HDD Production Tracking: Connecting Bore Data to Field Production

Horizontal directional drilling creates far more operational information than installed footage alone can describe.

A completed bore may involve potholing, utility verification, bore planning, equipment setup, pilot drilling, locating, reaming, pullback, documentation, restoration coordination, and multiple field decisions made along the way. Yet daily production may eventually be reduced to a single number: feet installed.

That number matters. But it does not explain how the production happened. Drilling production should be tracked in a way that connects installed footage with the field activity, resources, bore information, and conditions that produced it. That gives contractors a clearer view of drilling performance while the work is still underway.

What Is HDD Production Tracking?

HDD production tracking is the process of recording measurable drilling activity and connecting it with the operational information surrounding the bore. That may include:

• Planned bore footage.
• Completed bore footage.
• Pilot bore progress.
• Reaming activity.
• Pullback.
• Potholes.
• Utility crossings.
• Bore depth and pitch.
• Drill data.
• Drilling conditions.
• Crew hours.
• Equipment.
• Downtime and delays.
• Installed product.
• Field documentation.
• Billable quantities.

The objective is not simply to collect more information. The objective is to preserve enough context to understand how field activity becomes production — the same principle behind construction production tracking generally, applied to a far more detailed operation.

Installed Footage Does Not Tell the Entire Story

Consider two HDD crews. Both install 500 feet.

On paper, production appears identical. But Crew A may have completed the bore with normal staffing, normal tooling, and expected working hours. Crew B may have required additional potholing, experienced utility conflicts, changed tooling, encountered difficult ground, performed additional reaming, or worked extended hours.

The installed footage is the same. The operational result is not. That is why footage should be viewed alongside the conditions and resources that produced it.

Track the Bore as a Sequence of Operations

An HDD installation is not one activity. It is a sequence. Depending on the project, that sequence may include:

• Job preparation.
• Utility locating.
• Potholing and verification.
• Bore planning.
• Equipment setup.
• Pilot bore.
• Reaming.
• Product preparation.
• Pullback.
• Testing.
• Documentation.
• Restoration coordination.

Production tracking becomes more useful when those activities can be understood in relation to the completed installation. A delay before the pilot bore is different from a delay during pullback. A utility conflict is different from equipment downtime. Both may reduce daily footage, but they point to different operational problems.

Potholes Are Part of HDD Production

Potholing is not separate from drilling performance. Utility verification directly affects whether the bore can proceed safely and according to plan. Useful pothole information may include:

• Utility type.
• Utility material.
• Utility diameter.
• Top depth.
• Bottom depth.
• Crossing or parallel relationship.
• Surface condition.
• Location.
• Field notes.
• Documentation.

Verified utility information can affect bore planning, depth decisions, clearances, drilling progress, risk, and production. When pothole information exists only in field notes or separate paperwork, important context becomes disconnected from the bore.

Utility Crossings Need Operational Context

Crossing an existing utility is one of the most important points in an HDD installation. The field may need to understand:

• The verified utility location.
• Utility depth.
• Utility size.
• Planned bore depth.
• Actual bore depth.
• Required clearance.
• Approach to the crossing.
• Drill-head position.
• Field conditions.

Production information becomes more meaningful when significant utility crossings remain connected to the bore record. That relationship helps preserve why the bore was drilled the way it was rather than retaining only the final footage — a recurring theme in utility construction management.

Bore Data Can Be More Than a Closeout Record

Modern locating and drilling workflows can generate detailed bore information. Depending on the equipment and workflow, bore data may include information such as depth, pitch, distance, rod-by-rod information, bore path information, location information, and drilling progress.

That information is often important for documentation. It can also provide operational value. Instead of treating a bore log only as something stored after the job is complete, contractors can use drilling information as part of the larger production record.

The value comes from connecting bore data with the job, crew, production, utility information, and field conditions.

Digital Bore Logs and HDD Field Data

HDD contractors increasingly work with electronic information generated by locating and drilling systems. Depending on the equipment and workflow, this may include digital bore records or exported field data.

A connected drilling production workflow should be capable of keeping relevant bore information associated with the correct:

• Job.
• Bore.
• Crew.
• Date.
• Planned path.
• Utility crossings.
• Installed product.
• Production record.

Supporting electronic bore information in the operational workflow reduces the need for important drilling records to exist as isolated files disconnected from the rest of the project. Equipment and locating systems differ, and not every manufacturer or workflow produces the same information or file formats.

DCI and DigiTrak Data in the Operational Record

Digital Control Incorporated (DCI) DigiTrak locating systems are widely associated with horizontal directional drilling workflows. Where compatible data is available, bore information generated through a locating workflow can become part of a broader operational record rather than remaining separate from production reporting.

The important concept is not simply importing a file. It is connecting relevant drilling information with the correct job, the correct bore, planned production, actual production, utility verification, crew activity, equipment, field documentation, and management review.

DCI and DigiTrak are trademarks of their respective owner. Referencing them here describes common field workflows only; it does not indicate any partnership, integration, endorsement, or commercial relationship with SiteIntelOps.

Pilot Bore, Reaming and Pullback Should Not Become One Number

Different phases of an HDD installation create different operational information.

Pilot Bore

The pilot bore establishes the path of the installation. Production context may include progress, depth, pitch, utility crossings, locating conditions, steering requirements, and delays.

Reaming

Reaming may require different tooling, equipment, time, and passes depending on product size and field conditions.

