Depending upon where you are located and what niche drives your business, the horizontal directional drilling market for 2012 is a mix of strong, mediocre and stagnant. But where business is good, it is very, very good.

This information and much more is detailed in the 14th Annual Underground Construction 2012 HDD Survey of the U.S. market. This exclusive industry research was conducted during March and April. Surveys were sent via both U.S. Postal Service and email to more than 5,800 contractors or organizations who had indicated they actively own and operate HDD drilling units. The number of completed surveys allowed for an accurate statistical portrayal of the market.

For those contractors whose niches have hit the market “sweet spot,” they are understandably optimistic about their industry.

“I believe the HDD market for gas distribution will be expanding exponentially over the next decade, based on the turnaround in the engineering departments at the gas companies and the knowledge of the quality of work available using HDD,” said this Northeastern contractor.