A career in horizontal directional drilling jobs can offer strong earning potential, challenging work, and room to develop specialized skills. However, many experienced drillers know the trade can also demand long stretches away from home.
Atlas Group has chosen a different approach.
The company wants skilled employees who take drilling seriously. At the same time, Atlas Group believes employees should have weekends, time at home, and a life outside of work.
That balance shapes how the company schedules projects, arranges travel, and supports its crews.
What Horizontal Directional Drilling Jobs Involve
Horizontal directional drilling, often called HDD, is a trenchless method for installing underground pipe, conduit, and utility infrastructure.
An HDD crew may include drillers, locators, equipment operators, laborers, and project supervisors. Each employee contributes to the success of the bore.
Depending on the position, daily responsibilities may include:
- Operating or supporting drilling equipment
- Tracking the location of the drill head
- Preparing drilling fluids and tooling
- Exposing existing utilities
- Setting up entry and exit areas
- Maintaining equipment
- Monitoring changing soil conditions
- Communicating with inspectors and clients
- Responding when the original plan must change
However, directional drilling requires more than knowing how to operate a machine. It also requires communication, judgment, and a willingness to keep learning.
Experience Matters, but So Does the Right Attitude
Experienced drillers remain a priority for Atlas Group.
However, experience alone does not guarantee that someone will fit the company. Atlas Group believes drilling teaches employees something new on almost every project.
As the team explained, the more you learn about drilling, the more you realize how much remains to be learned.
That mindset matters because no two projects are exactly alike. Crews may encounter different rock formations, soil conditions, utility conflicts, environmental concerns, and client requirements.
Atlas Group looks for people who want to understand the complete process.
An ideal team member may be willing to:
- Drill
- Locate
- Work around mud and difficult terrain
- Learn the science behind the process
- Help teammates outside a narrow job description
- Communicate when something does not look right
- Adjust when field conditions change
The company values experienced people who remain curious. It also values employees who take pride in doing the work correctly.
The Work Changes From Project to Project
One reason people pursue horizontal directional drilling jobs is the variety.
The basic process may remain familiar, but each location presents a different challenge. A crew may work near a road one week and a railroad the next. Another project may involve a river crossing, hard rock, or a large utility installation.
Atlas Group’s work may involve:
- Horizontal directional drilling
- Auger boring
- Rock bores
- Railroad crossings
- Road crossings
- River and stream crossings
- Gas distribution projects
- Power and utility infrastructure
- Large-diameter pipe installations
Some projects may last one week. Others can continue for several months.
Travel Is Part of the Job
Applicants should understand that travel remains part of many horizontal directional drilling jobs.
Atlas Group operates throughout West Virginia and surrounding states. Its regular service area includes Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and other nearby markets.
Crews commonly travel during the workweek and stay near the project. However, employees do not necessarily report to the company’s Buckhannon, West Virginia, office every Monday and Friday.
This distinction matters for applicants who live outside north-central West Virginia. An experienced driller in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, or Virginia may still be well positioned to work for Atlas Group.
Employees should expect to travel based on project locations. However, living near the company’s main office is not always required.
Atlas Group Tries to Keep Crews Close to the Project
Travel may be unavoidable, but unnecessary commuting adds more time to an already demanding day.
Atlas Group tries to place employees as close to the project as reasonably possible.
The company often uses hotels or rental properties near the worksite.
The goal is to give employees more usable time when the workday ends.
Atlas Group also wants lodging to meet a reasonable standard. The company’s leadership has said it will not place employees somewhere they would not be willing to stay themselves.
That approach can make a meaningful difference during a multiweek or multimonth project.
A shorter trip from the jobsite to the hotel gives employees more time to eat, rest, call home, and prepare for the next day.
Strong Pay Should Not Require Constant Burnout
Drilling can be a well-paid trade. However, some positions require employees to work far from home for several weeks at a time.
Atlas Group has experience with that model and decided it was not how the company wanted to operate.
The company aims to remain within the upper pay tier for comparable drilling work and equipment. At the same time, Atlas Group generally targets workweeks between 40 and 60 hours.
Most importantly, the company tries to preserve weekends.
That does not mean every schedule will be perfect. Project conditions, deadlines, emergencies, and travel can affect the week.
However, the larger goal remains consistent. Employees should work hard without losing their entire personal life to the job.
Atlas Group believes extended schedules can eventually burn out even strong employees. When people work for weeks without meaningful time away, performance, morale, and retention can suffer.
The company would rather build a dependable team that can remain together over time.
Teamwork Extends Beyond One Position
A strong HDD crew cannot operate effectively when everyone focuses only on a single task.
The driller, locator, laborers, operators, and supervisors must communicate throughout the bore. Conditions underground can change quickly, and the crew must respond together.
Atlas Group looks for well-rounded people who will help where needed.
An employee may have a primary responsibility. However, the company values people who also understand the work happening around them.
That broader knowledge supports:
- Better communication
- Safer decisions
- Faster problem-solving
- More accurate work
- Stronger opportunities for advancement
It also creates a crew where employees respect each other’s responsibilities.
Employees Represent Atlas Group and Its Clients
Technical ability is only one part of working for Atlas Group.
Crews often work as subcontractors on projects led by larger contractors or utility companies. Therefore, Atlas Group employees also represent the client while they are onsite.
Inspectors, property owners, road crews, and members of the public may interact with several employees during a project.
Atlas Group expects its team to communicate professionally, maintain the work area, and answer questions honestly.
This standard applies to the entire crew, not only the project manager.
The company wants employees who take pride in how they appear, how they speak, and how they complete the work.
Build a Drilling Career With Room for a Life
The right career should provide more than a paycheck.
Atlas Group wants employees who enjoy drilling, take pride in difficult work, and want to keep improving. In return, the company works to offer competitive pay, varied projects, reasonable lodging, weekends off, and opportunities throughout the region.
Horizontal directional drilling is not easy work. It requires travel, physical effort, patience, and steady communication.
However, it should not require employees to give up everything outside the job.
For experienced workers exploring horizontal directional drilling jobs, Atlas Group offers a chance to build specialized skills while remaining part of a company that values both hard work and time at home.