Underground Construction - June 2017 - 24

HDD Survey
bag of market opportunities for
HDD contractors, 2017 has become a steady business year in
most sectors, with encouraging and
increasing activity for large rigs.

changed at a 19.9 percent market
share. Gas distribution work is
increasing as it is experiencing
growth from an 18 percent market
share in 2016 to 18.4 percent in
2017. Electric transmission and
distribution claimed a 12.9 market
share, wind/solar projects were
down slightly to a 2 percent market share and other applications
climbed slightly to 3.2 percent.
More significant changes came
in the sewer market which saw its
share climb after a drop in 2016. In
2017, sewer work should account
for 9 percent of the market.
Contractors, for the most part,
seemed bullish on HDD prospects
for the foreseeable future. "I think
we're going to be very busy for
eight-plus years," said this upper
Midwest respondent. Observed a
Southwest contractor, "It's going
to continue to grow in our region."

Stable and healthy
Changes in market share for various industry segments were relatively stable and the significant
shifts that are projected through
2017 are largely predictable. Telecommunications installation,
driven by the fiber-to-the-premises
wave, increased its market share
from 24.1 percent in 2016 to 24.4
in 2017. The need for speed (and
volume) made possible by fiber
optics has driven applications at a
steady rate, fueling consistent telecom work potentially for several
years to come.
Water installation was un-

"We see nothing but positive
growth," stressed a Northeast
contractor. A respondent from the
Southwest pointed out that "HDD
work has become excellent for
water and sewer markets which is
what we specialize in." This should
be considered a strong statement
since less than 10 years ago, HDD
for sewer and water was just getting started.
Despite the positive outlook for
overall HDD work, the industry is
experiencing its fair share of challenges. Workforce issues abound,
mud disposal is still a sensitive
- and expensive - issue in much
of the country, and both federal
and local restrictions/regulations
remain overwhelming at times, according to survey respondents.
Among the most common
complaints is project pricing. "Too
many contractors are consistently

Average Bore Length (in feet)
2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2500
2302

2221
2029

2000

2016

*Estimated

2125
1998

1500

1000

1040
593

632 607

500

Market summaries

640
569 588
354 279

Large

underpricing the work," stated this
West Coast contractor. "If we are
legitimately out-bid, we can live
with that. But too many of these
guys leave too much on the table
and then struggle to complete a job
and make any money. They usually
just mess up a job and that hurts
everybody."
Another common issue cited
was distrust of contract locating
companies. The majority of HDD
companies now locate utilities and
obstructions themselves - even
after contract locating companies
from One-Call have exposed utilities. "We learned long ago - and
the hard way - that too many contract locators are not well-trained.
We cannot afford to take such
risks," pointed out this Southeast
contractor.
The move to more sophisticated
HDD rigs and supporting equipment continues. Constant refinement and inclusion of electronic
and digital advances have driven
the industry forward, steadily increasing productivity and efficiency. "It's amazing the differences in
the rigs over the last few years,"
said a Midwest contractor. "The
sophistication has really allowed
us to take on projects that we
wouldn't have in the past."

Mid

263 260

389 390

Small

Not surprisingly, as oil and gas
projects wrapped up in 2016, the
amount of work for 2017 dropped
off to 10.2 percent of the market.
However, on a positive note, a

Age Of HDD Fleet
50
43.5

40.7

40
30

26.5
22.1

20
13.0

15.7

28.4

31.7 31.9 31.0
26.6

28.4 29.3

20.3
14.0

31.3 33.0

16.9 17.1

21.1 18.7

12.8

22.8 23.2

10

10 years or greater

24

ucononline.com

5 - 10 years

2 - 5 years

< 2 years
Underground Construction June 2017


http://www.ucononline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Construction - June 2017

Underground Construction - June 2017
Contents
Editor’s Log
Newsline
Washington Watch
Pipeline Projects
First Look: New Padding Bucket Designed Specifi cally For Pipelines
Job-Site Geo: Test Standards For Flowable Fill
TTC Celebrates 10-Year Partnership With China For Trenchless R&D
Pipe Selection Chart
19th Annual Horizontal Directional Drilling Survey HDD Sustains Robust Growth; Common Issues Remain
HDD Roundtable Addresses Workforce, Locates, Bidding
First Look: American Augers Unveils HDD Exit-Side Breakout Wrench
NASSCO Tech Tips
Equipment Selection Guide
Business
New Products
Business Cards
Calendar Of Events
Ad Index
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Underground Construction - June 2017
Underground Construction - June 2017 - IFC
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Contents
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Editor’s Log
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 3
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Newsline
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 5
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 6
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 7
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Washington Watch
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 9
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Pipeline Projects
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 11
Underground Construction - June 2017 - First Look: New Padding Bucket Designed Specifi cally For Pipelines
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 13
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Job-Site Geo: Test Standards For Flowable Fill
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 15
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 16
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 17
Underground Construction - June 2017 - TTC Celebrates 10-Year Partnership With China For Trenchless R&D
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 19
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Pipe Selection Chart
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 21
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 19th Annual Horizontal Directional Drilling Survey HDD Sustains Robust Growth; Common Issues Remain
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 23
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 24
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 25
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 26
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 27
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 28
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 29
Underground Construction - June 2017 - HDD Roundtable Addresses Workforce, Locates, Bidding
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 31
Underground Construction - June 2017 - First Look: American Augers Unveils HDD Exit-Side Breakout Wrench
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 33
Underground Construction - June 2017 - NASSCO Tech Tips
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 35
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Equipment Selection Guide
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 37
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 38
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 39
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 40
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 41
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 42
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 43
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Underground Construction - June 2017 - Business
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 53
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 54
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 55
Underground Construction - June 2017 - New Products
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 57
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 58
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Business Cards
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 60
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 61
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 62
Underground Construction - June 2017 - 63
Underground Construction - June 2017 - Ad Index
Underground Construction - June 2017 - IBC
Underground Construction - June 2017 - BC
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