When the signal disappears
By Duncan Moore
How Advantage Directional Drilling relied on Ditch Witch and Subsite to complete a high-stakes bore
Unpredictable ground conditions in Southern California’s High Desert are part of the job for Advantage Directional Drilling, which has built its reputation in terrain where precision matters and there is no margin for error. It is also where one bore beneath a bridge at Deep Creek tested not only equipment and planning, but the relationships that hold a job together when the signal disappears.
“This wasn’t a job you could just drill and hope,” said Johnny Torres, superintendent and driller for Advantage Directional Drilling. “We had to be dead on.”
A company shaped by trust and repetition
Advantage Directional Drilling is a family story first. Torres’ father, Ralph Torres, founded the company in 2004 with a Ditch Witch JT520 and a willingness to tackle challenging work. In the beginning, the company was already running on long days, careful planning and a relationship with their local dealership, Ditch Witch West.
Today, Advantage operates primarily across California’s High Desert and into Arizona, focusing on gas and fibre work where bore data is demanded and documented. In California utility work, bore paths are logged, GPS coordinates are verified and contractors are trusted to deliver exactly what they record.
