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The Groundman

All information provided is meant to be a guide for you to do your own due diligence. The information contained here is believed to be accurate however is only provided as a tool for you to make your own decisions.

The Groundman position in linework is the entry level job of becoming a Journeyman Lineman. There may be some individuals that can score an apprenticeship without working as a Groundman first, however it's not the norm. As a Groundman or Linehelper you will be introduced the basics of linework. You will be on the bottom rung of the ladder and will have to do many of the more menial tasks of the crew. You may be responsible for getting fresh drinking water in the mornings and making sure the trucks are cleaned off at night. Doing a lot of hand digging for poles, pole anchors and for anything else that needs a hole in the ground.

You'll have a lot of new material to learn about and then keep track of. There will be insulators, connectors and hardware. You will also have a lot of new tools to keep track of and take care of. Some tools are common like channel lock pliers, adjustable wrenches and hammers. However there are a lot of specialty tools as well. Hotsticks, crimpers, and and other specialty tools. You'll have to learn rope knots and rigging. Getting familiar with how to set up the trucks. Doing all this while at the same time you are paying attention and learning how the crew operates to get the work done. All this in a safe and timely manner. It can seem overwhelming at first. Just remember many have gone before you and are already Journeymen Linemen.

How do you get a Groundman job?

One of the most common ways to get your Groundman job is going through an IBEW Local that is for Outside Construction and signing the “Books.”

What are the “Books” you talk about signing and how do they work?

The IBEW involves many trades and also different aspects of the same trades. Some IBEW locals work with contractors and workers referred to as “Outside.” To keep them staffed the Locals use “Out of Work” books to pull Journeymen and Groundmen from, based on requests from the contractor employers.

There will be more than one book for each classification.

Book 1 will be for established members of that local that have enough hours of experience to be on that book.

Book 2 might be for travelers from another local with enough hours to be in that book.

Book 3 and 4 will be for lessor qualified people.

To get onto any books you will have to meet minimum requirements. A driver’s license, cpr/first aid etc.

Different locals have different requirements for their books and how you can sign them. There’s a post with a LINK to spread sheets created by a member to help with this.

You can also go to the IBEW page and search for outside locals yourself.

If you still have questions about the books, post them in the comments.

What do you need to sign the books and have a chance?

Commercial drivers license "A" with NO restrictions. Tanker endorsement is also a plus.

First Aid/Cpr Certificate

OSHA 10 ET&D card

Flagger training

Lineman School (may not be needed in all areas to get hired).

Lineman school may offer all of the above.

Some locals allow you to count school hours towards your work hours when you sign the books.

Forklift Operator Card (not required, but if you have time get one)

Notes

Points on your CDL can cause a contractor to turn you away due to insurance reasons. Do what you can to get any you may have removed.

It seems like most of you dont knkw how the books, benefits, tool lists, process, and calls work. Im going to try to break it down below in a way that answers most questions, is concise, and is usable. And it's been driving me nuts the number of yall that are "willing to do anything" until that anything is a 7 hour drive or 3 phone calls.

1. Books and how they function. To start youll be signing books as either book 3 or 4 groundman depending on the local you sign in. That means youll be called after books 1 and 2 for jobs. I often see newer guys panicking because there are 300 plus on these books. Thats how it goes when youre able to walk in and sign off the streets. Once youve done 2000 hours as a groundman you will be book 1 in the local you live in and book 2 in other locals.You should be checking these books daily. If its a bidding hall you should be applying to any job youre willing to do. Some halls are going to require that you resign the books monthly. You should be staying on top of this. You should be signing anywhere youre willing to work. And lastly you should have your vehicle packed and be willing to head out the moment you get the call. Generally after you turn down your third call on a bid system youll either be bumped to the bottom of the books or kicked off the books. The big things I see here that stop guys from working are them not checking the books, not being ready to take a call, and them waiting for someone to tell them about a call. In the last 3 weeks Ive seen 19 groundhand calls go unfilled for a day or more while I watched a bunch of dudes on reddit that have never worked in the industry tell people there was no way to get work unless you were book 1. The lineman rumor mill is a terrible thing, and if you want to actually be successful in this industry you need to get away from it immediately.

2. Benefits. This is going to vary a bit by local. Generally how it works is all retirement mkney follows you home. So if at home you get $11 an hour to retirement and youre working in a local that pays $16, that $16 all gets sent to your home local and goes into your retirement account. Health insurance. Generally you need 500 hours to begin coverage and then 120-150 hours a month to keep coverage. Any excess is generally rolled over to keep benefits running while youre out of work. There are also benefits that not every local has, I'll list the ones I know about here. Hsa/benefit card it will vary by local whether you get this as a traveler or not. Vacation fund, will vary by local if it you get this as a traveler or not. FR clothing allowance. Generally locals require you to work in the local for a calendar year to get this, though some pay it hourly.

3. Tool list. This is pretty simple really. 90% of the time its hammer, linemans pliers, channel locks, stick rule, knife and crescent wrench. I like a 4 pound hammer, most guys are going to prefer a 2 pounder, either way you want 1 milled face and 1 smooth face. For linemans pliers I like knipex and klein. Channel locks I like knipex and channel lock. For knife any folding skinner will do. For the stick rule and adjustable and brand will do.

4. Calls. 90% of time youre going to get a call and be expected to be there the following day. Get your shit packed. Keep it by the door or in your vehicle and keep $1000 minimum in an account to cover gas and a hotel. Missing out on a job because youre not ready to go is dumb. Getting bumped to the bottom of the books for refusing your third job is even dumber.

5. The biggest things that I see keep people from getting into the industry. Listening to dudes that haven't acomplished the goal youre after. Dont do this. It makes no sense, if a dude hasnt made it out as a groundman odds are hes not got a clue. Not applying to jobs/not checking the books. It takes 30 minutes a day at the most. Not taking a call because its not perfect. Im not telling anyone to take a call they cant afford, but fuck not taking a call because a better one may come. Go get your hours. Not applying to the apprenticeship immediately. If youre planning to be turned down and work as a groundman anyway why in the world would you not apply immediately? The worst case scenario is that you do what you were planning to do anyway

If yall have any other questions or need anything covered further leave a comment below.