This will be the first of a few columns on the first well rig I ever had experience with.

Horizontal directional drilling, like any type of drilling, has inherent safety risks that must be mitigated.

We spend a lot of time in this space doling out advice on how contractors can do their jobs better. Now I want to flip the script and hear from readers: What advice do you have for us?

Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits have been around for years. Now, they are just getting popular in the water well industry.

As drilling professionals, we should encourage consistently safe behaviors from all drill crew members, tool pushers, foremen and even the company owner. One of the most effective ways to do this is to lead by example.

I’m going to write about a really, really old drill rig — the first one I had any experience with. But first, I want to give readers a bit of family history about how my father and then I got involved in the well drilling and pump industry.

I saw a new drill pipe advertised designed to enable operators to reduce drilling time and be more fuel efficient.

Contractors who expect and plan for the unexpected — who plan from day one for extended periods of business hardship — are the ones who make it past that critical five-year mark.

Several months ago, one of my readers sent me an email asking about the details of a pipe-pulling device I used to replace a pump in December 2015.

Reading the signs that the bit sends you becomes crucial to telling what you are drilling in, and how to treat the bit.