Anyone here an Overhead Lineman?

Looking for a career change and my dad mentioned this. He's been doing it with Local 499 for 21 years but I never really put any thought into doing the same. Pay is great, benefits are great, the work is mostly done outside (the flip-side being during severe snow/thunderstorms) and from what he says, the days go by quickly.

There is an apprentice program here in Iowa that would send me anywhere a particular contractor needs an employee. Hands-on, field training as an apprentice Journeyman. This is the better option over going to a community college and only getting classroom training, then being hired as an actual Journeyman with no real-world experience. The only downside is after you've been interviewed/accepted for the program, you may not be hired for years but it could even be the day after the interview. Its based solely on the need for workers.

Does anyone have more info on apprentice programs throughout the midwest, or general information on the career? I honestly think I would enjoy something like this but feedback from others is ALWAYS helpful.

 

I'm no help but it's a tough job and dangerous and the only time power goes out is when it's miserable out side.

I know companies offer the right out of high school apprenticeship option but I never talked to any line crews about getting started down that path.

Excellent pay and benefits but you earn it that's for sure.

 

Shit, if my dad can do it at his age, i wouldnt have a problem (then again I havent been doing it for 21 years). A lot of the work is just installing new line or replacing transformers, but like you said, when the power goes out, its almost always during bad weather. Most places have an "on-call" system where workers rotate weeks of being called out at any time. But they also get double-time pay, depending on the company, and the next day off of work if they're out long enough.

I called him today to ask some questions and he had been sitting on his ass all day with the rest of the guys even though we're getting some nasty freezing rain currently, which is about the worst type of thing for electrical lines. Apparently there is a lot of downtime considering he almost always answers his cell during the day

 

First, let me state that I'm not a Journeyman Lineman, but I am a Journeyman Electrician and have been since Dec. 18th, 1980. I personally would not want to be a Lineman, mostly because of the "conditions" that they work in. Your normal everyday jobs would be fine, it's the ones that come up after a tornado, high winds, snow storms, ice storms, etc. It's certainly not for everyone, but the guys/gals that do it, are usually the type that are impervious to inclement weather and would rather be outdoors, even in that type of weather conditions. They certainly have my admiration and respect.....they are a cut above as far as I'm concerned.

As far as getting through an apprenticeship, if you are so inclined to do it and try to be the best that you can be, you will have something that NO ONE can take away from you. That "ticket" will enable you to go virtually anywhere in the U.S. and be able to get a job. As far as the community college thing and classroom training and the being hired as a Journeyman, ain't gonna happen. There's not a self respecting Journeyman lineman in the U.S.A. that would accept you under that situation. Being a Journeyman Lineman is a job that demands that you are knowledgeable of your craft and you local brothers/sisters can rely and depend on you to cover their back when you are in a situation that requires that everything is done safely, correctly, and by the rules of established safety procedures that have been developed to keep linemen safe and alive. An approved apprenticeship through a IBEW local is the way to go and will assure you that you are receiving the best training, both on and off the job, that you can possibly get. Most Journeymen are a proud craft, and deservedly so. Five years of being an apprentice on the job, as well as your schooling, will reward you with one of the finest skills in the trade and crafts. Don't take this wrong, anyone that can get through a recognized apprenticeship program and become a Journeyman (fill in the blank) has worked hard to achieve a lifelong career. Always strive to be the best that you can be, because you never know when something that you have learned or know, may just save your life or the life of a fellow worker.

 

This is very insightful. I realize the safety and concern needed for this trade, and also understand that not any jackass (which would be me) could do it. However, I have figured out that I do my best work under pressure and with others. If its not that, I quickly lose interest and start thinking about other things. Bikes, racing, women... you get the point. I also enjoy working outside, as long as Im dressed appropriately. I do spend much of my day outside with my current job and being in Iowa, we have -10 degree winters and 100 degree summers. The monotony of my current job is beginning to become unbearable. I have a father with a head full of knowledge and experience in the trade otherwise I never would have looked into this career. Must be genetic or something. He's always in a good mood so you can tell it's not exactly stressful on him, though Im sure it probably was when he first started.

I had a chance to be an apprentice electrician maybe a year ago and didnt take it. Not sure why but maybe it will work out for the better.

Again, thanks for the info! You pointed out a lot of things people dont really speak about.

 

CSX is hiring, go work on the RR. Some travel, but my buddy makes a pretty good living doing it.

 

My father was a lineman. Made good money at it in the 60s and 70s.

Probably not too relevant now though. Good luck.

 

I too am a journeyman electrician, and did some line work, mostly telephone. If you work for a power producer the work doesn't involve a lot of pole climbing. If you work for a local utility have your hooks ready. Most crews I know travel 4 days a week, sometimes near, sometimes not. Most important thing: line schools are tough, designed to weed out those who are not serious. Kinda like boot camp. Several don't make it through the first couple weeks. You must focus and be willing to do what it takes to pass. Like was stated earlier, that "ticket" will open lots of doors for you. I have more than a few friends who make an excellent living doing it. Storms equal massive overtime and big checks. You might learn to like being miserable for the big bucks. Good luck and absolutely join the IBEW.

