Consulting · worldwide
Underground construction & HDD consulting
Beau Straub has been boring professionally since 2003. Contractors, utilities and engineers call for bore planning, bid help, troubleshooting and training — remote worldwide or on-site by arrangement.
Consulting services
What Beau can help with
Hourly remote, day-rate on-site or a project retainer — tell us what you need and we'll scope it with you.
Bore Planning
Bore path, depth, entry and exit, tooling and crossing strategy — worked out before the rig shows up.
Explore 02Bids & Estimating
Footage, production rates, crew and equipment loading and the risk items that sink bids.
Explore 03Troubleshooting
Rock, cobble, lost returns, steering trouble, stuck tooling — a second set of eyes on the job.
Explore 04Crew Training & Safety
Driller, locator and flagger training; JHA and safety programs built from what we ran on our own crews.
Explore 05Equipment & Fleet
Drills, plows, trenchers, vacs and tooling — what fits your work, with Ditch Witch and Vermeer expertise.
Explore 06Fiber & Telecom Builds
Route review, method selection, constructability and production planning for fiber and telecom builds.
Explore 07Start & Scale a Contractor
Practical advice on starting and scaling an underground contractor — from someone who has done it.
Explore 08Remote / Video, Worldwide
Phone, video and plan reviews from anywhere. On-site travel by arrangement.
ExploreHow it works
How a consult works
The format and price are agreed before any work starts.
Call or send a request
Call (406) 521-0015 or send the consult form with the job details, drawings or photos.
Scope it together
A short conversation to understand the problem and agree what help looks like — and what it costs.
Remote or on-site
Phone / video and document review from anywhere, or Beau on your site when it's worth the trip.
Clear deliverables
Written recommendations, marked-up plans, bid notes, training — whatever was agreed up front.
Engagement formats
Remote — hourly
Phone and video calls, plan and photo reviews, bid reviews. Anywhere in the world.
On-site — day rate
Beau on your job site for planning, troubleshooting or training. Travel arranged with you.
Project retainer
Ongoing support across a project, a season or a growth plan — priority access when you need it.
Worldwide
Remote when that works.
On-site when it doesn't.
Phone and video consults, plan reviews and bid reviews work from anywhere. When a job needs someone on the ground, Beau travels — travel agreed up front.
Who calls us
Built for the people doing the work
- Drilling & boring contractors — planning, bidding, problem bores, crews and equipment.
- Utilities, carriers & engineers — constructability and method selection for underground routes.
- General contractors & developers — getting utilities in without surprises.
- New and growing contractors — starting and scaling an underground business.
- Property owners & municipalities — straight answers on bore vs. trench and who to hire.
Experience behind the advice
- Began professionally drilling in 2003 by rebuilding cable systems in the South as a contribution to hurricane relief.
- Relocated to Denver and built Rapid Wire LLC — about 80 people when he left — doing all aspects of telecommunications, underground directional drilling, traffic control, asphalt and concrete, and landscaping.
- Returned to his Montana roots and founded Four O Six Underground (406 Underground) in Helena in 2013.
- Knows how to get a job done. If a job isn't a fit, he can help find a company that is.
- Over 40 years of combined directional-drilling experience and over 1 million feet of drilling completed.*
- 700,000+ hours without a lost-time accident.*
- Boring contractor on NorthWestern Energy projects.
- Crews drilled and located through dirt, cobble and rock — under highways, creeks and rivers and in tight, confined spaces.
*From our 2017–2019 records, as published on the Four O Six Underground website.
FAQ
Consulting questions
Do you really consult outside Montana?
Yes. Remote consulting by phone and video works anywhere in the world. On-site visits outside our region — in the US or abroad — are by arrangement, with travel agreed up front.
What does consulting cost?
It depends on format and scope: hourly remote, day-rate on-site, or a project retainer. Call for rates — the price is agreed before any work starts.
What do you need from me to get started?
Location, what you're installing (product, size, footage), ground conditions, drawings or a profile if you have one, photos or video, and what's happened so far.
Do you provide stamped engineering drawings?
No. Consulting is field-experience based and works alongside your engineer of record.
Are you a Ditch Witch or Vermeer dealer?
No — that's equipment we run and consult on. Equipment advice is independent.
Do you still do field work?
Yes — underground field services in Montana and the region, and concrete work in the Helena area. See Underground and Concrete.
Request a consult
Tell us about the job
The more detail the better: location, footage, product size, ground conditions, crossings, what's gone wrong so far. Beau will get back to you directly.