Tru-Tek & DCI at the HDD Rodeo

What is the HDD Rodeo?

The HDD Rodeo is a live horizontal directional drilling competition that tests drill crews’ skill, accuracy, and speed. This year’s competition, held in Independence, Missouri, brought together 10 horizontal directional drilling (HDD) crews for a three-day showdown.

The rules were intense. Crews of no more than 3 members had to complete a 230 ft. (70 m) bore with the following requirements:

• Hit required waypoints at 60 ft. out/56 in. deep (18 m/142 cm) and 190 ft. out/36 in. deep (58 m/91 cm)
• Come up and level out at 36 in. (91 cm) for a random measurement point between 100-170 ft. (30-52 m)
• Hit a surface exit target offset 3 ft. (1 m) right from the bore path’s centerline

All of this with a random lane and time slot draw—so crews had no way of pre-planning their terrain or knowing what day or time they were going to drill—and with the requirement that all crews must bring their own rig, mixing equipment, and drilling fluids.

Judging came down to time to complete the bore plus penalties, measured in minutes added to the crew’s total drill time:

• For each inch off the prescribed path at each measurement point, left to right and up or down = 3 minutes
• For frac outs = 5 minutes per instance
• For each inch off the exit target ring = 3 minutes
  • For hitting the ring = no time penalties
  • For going through the ring = 5 minute deduction

But with big stakes come big rewards—winners of the Rodeo won over $250,000 in cash and prizes. DCI alone provided the top 3 winners with:

• TeraTrak, plus 5, 3, or 1-year subscription, charger, RAM Mount, and Rugged Case
• iPad/iPad Mini
• YETI cooler
• DCI swag

That’s a value of $10,000-15,000!

The event is also part educational seminar, with presentations from top experts in the HDD industry. Some of this year’s speakers included Dr. Samuel Ariaratnam, Professor of Construction Engineering and Program Chair at Arizona State University’s Webb School of Construction, who spoke about the past, present, and future of horizontal directional drilling, Bennett Trenchless Engineers who examined the “Geotechnical Considerations for HDD Projects,” Brad Reinsel, US Regional Director for Inrock, who discussed how to achieve the lowest cost per foot when rock drilling, and DCI’s own Siggi Finnson, who reviewed how and why we should bore plan.

This year’s Rodeo marked a special milestone: the first event in 20 years! It was an exciting return to the competition after two decades, and it was made possible by Trenchless Technology, with Benjamin Media and Mark One Electric taking the lead in organizing and sponsoring the event. For a deeper look into the event’s history, check out this article on Trenchless Technology: Remembering HDD Rodeos.

Who is Tru-Tek?

Tru-Tek Drilling is a family-built HDD business based in Conneaut Lake, a small Pennsylvania town located one and a half hours north of Pittsburgh. And when we say small, we mean it—as of 2023, just 612 people live in the town.

Ivan Hershberger and his brother, Raymond Hershberger, co-own the business, which they started with their father, Ray Hershberger (now retired) in 2000. In that short time, the company has grown from just those three to over 30 employees.

Now, the company regularly crosses state lines and undertakes multi-week projects—but they still operate in accordance with their small town, family values. Ivan put it best:

“We’ve tried to keep that family atmosphere. And us as owners, we’ve tried to stay involved directly, making sure these guys have the best equipment and all the support they need, and the world-class technology to do it. And that’s what we rely on.”

And they do it all. They’re experienced rock drillers, working on notoriously difficult jobs across the northeast. They drive environmental stewardship, navigating streams and wetlands while preserving the surrounding ecosystems. And they’re respected industry-wide, even competing before in Vermeer’s 2015 Ultimate Crew Showdown.

Why Tru-Tek and DCI?

When DCI decided to go to the HDD Rodeo, we knew we wanted it to be with a team that stood out in the HDD industry—and Tru-Tek quickly came to mind.

Of course, they are experienced and talented drillers and locators—and long-time users of DCI equipment. But more importantly, they’re constantly redefining the industry standard, going above and beyond the expected. Tru-Tek are meticulous pre-planners who ensure that safety and efficiency are at the forefront of everything they do; so much so, that “Do it right, not twice” is the credo on the back of their company shirts.

DCI Territory Manager Joshua Spray has a long-standing relationship with Tru-Tek and was the one to bring the idea of sponsoring them at the HDD Rodeo to our attention:

Tru-Tek at the HDD Rodeo

Tru-Tek’s HDD Rodeo team consisted of locator Ivan Mast, operator Craig “Woody” Woodard, and alternate Gordon “Gordie” Drnek. Ivan Hershberger selected the team based on seniority—together, Ivan, Woody, and Gordie have over 30 years of experience with the company.

And their experienced showed. Although the competition field was labeled “flat,” Tru-Tek was the only team to take extra time planning their bore with a TeraTrak. This speaks directly to the company’s meticulousness—they wanted to ensure they included even the slightest deviations in terrain into their bore plan calculations.

The team competed on Friday, the last day of the HDD Rodeo. Despite competing at 9 a.m., hundreds of Tru-Tek’s friends and family tuned in to watch a livestream of their bore—indicating the level of community support their company and character have garnered.

They drilled with speed and precision with their Vermeer D40x55 and Falcon F5+, culminating in one of the fastest times of the day and a direct hit of the exit target. Additionally, they were the only team to hit their first waypoint dead-on and receive zero penalties; the average penalty for all other teams at that waypoint was 10+ minutes.

When the event was over and I asked Ivan Hershberger about his team’s performance, his response reiterated Tru-Tek’s professionalism and humility: “We have a lot of confidence in what we do. We do this day in, day out. These guys have the ability to go out there, put pipe in the ground, compete with anybody as far as speed goes—without sacrificing quality or safety doing it.”

From the moment they moved their drill into place to the moment they accepted their awards, Tru-Tek operated with the highest levels of care and quality. We’re proud to have sponsored Tru-Tek and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish next!