In fact, one source states that the number of HDD units in use increased by more than a hundred-fold between 19. The HDD industry was born and began to explode. Soon, Cherrington’s crew was contracted to do an even bigger river crossing. This “odd job” attracted a lot of attention.
He took the challenge and, despite some difficulties along the way, completed the underwater bore in about a month. They asked Cherrington if he could drill under it.
Horizontal directional drilling company install#
The company wanted to cross approximately 500 feet of the river to install a 4-inch gas line. The company, which was facing a problem on another project, wondered if his new methods might be the solution. Cherrington had been successfully installing gas lines for the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. It was 1971, and according to popular belief, it was the first river crossing ever completed. (Remember, this was the 60’s, and electronic tracking was still years away from development). They relied on “potholing” to check the angle and direction of the bore head. According to Cherrington, that first rig looked very similar to the HDD drills we see today, although smaller, more lightweight and “skeleton-like.”įor the next several years, Titan crews contracted for utility companies in the Sacramento, California area building a reputation for their road boring capabilities. Comfortable with welding, fabricating, and mechanics, he built his own drill rig and launched Titan Contractors Inc. He soon became familiar with the concept of guided drilling and, in 1964, struck out on his own to refine the process.
Cherrington believed he could use the same principles as the air-drill installation, but on a larger scale. While development of similar ideas and concepts may have been percolating in the minds of other early pioneers, many industry veterans believe it wasn’t until Martin Cherrington observed the installation of a gas line using a hand-held air drill that the seeds of the HDD process were planted. Rewind to the 1960’s however, and HDD jobsites were nowhere to be found. This type of underground construction not only minimizes traffic disruption and surface damage, it offers quicker installation at a lower cost than older methods. Installing utilities such as sewer, water, power, gas, and telecommunications using HDD equipment provides benefits to both the general public and the companies utilizing the technology. It’s rare to drive across a city without seeing at least one HDD crew working alongside the road.
Horizontal directional drilling company driver#
Some of the Company’s more complex drills have included a 1,000’ drill through shale, sand and gravel under the intersection of I-635 and I-75 in north Dallas in a highly congested area and a 2,600’ drill across the Houston Ship Channel from GATX to Dynegy for a bundle composed of 1 – 4” and 2 – 16” lines.ĭriver is a full service drilling contractor with the following in-house capabilities:ĭriver's state-of-the-art computer technology, well-maintained equipment and knowledgeable crews enables Driver to be one of the few pipeline contractors to also provide HDD services to its customers thereby eliminating another layer of costs and providing more fluid project coordination and scheduling in the field.Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) is commonplace these days. HDD is a safe and environmentally friendly way to construct pipelines with minimal surface disturbance not only in congested areas but also to preserve wetlands and other sensitive areas. This allows the Company greater flexibility and control of the project schedule to meet the needs of the customer. Driver Pipeline is one of the few pipeline contractors in the country with its own Horizontal Directional Drilling equipment and workforce.
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