Construction and well drillers use equipment to drill holes in the earth to take samples or to insert pipes.

Construction and well drillers drive trucks with equipment to sites. If sites are hard to reach, equipment may be flown in by helicopter. Drillers place, level, and stabilize drills. They check how deep to dig and at what angle. They control the speed of the drill, monitor how deep it has gone, and decide when to add a longer drill bit. When the drill bit gets too hot, they put slush or water into the well to cool it off.

During the drilling, construction and well drillers monitor the process by watching and listening. They listen to the tone of the drill to determine what layer of earth they are digging through. Drillers sometimes change drill bits depending on the earth. They use the sound of the drill to know when it has reached a tough layer, and decide if they need to make any changes.

Drilling takes place in many different locations. Construction and well drillers deal with a variety of surfaces and soil textures. These could range from clay or sand to lava or snow.

Some construction and well drillers are also called core drill operators. They extract a sample of the earth for testing. Usually, these samples are taken by companies that are looking for a certain type of ore or material. It is important for core drill operators to get samples that accurately reflect the area and depth of the location they are drilling. Core drill operators evaluate samples to determine what layer of rock they came from. They record where they drilled and what they think the samples contain. They may send the samples to a lab to be tested.

Some construction drillers make holes to put up telephone poles or create small tunnels that run parallel to the ground. They use a variety of equipment. They may operate a hoist to lift line poles into position. They also use machines and augers that flush out cuttings from the drill hole.

All construction and well drillers maintain and repair the equipment they use.