The need for electrical linemen is on the rise as the demand for electricity is expected to increase by about a third in the next decade. Billy Lang, a Class B Journeyman Lineman, is among the 120,000 linemen in the U.S. responsible for maintaining the vast network of powerlines, utility poles, and transmission towers. With an annual salary of $80,000, linemen like Lang play a crucial role in ensuring a reliable power supply. As the workforce ages, there is a growing need for young linemen to join the industry and help build and upgrade the electrical grid. Despite the demanding nature of the job, being a lineman offers a rewarding career with opportunities for growth and a strong sense of camaraderie among powerline workers.
They meet responding to hurricanes on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
Lang, for now, is rarely on storm rosters, although heâs been called to rebuild downed lines in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
He works 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursdayâthree-day weekends every weekâacross western Connecticut âin older neighborhoods with outdated lower-voltage transmission lines,â replacing them with âbigger poles, thicker wires that are more resistant to tree damage.â
Projects begin with âsetting [new] poles, framing polesâ followed by ârunning wire, and then energizing that wire, and shifting load type into the new wire, and then âwrecking out,â getting rid of the old equipment.â
It can be a significant undertaking requiring a police escort and flaggers to control traffic while lineman work above, Lang said.
Like many, he has a commercial driver license and could probably certify as a licensed tree-trimming arborist with chainsaws and hedge clippers standard gear.
Clearing trees from rights-of-way âno one has touched for 30 years, where trees grow into the wiresâ is an occupational hazard, Lang said, noting branches ensnared in wires stretched âlike a banjo stringâ can be especially dangerous because âthe tree can go flyingâ once disentangled.
âBee spray is a must for hornets nests that can be under transformers, bug spray for ticks and mosquitoes, sunscreenâ are must-haves in the summers, Lang said.
The schooling, certifications, apprenticeship, heat, cold, wind, rain, the expected, and the unexpected, are all part of the job he loves.
âI absolutely believe it was worth it,â Lang said. âIt changed my life.â
