Drilling arrangement and methodology

A drilling arrangement comprising:

• a truck-mounted rotary table stage for placement over a blowout preventor (BOP) operatively installed in a pilot hole where a well is to be drilled;
• a truck-mounted drilling mast comprising a rotary head drive displaceable along said mast to effect drilling, said drilling mast engageable with the rotary table stage;
• a truck-mounted drill pipe gripper configured to engage with the rotary table stage and selectively to grip and hold a drill string;
• a truck-mounted drill pipe loading assembly configured automatically to load sections of drill pipe to said drilling mast to form a drill string;
• and
• at least one section of torque transference pipe which comprises rotary head couplings defined proximate either end thereof, the torque transference pipe engageable with the drill string;
• wherein the drilling arrangement is configured to drill a well by:
• i. the pipe loading assembly interchanging drill pipe sections with the at least one section of torque transference pipe within the drill string;
• ii. the rotary head drive applying drilling torque only when engaged with the rotary head couplings of the torque transference pipe;
• and
• iii. the gripper gripping the drill string to facilitate the interchanging of drill pipe and torque transference pipe and the rotary head drive moving between rotary head couplings.