabilize boring machines and drill heads.
- • Attach bits, reamers, and drill rods; add rods as bore length increases; change tooling as needed.
- • Bore pilot holes and ream to specified diameters to meet plan requirements.
- • Operate systems to flush cuttings or blow spoil from bores and manage slurry as required.
- • Drive or guide truck- or track-mounted boring equipment into position and stabilize rigs.
- • Perform routine maintenance, replace wear parts, build up bits, and lubricate machinery.
- • Transport boring machines and support equipment to and from work sites.
- • Record drilling progress, bore logs, and subsurface conditions.
- • Retrieve stuck or lost tooling from bores using retrieval tools and techniques.
- • Assemble and position boring machines, augers, casing pipes, and support equipment using hand and power tools.
- • Pump water or drilling fluids to cool bits and remove cuttings; mix and manage drilling fluids.
- • Conduct borings for environmental assessment or geotechnical purposes as specified.
- • Document geological formations encountered during boring.
- • Retract augers to discharge spoil from holes.
- • Install casings, sleeves, conduit, or product pipe during or after boring operations.
- • Review plans, utility locates, and site conditions to determine feasibility and cost estimates.
- • Signal crane or hoist operators to move equipment and materials.
- • Inspect spoil or samples to assess ground conditions and adjust methods.
- • Create and lay out bore paths and entry/exit points.
- • Monitor gauges, feedback, and machine sounds to assess drilling conditions and adjust equipment.
- • Locate and avoid existing utilities using locating devices and potholing practices.
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Last reviewed: Jan 2026
