Major North American drilling contractors are reporting stronger U.S. rig demand, higher reactivation activity and tightening supplies of high-spec equipment. The Permian Basin remains a key growth market, with additional rigs, upgrades and longer-term drilling programs expected through late 2026 and into 2027.

Maintenance Plus is emerging as a key U.S. oil and gas strategy, with operators using workovers, artificial lift, chemicals, AI, automation, and enhanced recovery to unlock incremental production from existing wells. By increasing uptime, slowing decline rates, and controlling LOE per BOE, operators can generate high-return barrels while reducing the capital required to sustain production.

Smaller, steady-state oil and gas operators create consistent sales opportunities by maintaining large producing asset bases while selectively investing in new wells, multi-well pads, and facilities. Tracking block-level development, facility permits, and M&A activity helps service companies identify when these maintenance-plus accounts are entering their next cycle of increased spending.

Global refinery and shipping disruptions are tightening gasoline, diesel and jet fuel supplies, driving refined product prices significantly faster than crude oil. North American oilfield operators and service companies could continue facing elevated fuel and transportation costs even if crude prices retreat.

The Eagle Ford is showing strong momentum, with 184 permits issued in the last 60 days—an annualized pace more than 2× the trailing 12-month rate—alongside 59 active rigs and 665 wells drilled in 2026. For oilfield sales teams, the data helps shift prospecting from simply finding operators to prioritizing the accounts showing the strongest signals of current and future activity.