Travel Crew Gains Experience, Gels as a Team
CIPCO’s 14-member Travel Crew has worked across CIPCO’s service territory. In total, the Travel Crew has completed work on over 82 miles of line.
Since 2022, CIPCO’s 14-member Travel Crew has worked across CIPCO’s service territory. They have undertaken projects including installing Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) on 18.7 miles of 161 kV line in Huxley, building 20 miles of 69 kV line between the Summit Lake and Murray substations in southwest Iowa, and assisting with storm recovery efforts.
In total, the Travel Crew has completed work on over 82 miles of line.
Initially, the crew consisted of 10 linemen, with only two journeymen and the rest apprentice linemen. Almost two years later, the team has expanded to 13 linemen, with the more recent
additions of Payten Bierle, Damien Sawvel and Carter Still. It also includes Mike Freilinger who is not a lineman but a fleet technician.
Now, almost half of the line crew are journeymen. This progression highlights the crew’s commitment and growth within CIPCO’s apprenticeship program.
An apprentice lineman and a journeyman lineman differ in training, experience, and responsibilities. A journeyman is fully trained and capable of performing tasks independently, having completed their apprenticeship. In contrast, an apprentice lineman is still in the early stages of their career, undergoing on-the-job and textbook training under journeyman supervision.
“We currently have six journeymen and seven apprentices on the crew,” said Manager of System Operations Chad Hildreth, emphasizing the balance within the crew. “We try to aim for a 1:1 ratio or better.”
In Iowa, lineman apprenticeships typically combine classroom instruction with hands-on training. This includes logging hours in various categories such as hot time, substation, distribution, and transmission work. CIPCO’s program, however, adapts to its needs as a G&T.
“We have a hard time providing many of these categories,” Chad stated. “We use an evaluation process by foremen and field supervisors to help us decide if an employee moves to the next step of their apprenticeship. We also have our men complete online training as part of their program. They watch videos and then take a quiz to pass this section of work.”
CIPCO currently supplements its training with T&D PowerSkills, a comprehensive video and exam-based program. This program is designed to teach electric utility lineworkers safety-related work practices and technical skills for installing, maintaining, and removing transmission and distribution systems.
“Our reasoning for using T&D PowerSkills was that being more technically sound in the performance of work tasks is inherently safer for all employees,” explained Rex Butler, manager of Environmental & Safety.
The CIPCO apprenticeship program includes eight major steps with evaluations every six months, making it a four-year journey. CIPCO credits new employees for previous line school attendance or work experience when placing them into the program.
“Our Members primarily focus on power distribution, and the IAEC provides them with a formal program catered specifically for them,” Rex said. “Though not formal in structure or packaged in a neat box, CIPCO’s apprentice program is still effective and allows an apprentice to learn and develop according to a known schedule.”
The travel crew’s growth, tripling the number of journeymen on the team in under two years, underscores the program’s effectiveness.
John Puckett, a journeyman who recently completed the apprenticeship program, shared his perspective, saying, “I enjoy the hands-on training. CIPCO is very adamant about everyone learning different things. Even though we are all on the same task, we get to learn different aspects of line work.”
The mentoring and collaboration among crew members out in the field is vital to their development as a team. Current apprentice lineman Brennan Udelhofen added, “We get a lot of time together as a crew to bond, and I like watching the other crew members grow alongside me. I also enjoy the freedom our apprenticeship program gives me throughout the year, allowing me to work at my own pace."