In a pre-Thanksgiving episode of The DRILLERcast, hosts Brock Yordy and Dave Bowers open with a conversation about the challenges of coaching youth basketball. Their exchange about sports parenting and the ups and downs of guiding young athletes offers a warm lead-in before the discussion shifts to more serious ground. What follows is a thoughtful examination of the American labor landscape, the drilling industry’s deep reliance on experience, and the realities of a rapidly expanding geothermal market.

The episode takes a historical turn when Dave shares a story from his father, who spent his career working during the post-war industrial boom. In one striking example, he recalls how Caterpillar once hired 7,000 people in a single week. It was a time when large manufacturers could scale their workforces almost instantly, and when human labor was viewed as an abundant resource.

Dave contrasts that era with the modern hiring environment, which is often rigid, automated, and slow. He notes that today’s hiring systems filter applicants through digital gatekeeping, which can make it harder for qualified candidates to even reach a human decision maker. The hosts point out that this shift has contributed to the workforce shortages seen across skilled trades, including drilling.

Why Tribal Knowledge Still Matters

A central theme of the episode is the preservation of “Tribal Knowledge,” the unwritten skill set that seasoned workers carry with them. This knowledge often lives in habits, instincts, and subtle observations that never appear in a manual. Brock and Dave stress that without a deliberate effort to pass this experience to younger employees, the drilling industry risks losing an essential foundation.

To illustrate the value of Tribal Knowledge, the hosts discuss how Toyota once transformed its manufacturing processes by using a quality manual originally developed and later abandoned by Ford. Toyota built an entire system around documentation and continuous improvement, while Ford had let the same resource sit unused. The lesson, they argue, is that industries thrive when they protect and apply their institutional wisdom.

They tie this directly to drilling, criticizing what Brock jokingly calls the “Johnny” method of training, in which apprentices simply follow an experienced driller and pick up skills through exposure rather than structured learning. Both hosts advocate for a balance of classroom theory and field instruction, which ensures that new drillers understand not only what to do but why they are doing it.

On the technical side, the episode includes a practical discussion about penetration rates. Dave walks through a scenario involving a client struggling with slow drilling progress. His analysis focuses on bit selection, noting that switching from roller cone bits to drag bits can dramatically improve performance in certain formations. He also emphasizes the importance of using proper drilling fluids to support efficient cutting and hole cleaning.

These moments of hands-on troubleshooting are a hallmark of The DRILLERcast. They serve as reminders that the show is not only about industry trends and workforce issues, but also about helping drillers solve real problems in the field.

The Coming Geothermal Surge

The hosts then pivot to one of the industry’s biggest emerging topics: the rapid expansion of geothermal drilling. Brock and Dave warn that while investment money is flowing into geothermal projects, financial resources alone cannot accelerate the pace of technical expertise. The industry will require massive scaling in both drilling capacity and trained personnel. Investors and newcomers who believe that large budgets alone can push the work faster are, in the hosts’ words, forgetting that “the laws of physics still apply.”

Experienced drillers will be essential. The hosts stress that no amount of enthusiasm or funding can replace the knowledge required to safely and efficiently drill geothermal wells.

The episode ends on a personal note when Brock is joined by his seven-year-old son, Bo. The brief cameo reminds listeners that behind every rig, report, and training program are real families and real people who shape the future of the drilling industry.