 

My Army MOS was a lineman but I didn't do a hell of a lot of climbing. Most of the power poles at Fort Bragg had been climbed so many times that they were one huge splinter so climbing them wasn't fun at all. I finally "burned" a pole from about 15 feet up and told the Sgt that he could courtmarshal me but I was not going up another pole. (I actually got away with it)

I did have a couple of family members that were linemen with REA (Rural Elect Assoc) in West Texas starting in the early sixties and both of them made good money. As has already been stated, sometimes it can be a real challenge getting the job done because of the weather.

Both my cousins said that to survive the job you had to be on your toes all the time. If you forgot certain safety rules it could kill you because (at least in those days) they often worked the lines "hot." I don't know if OSHA will allow that now or not.

 

+1 ^

A classic example of what has been stated here. Being a Journeyman Electrician with lots of years of experience helped me get a job when I moved from Illinois to Tennessee. I applied for a job as a Journeyman Electrician at the Y-12 National Security Complex back in 2008. It is almost impossible to get hired there unless you have:

1. Know someone or be related to someone that works there
2. Have the proper credentials that they are looking for
3. Know someone or be related to someone that works there.
4. Know someone or be related to someone that works there.
5. same as 1., 3, and 4

I didn't know a single person in the Y-12 complex, so obviously I wasn't related to anyone that worked there. I was hired based on my level of knowledge, skills, and experience as a Journeyman Electrician......a skill that I acquired through a federally recognized apprenticeship program.

Good luck with your career/job change and hopefully you will truly enjoy being a Journeyman lineman.

 

Oh, and for what it's worth, this thread made me play about a half hour's worth of Glenn Campbell. :up:

 

Snorkle and Jon, i couldnt have said it better myself. :up:

JW w/IBEW Local 613, Atlanta, GA, since 1983 here.

 

1. You'll make good money. But you work for it. Average overtime at my headquarters for a lineman was 350 hours. This includes shifts that last 36 hours with no sleep, or storm trips that take you away from home for two - three weeks at a time. At my company linemen are required to carry a pager at all times, and to maintain employment must come in at least 50% of the time they are called in.

2. I've yet to see a lineman retire from my office as a lineman. Linemen who transition into office jobs towards the end make it to retirement. Everyone else leaves on disability. Out of the seven journeymen linemen in my headquarters ranging from 30 - 58 only one has had not had surgery of some sorts (shoulder, knees, back, etc.)

3. The company I work for in consistently in the top quartile in safety. Two times last year we had someone come to work that morning, and not make it home. Mistakes aren't corrected with whiteout. The attention to detail that you must keep is second to none. If you slip up it doesn't take very long to get you, or your co-worker killed.

 

Anybody who's ever burned a pole knows that the court-martial would be the less painful outcome. I still have splinters in my thigh from a burn in 1999. Hung up the spikes and won't go back up. Besides, too many hot poles now, from dopers stealing the ground cable.

One of the best climbers I ever worked with was a 5'0" 100 lb. brunette chick from the Midwest. She could get up a phone pole in about ten seconds, scrambling like a grey squirrel. When she interviewed for the job at our company, she told the supervisor that she had "Hooked for Cox for seven years." I can still hear him roaring with laughter and see her beet-red face when she realized what she had said.

Vocabulary for the ground-pounders:

"Burned a pole" refers to the worst mistake a lineman can make when climbing a pole with gaffs (or spikes) and a belt strap around the pole. When the gaffs tear out of the wood, the climber slides down the pole and eats every long splinter caused by every gaffer who climbed that pole before. I saw a female climber with a 20" splinter stuck straight up through her breast.

"Hot pole" is a pole that is not properly grounded, so the climber can become part of the electrical ground path. Often leads to fried climber. The shock is bad, the fall afterward usually maims you for life.

"Hooking" in this context refers to climbing utility poles using gaffs or spikes. Many contractors no longer allow hooking, in favor of ladders or bucket trucks, but some poles are just inaccessible any other way.

"Cox" refers to Cox Cable Company, a major player in the Cable TV industry 15 years ago.

The job was dangerous as hell, but it was a lot more interesting than sitting in a cubicle listening to co-workers breathe in and out.

 

Dang I love this beeb. Didnt think there would be so many replies to a niche job like this. All of this will come in handy in the future, if I decide to go down this path.

RubberChicken the last sentence in your post is another reason I think I would enjoy it. I dont want to be shacked up in an office all day, but the risks associated with this job definitely require some extra thinking before taking the plunge. Local 55 would be where the apprentice program takes place. The only thing left to do before "applying" is getting my class A CDL permit. Gonna pick the study booklet up tomorrow.

Also, Dits, Im not sure what Glenn Campbell is but ummm, glad you got some entertainment

 

Just remember this important thing: Whenever you are climbing in the backyards of a residential neighborhood on a sunny day, look around carefully. You'll be amazed how many women sunbathe naked in the back yard, and NEVER think to look up the phone pole at the guy hanging there by his belt staring at them. One of these will come in handy and takes up very little space in your tool belt.

 

Perks of the job, I guess you could say

 

could be one of the hazards as well, depending on what you see when you look closely thru that thing. Would suck to fall as a result of being blinded by what cannot be unseen.

 

Was he from Wichita?

 

He was a lineman for the county.