The Power of a Bore Plan: Why Preparation Makes All the Difference
This content was originally published in Trenchless Technology magazine,
"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail."
In HDD, you can have the most seasoned crew using the best equipment, but what truly ensures a successful bore is a key step that doesn’t get enough attention: bore planning.
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Without a detailed plan, you’re starting behind
It could be stated that everyone plans, but what that looks like can vary widely. For some, it’s as simple as: "Start here, come out there, and stay around this depth." Others might add a basic survey to account for the slope of the terrain. While this might seem like enough to get started, anyone in the HDD industry knows that bores are almost always more complicated than they seem at first.
Without a detailed bore plan, decisions often become reactive, which increases the chances for problems and can lead to wasted time and money figuring out what to do next. In short, you’re making the job harder, riskier, and more expensive before you even dig your entry pit.
Bore planning helps you get—and stay—ahead
A bore plan is a comprehensive document that acts as a step-by-step guide for executing the optimal bore path. It’s a wholistic view of everything a driller faces, including terrain elevation differences, utilities and other obstacles both above and below ground, and required depths and pitches, all while taking into account the limitations of your drill pipe and rig.
Essentially, a bore plan helps you answer crucial jobsite questions like “How deep do I need to be?” “How much do I have to adjust my clearances for my reamer?” and “How far do I need to setback my drill for entry,” among others.
The benefits of a well-prepared bore plan are significant. First, bore planning identifies—and helps you overcome—potential challenges before drilling even begins. For example, your bore plan could reveal that you’re being asked to setback at an inadequate distance. When navigating multiple utilities, your bore plan could show that drilling around one may impede your allotted clearance for the other. Bore planning may even suggest starting from a different direction for better results.
Second, a solid bore plan removes the guesswork by laying out important details like depths and pitches. This reduces wear and tear on equipment and helps cut down on variable costs like fuel. It also serves as an excellent training tool for training newer crews, helping them get up to speed faster and avoid costly mistakes.
Finally, a thorough bore plan lets you bid jobs more accurately—and at higher rates. With a clear, well-thought-out entry-to-exit plan, you show your clients you’re professional and prepared. It also helps cover your liability and demonstrates that you’ve accounted for all necessary requirements, which builds trust and confidence with your customers.
Ultimately, a well-crafted bore plan helps you address key factors in advance, ensuring smoother operations, better outcomes, and compliance with regulations, setting up the crew and customer for success.
How to bore plan—it’s easier than you think
1. Mark jobsite parameters
Start by drawing the length of your bore, dividing it up in segments based on the length of your rods. Then mark any utilities at their known distance(s) and depth(s). Make sure you also mark your required clearances around your utilities. If reaming is required, make sure to increase your utility clearance(s).
2. Plot each rod
Next, you’ll plot where you want to be at the end of each rod to account for your jobsite parameters, and then determine the required depths and pitches at each point.
Remember to account for your entry angle: most drills will enter the ground between -20% and -30%.
3. Connect the dots
Connect your plot points and voilà! You have a basic bore plan.
Streamline your bore planning with TeraTrak
While you can create a bore plan by hand, you can use a TeraTrak R1 to do all the above steps for you—faster and more accurately since you now have an accurate survey of the terrain.
Functioning like an advanced measuring wheel, rolling the R1 over your terrain generates a real-time, continuous plot of elevations and distances in 1-foot increments. With an elevation accuracy of +/- 2 inches over 500 feet, it is precise enough for most HDD projects. The data is then streamed to an app on your mobile device, where you can then easily enter your utilities’ depth, diameters, and required clearances. In just a few steps, you’ll have a complete digital bore plan ready to send to your crew and client.
Additional features unique to the TeraTrak R1 add even more value to your bore plan. It can automatically calculate your setback distance and quickly generate entry plans. When a complete plan isn’t required, it can resolve how to navigate from point A to B safely, factoring in terrain and utility constraints in minutes. It can also be valuable for assessing whether a proposed plan is feasible within site limitations. Its simplicity and versatility make it an essential tool for bore planning.
For Aurora Remote users, the TeraTrak goes even further. With the built-in R1 Integration feature, you can transfer the bore plan you generated on your R1 directly onto your display, giving your driller a comprehensive view of the required depth, pitch, and roll for each rod. It also visualizes upcoming obstacles and utilities, boosting your driller’s situational awareness. Finally, R1 Integration has a three-rod projection, showing real-time steering effects. This simplifies decision-making and helps eliminate any inaccurate, on-the-fly decisions, leading to safer and more efficient drilling.
Conclusion
Bore planning is the foundation of any HDD project. It transforms what could be a reactive, trial-and-error process into a structured, efficient, and professional operation. A well-crafted bore plan deals with obstacles, can enhance training, and cuts costs, bringing clarity and confidence to HDD projects. Tools like the TeraTrak R1 and Aurora R1 Integration make precise planning actionable and achievable, enabling smoother operations, better results, and greater value for clients and crews.