Skip navigation

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil & Gas

Also called: Driller, Tool Pusher, Daylight Driller, Drill Foreman

What they do:
Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.
On the job, you would:
  • Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective.
  • Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers in order to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms of boreholes.
  • Count sections of drill rod in order to determine depths of boreholes.

Knowledge

Engineering and Technology
  • mechanical
Math and Science
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Business
  • management
  • human resources (HR)
Education and Training
  • teaching and course design

Skills

Basic Skills
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
  • keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Hand and Finger Use
  • hold or move items with your hands
  • keep your arm or hand steady
Controlled Movement
  • quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat
  • use your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down
Verbal
  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
  • notice when problems happen

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include
practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Leadership
  • Cooperation
  • Initiative
  • Stress Tolerance

Technology

Examples of the technology used in this career will be available soon.

Education

Education: (rated 2 of 5)
some college or
some high school
usually needed

Get started on your career:

Find Training Find Certifications Registered Apprenticeship

Job Outlook

Below Average Outlook
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
Salary
$51,310
per year, on average
Check out my state Local Salary Info Find Jobs

Explore More

See more details at O*NET OnLine about rotary drill operators, oil and gas.