Line Life Podcast

In this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, Journeyman Lineman Michael Bulger of Xcel Energy shares stories from a career that began as a groundman and took him from traveling contractor work to electrical troubleshooting and, ultimately, utility management in Boulder, Colorado.

Bulger, an electric operations manager for Xcel Energy, shares lessons he’s learned fro...

With the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Week around the corner, we are featuring the article "Tribute to Team Trios" from the March 2026 issue of T&D World magazine for our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast. 

This episode shines a spotlight on three journeyman teams at last year's event: the first all-women team, the Sturgeon Electric/IBEW Local 77 championship trio and Duke Energy’s journeyman team, which p...

For Part 2 of our two-part Line Life Podcast series on safety in the line trade, Max Fuentes shares practical safety advice for young and aspiring lineworkers, stressing continuous training, effective tailboards and pre-job briefings and the importance of having observers and teamwork during live-line work.

He outlines common causes of accidents — poor rigging, damaged PPE, induction hazards, incorrect grounding and inadequat...

This episode for our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast highlights the life-and-death importance of safety oversight for lineworkers, sharing injury and fatality statistics and explaining how active field oversight reduces risk.

This audio story is narrated from an article from the February 2026 issue of T&D World in our field-focused Electric Utility Operations section. In the story, Kirk Coffey, director of client solutio...

What happens when decades of hard-earned knowledge leave the utility industry faster than it can be passed on? For Part 1 of this two-part Line Life podcast series, Host Amy Fischbach has a conversation with Max Fuentes, owner of Fuentes Consulting. He discusses the state of the line trade — and the lessons he believes today's workforce cannot afford to lose.

During this episo...

This ICYMI episode for the Line Life Podcast explores ComEd’s new 2,800-sq-ft Testing and Commissioning Engineering (TCE) lab — a simulated substation control room where engineers train on protection, control and commissioning systems in a realistic, safe environment. The lab accelerates workforce readiness, reinforces safety and troubleshooting skills and supports ComEd’s long-range plan to modernize and expand t...

James Respeto, lead supervisor, power delivery, for Avangrid. has spent nearly four decades in the electric utility industry, growing from a meter reader into an overhead line supervisor, trainer, mentor and safety leader. In this episode, he reflects on the career that has taken him across North America responding to major storms, rebuilding damaged electrical systems, and helping communi...

Utility strikes cost more than $30 billion annually in the United States alone. This ICYMI episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast explores how the Model for Underground Data Definition and Integration (MUDDI) and the UK’s National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) are harmonizing underground data to help utilities identify buried pipes and cables, reduce excavation risks and protect their field workforce. To read the ...

In the line trade, lineworkers strive to work safely and efficiently, and new tools and technologies help to improve productivity and ensure they get home safely to their families every night.

During this episode of the Line Life Podcast, we are featuring guest Miles Bell, a journeyman lineworker with 11 years in the trade, who is now working as a tools and methods specialist. In this role, he supports crews in the field, makes job...

Our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast brings stories from the pages of T&D World to life as audio stories. This episode features an article from our February 2026 issue of T&D World magazine on lessons learned from Hurricane Helene. Glenn Edwards, manager, distribution systems for AEP's Appalachian Power, shares the story of how in just 10 days, his company's crews and mutual aid partners logged more than 1 million wor...

Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) is training aspiring lineworkers to build and maintain infrastructure in the rapidly growing Hill Country of Texas. During this Line Life Podcast episode, Josh Hanawalt, technical training manager, describes PEC's four-year, 8,000-hour apprenticeship program and the 2026 Apprentice of the Year award won by Benjamin Kent.

He also discusses the hands-on training center, climbing instruction, skil...

In this episode of the Line Life Podcast for our ICYMI series, we are featuring the second part of the Hurricane Helene series, which was published as the cover story of the February 2026 issue of T&D World magazine. The audio story describes how Duke Energy line crews and mutual assistance partners rebuilt infrastructure in Chimney Rock and Bat Cave, North Carolina, after catastrophic flooding.

Listeners hear first-hand accoun...

T&D World loves to put apprentices in the spotlight in its Faces of the Future department. For this episode of the Line Life Podcast, we are featuring the 2026 Apprentice of the Year for Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) in Texas. Benjamin Kent of PEC’s Canyon Lake district was honored for his dedication and commitment to excellence on and off the job. Kent was selected for his willingness to learn and embrace all asp...

In this ICYMI episode for the Line Life Podcast, Duke Energy lineworkers who responded to Hurricanes Helene and Milton share their stories about the long shifts, logistical challenges, and the teamwork that restored power and hope to devastated communities.

The episode also shares practical hurricane-response best practices, rapid-restoration achievements, and how local communities and crews supported one another during recovery. T...

Austin Carr, a lineworker for Lakeland Electric, said he has access to some of the best training programs available. He quickly discovered, however, that others in the line trade are not as fortunate. To share his knowledge and experiences with other lineworkers, he started posting videos on TikTok and became "America's Favorite Lineman." He has published hundreds of episodes so far and enjoys teaching others about best practices i...

As lineworkers and pilots work "inside the wires" from helicopters, drones could soon be a part of this shielded airspace. Mike Starner of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and Heather Moran of Level Ascent Solutions explored the Federal Aviation Administration's proposed rules regulating the use of drones. 

This audio story, authored by Mike Starner of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA...

Join us for a roundup from the IEEE PES T&D 2026 conference in Chicago, featuring interviews with exhibitors about the rise of 765 kV transmission, the looming matting shortage for large build-outs and the growing power demand from data centers. Vendors and technology providers discuss solutions for improving grid reliability and resilience.

Hear conversations with Hubbell, Shemar, Sterling Site Access Solutions, Smart Power an...

The T&D World team just returned from Chicago for the 2026 IEEE PES T&D Conference and Exposition. This audio story in our ICYMI series previews the event, featuring a Q&A with Jackie Peer, director of industry outreach for the event steering committee, and Carla Frieh, co-chair of the local organizing committee.

Power engineering professionals from around the world came together in Chicago from May 4-7 to explore pract...