Line Life Podcast

In this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, we are highlighting Shawn Becker, a first-year lineman student at Ozarks Technical Community College and a member of the U.S. Army National Guard. Shawn shares how he discovered the line trade, got involved with the training program and made connections during the International Linemen’s Rodeo week.

Listen for stories about military service, the lineman community and brotherhood, safety and wellness in the trade and Shawn's goals for a future that balances career opportunities with family life.

In this ICYMI episode of the Line Life Podcast, we are sharing the narrated version of an article from the November 2025 issue of T&D World magazine on how Ameren Illinois is using new technology to inspect aging sub-transmission conductors and prioritize line rebuilds.

The utility manages more than 45,000 miles of power lines supported by about 1.3 million utility poles, including 2,000 high-strength composite poles. Ameren Illinois adopted the LineVue device to perform comprehensive, cost-effective inspections of conductor spans, improving accuracy over traditional visual methods. LineVue technology enables remote, real-time assessment of conductor health, identifying issues such as rust, pitting and broken strands on energized lines up to 500 kV. 

To read the full story, go to T&D World's website.

In this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, Host Amy Fischbach interviews Zane Stephenson, a student in the lineman training program at Metropolitan Community College–Kansas City. Zane shares his training experiences, early memories of his grandfather's time in the trade and what drew him to line work.

The conversation highlights safety lessons learned at the International Lineman's Rodeo's Safety and Training Conference and Zane’s future plans, including contractor apprenticeship, storm response and his motivation to give back to his family.

In the electric utility industry, lineworkers often retire with years of experience and take that knowledge with them. Eversource discovered a way to bridge the knowledge gap by overhauling its electric and gas training using multimodal digital tools, e-books and mobile apps. This episode of the Line Life Podcast features a narrated version of the article "Eversource Advances Workforce Training" from the November 2025 field-focused Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World magazine. 

This audio story outlines the utility's plan to deploy roughly 85 custom training applications by 2026–27 across core programs like overhead and underground electric, substations, gas maintenance, corrosion and field communications. The episode highlights how tablet-delivered, interactive content preserves institutional knowledge, supports different learning styles and improves safety through virtual practice. It also provides scalable, just-in-time training to meet growing workforce demands and close the experience gap.

For more information, read the article on T&D World's website. 

This episode of the Line Life Podcast features Susan Blaser, a 2020 International Linemen Hall of Fame inductee and the first female journeyman lineworker in Missouri. Line Life Podcast Host Amy Fischbach interviews Susan about her career in the field, her role training students at Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City and her work promoting safety and inclusion in the line trade.

Topics include on-the-job safety (hydration, heat awareness and best practices), bringing students to the International Linemen’s Rodeo for hands-on learning, encouraging more women to enter the trade and how new tools like drones and helicopters are changing line work.

Susan also shares personal highlights, including her daughter Randi’s path as a journeyman lineman at Ameren Illinois, her decades of field and teaching experience and the importance of mentorship and community in sustaining the profession.

The line trade gives apprentices the opportunity to earn while they learn and train for a lifelong career powering their communities. Before they even join an apprenticeship program, however, some high school graduates are learning the basics of line work through a pre-apprenticeship. For example, our latest ICYMI episode of the Line Life Podcast highlights the one-year Electric Utility Technology Program at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Iowa.

This article, "Training for a Future Career on the Line," which originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of T&D World magazine, spotlights two former students: Trevor Grefe and Kellen Miller. Grefe became interested in the line trade because he wanted to work with his hands, found the concept of electricity fascinating and wanted to help people. Miller learned about opportunities in line work as an intern at an architectural firm after seeing a photo of a lineworker hanging out of a helicopter, working on a transmission line. 

For more information, visit DMACC's training program website or read the article on T&D World's website. 

For the third part of our Line Life Podcast series on Lineman Hall of Famers, we are featuring an interview with Bill Bosch, vice president of apprenticeship and client solutions for Northwest Lineman College (NLC). He has worked in a variety of different operations, safety, training and management roles over his more than 45 years in the line trade.

He also founded the National Association of Journeymen Linemen to promote the brotherhood, sacrifice and dedication of the line trade. To further honor lineworkers, Bill introduced legislation in 2012 to establish National Lineman Appreciation Day, which is now celebrated annually on April 18. He is also working to get lineworkers officially recognized as first responders with the Linemen Legacy Act. This bill is now in the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. To push this legislation forward, Bill encourages all lineworkers to contact their local members of Congress to support H.R. 7610, the Linemen Legacy Act. 

To listen to more stories of Lineman Hall of Famers, tune in to Part 1 featuring Robert Padgett and Part 2 showcasing Brandon Wylie and his song, "Highline Heroes." You can also learn about all the Hall of Famers dating back to 2006 by visiting the website for the International Lineman's Museum and Hall of Fame. 

The powerline industry is entering a new era, shaped by the rise of smart grid technologies. These tools raise important questions. How will these innovations impact the job and how do line workers adapt to make the work safer and more efficient?

In this sponsored episode, managing editor Jeff Postelwait chats with Lea Maurer (Business Development Director at S&C Electric Company) about the push for more reliable, resilient power, and why utilities are turning to new technologies to modernize the grid.  

This episode is sponsored by S&C Electric