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called floorhands because they perform most of their duties on the rig
floor.
Because of a rig's location, economic factors, and other
reasons, the number of days and the number of hours per day that a
drilling crew works vary a great deal.
Regardless of the length of their workday, drilling crews call
their shifts "tours". Strangely, they pronounce tour as "tower." This
odd pronunciation is traditional and apparently began when a not-too-
well-read rig hand saw the word "tour," as in tour of duty, and
mispronounced it with two syllables. However, "too-ur" (or whatever
the pronunciation was) must have been difficult to say, for rig crews
everywhere began pronouncing it "tower," and it stuck.
In a few areas, particularly in West Texas and Eastern New
Mexico, contractors employ 8-hour tours. In other areas, such as
offshore, along the Gulf Coast, in countries outside the U.S., and in
remote land locations, they use 12-hour tours. If the crews work 8-
hour tours, then the contractor usually hires four drilling crews and
two toolpushers, or rig superintendents, for each rig. The crews
consist of four drilling crews – four drillers and derrickmen, and eight
or 12 rotary helpers. Three drilling crews split three 8-hour tours per
day. The fourth crew is off. Later, they relieve one of the working
crews. One rig superintendent, or toolpusher, is on the site all the time.
He or she may work 7 days, for example, and then be relieved by the
other superintendent for 7 days.
If the crews work 12 -hour tours on land, then the contractor
may hire two drilling crews and two superintendents for each rig. One
superintendent, two drillers, two assistant drillers (if the rig requires
them), two derrickmen, and four or six rotary helpers – two full
drilling crews – split two tours per 24-hour day.
Offshore, crews also usually work 12-hour tours, but the
contractor hires four drilling crews. Two crews may work 14 days and
then take off 14 days when the second crews come on board to relieve
them. Some contractors based in the U.S. have rigs working abroad,

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