Pullback

Pullback converts the prepared bore into installed product. The field record may need to preserve installed product, footage, timing, conditions, and significant issues encountered during installation.

Treating every phase as only final footage can hide where time and resources were actually consumed.

Connect HDD Production to the Crew

A bore does not produce itself. Production depends on the people performing the work. Depending on the operation, the crew may include:

• Foremen.
• Drill operators.
• Locators.
• Laborers.
• Vacuum excavation operators.
• Support personnel.

Production should therefore be understood alongside crew resources. That allows management to evaluate more than total footage. It can begin examining how different combinations of labor, conditions, equipment, and work types relate to production.

Connect HDD Production to Equipment

Directional drilling is equipment-intensive. A typical operation may depend on:

• The drill.
• Locating equipment.
• Vacuum excavation equipment.
• Mixing systems.
• Support trucks.
• Trailers.
• Reamers and tooling.
• Product-handling equipment.

Equipment problems can immediately become production problems. A drill waiting for a vacuum excavator is not simply an equipment issue. It is an operational constraint affecting the job. Connecting equipment status and assignment with production gives managers additional context when evaluating performance.

Track Delays Without Losing the Reason

A daily report may show that production was lower than expected. The important question is why. Drilling delays may result from:

• Utility conflicts.
• Additional potholing.
• Locating interference.
• Equipment problems.
• Tooling changes.
• Ground conditions.
• Inspection requirements.
• Traffic control.
• Material delays.
• Bore-path changes.
• Weather.
• Customer restrictions.
• Additional work.

Recording the reason for a material production variance allows management to distinguish a crew-performance issue from a field-condition issue. That distinction matters when production trends are evaluated over time, and it is central to operational visibility across the business.

Planned Bore Versus Actual Bore

An HDD project begins with expectations. Those expectations may include planned footage, planned path, planned depth, planned production, planned crew, planned equipment, and planned duration.

Field conditions can change those assumptions. Tracking planned information alongside actual information helps operations understand where and why the installation changed. The purpose is not simply to determine whether the plan was correct. It is to improve visibility into what occurred during execution.

HDD Production and Billing Should Connect

Directional drilling contracts may use different billing structures. Depending on the project, billable quantities may involve:

• Installed footage.
• Bore footage.
• Product size.
• Potholes.
• Mobilization.
• Equipment time.
• Labor time.
• Additional work.
• Restoration.
• Contract-specific items.

If field production and billing quantities are maintained independently, completed work eventually has to be reconciled manually. Connecting production records with the project's billing structure can help identify work that has been completed and may be billable.

HDD Production and Job Cost

Footage becomes significantly more useful when viewed with cost context. One bore may complete 600 feet with expected labor and equipment. Another may complete 600 feet with additional labor, multiple reaming passes, equipment downtime, and extended working hours.

Both show 600 feet of production. They may produce very different financial results. Connecting field production with job-cost information helps operations understand the resources required to generate that footage, which is the relationship examined in our article on field production and profitability.

What Should an HDD Production Dashboard Show?

A useful drilling production view should help management answer questions such as:

• What bores are active?
• What footage was planned?
• What footage was completed?
• Which phase is each bore in?
• Which potholes and utilities have been verified?
• Where are significant utility crossings?
• Which crews are producing?
• Which drills and support equipment are assigned?
• Where did downtime occur?
• Which bores experienced production delays?
• Which quantities may be billable?
• Which jobs require management attention?

The purpose is not to place every drilling measurement on an executive dashboard. The purpose is to connect enough information that managers can identify where deeper attention is required — the same design question behind any construction operations software evaluation.

How to Track HDD Production

1. Identify Each Bore

Maintain a clear relationship between the job and the individual bore.

2. Record Planned Footage

Establish the expected installation length and relevant production assumptions.

3. Connect Utility Verification

Associate potholes and important utility crossings with the bore.

4. Track Bore Activity

Capture meaningful pilot, reaming, and pullback activity.

5. Preserve Relevant Bore Data

Keep available drilling and locating records associated with the installation.

6. Record Actual Production

Capture installed footage and other measurable production quantities.

7. Connect Crew and Equipment

Associate the resources used to perform the work.

8. Capture Material Delays and Exceptions

Record conditions that materially changed production.

9. Connect Billing Quantities

Relate completed field work to the applicable contract items.

10. Compare Production Over Time

Use completed work to identify trends across bores, crews, equipment, and project conditions.

From Bore Logs to Operational Intelligence

A bore log documents the installation. Production data describes the work completed. Crew and equipment information describes the resources used. Pothole records describe verified utilities. Job-cost information describes the financial result.

Each is useful independently. Connecting them creates a more complete operational picture. Instead of asking only how many feet were drilled, management can begin asking:

• How did we produce those feet?
• What affected the bore?
• What resources were required?
• What work became billable?
• How did actual production compare with the plan?
• Which conditions repeatedly affect performance?

That is where bore-level production tracking begins contributing to broader operational intelligence and, above it, operational visibility for leadership.

SiteIntelOps and HDD Production Visibility

SiteIntelOps is being developed around the operational connection between field activity and business performance for infrastructure construction. For HDD operations, that means treating bore information, potholes, utility crossings, field production, crews, equipment, documentation, billing quantities, and job-cost context as related operational information rather than isolated records.

The objective is a clearer path from what happens at the drill to what supervisors, operations managers, and company leadership need to understand. Explore the SiteIntelOps platform and the construction operations capabilities to learn more about the approach.