DavidHutton

Hello everyone. Quick question about getting your card as a lineman. I am in the electrical apprenticeship and was wondering if i get my card for inside work, could i just go to the lineman school and be qualified to work at the journeymen capacity or would I need a separate journeymen card? Dont get me wrong Im not trying to cut corners, just would like to get into the most aspects of the industry i can. Thanks

micromind

It depends entirely on the area. Around here, the State of Nevada doesn't license journeymen at all. Some cities require cards, most don't.

Linemen are 'licensed' by the POCO. It's not an official government issued license, it just means you can work on their system.

I don't know this for sure, but I've heard that the unions around here will not issue cards for both. Might be true, maybe not.

Rob

randomkiller

In my area they have their own locals and there isn't retroprocity between ours and theirs. What makes you think being an apprentice electrician would give you knowledge about doing line work? Principle knowledge is one thing, practical knowledge is a whole other ballgame. In high voltage work that is about as useful as a phillips screwdriver, yeah it's a tool but isn't worth much in that field.

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DavidHutton

what makes you think that i think that being an apprentice electrician qualifies me to do line work. Obviously reading comprehension is not a skill requirement for whoever you work for. I have nothing but the upmost respect for Line work. It is where i know i will end up. However i want an inside card as well.Thats why im in the apprenticeship program. Furthermore, i have voltage experience and know where my limitations are.

paul d.

BIG difference between electrician and lineman. there are different kinds of electricians but only ONE kind of lineman ( that i know of)

DavidHutton

oh ok didnt know that. thanks for the insight.

480sparky

If you've ever seen a lineman (try to) do electrical wiring, you'll understand.....

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All responses based on the 2008 National Rat Code.

micromind

There's a lot of truth to the above statements. I've done both, and about the only thing common to both is you're working with wires. And even those are different.

Codes are completely different, materials are different, methods of installation are different, etc.

This doesn't mean that you can't do both, just that the training is vastly different.

Just for example, how many journeymen inside wiremen could hook up 3 pole-mount transformers and have it work (or not blow up) the first time. Very few would know the proper connections for either a wye or a delta.

How many journeymen linemen could change out a simple 3 way light switch and get it right the first time. Only a very lucky one!

Rob

P.S. Nicknames; linemen generally refer to inside wiremen as 'narrowbacks'. Inside wiremen usually call linemen 'knuckle-dragging stump-jumpers'. Mostly in jest, not always though.

randomkiller

This is what made me think it.

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A Veteran - whether active duty, retired, guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life."

"One Nation Under God"

randomkiller

REALLY ???? Wow how different.

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A Veteran - whether active duty, retired, guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life."

"One Nation Under God"

miller_elex

I don't know why ElectricianTalk gets all the greenhorns who want to know the easy way to this and that such license.

Pick a career, start at the beginning, work your way through the apprenticeship without cutting any corners, and get your card.

Just because you got out of the navy and stood watch maybe rewound some motors and fixed stuff in the pit does not make you qualified to jump into the third year of the construction apprenticeship. What it DOES entitle you to is to cut in front of alot of other people who have been waiting for a couple years to get into the apprenticeship, and I think that people that seperate from active duty should get to slide practically seamlessly into the apprenticeship without waiting for months or doing like I did and working HVAC then non-union construction.

Anyways, I heard that inside wireman have a book at the lineman's local here, and it is for the work inside the substations, like the buckets in the high voltage gear and terminations and what not.

randomkiller

I agree with you right down the last line, that part varies by location.

__________________
A Veteran - whether active duty, retired, guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life."

"One Nation Under God"

sgtdan

A lot of jumping down someone's throat without answering the question. Can one hold a ticket for each category of work. and if so how much or all of a lineman apprenticeship woud be required. If haveing completed an inside apprenticeship.

FulThrotl

you want to do electrical mechanic, or lineman?

around here, both are a separate thing from an inside wireman.

separate apprenticeship, etc.

brian john

AHHHHH overhead and then there is underground, helicopter, high tension.

Rockyd

P.S. Nicknames; linemen generally refer to inside wiremen as 'narrowbacks'. Inside wiremen usually call linemen 'knuckle-dragging stump-jumpers'. Mostly in jest, not always though.

One of the best jobs I've worked on was composit crew with Lineman (I'm a Wireman) on a substation. If we stuck together like the Lineman do, we'd be miles ahead of where we are now. They may think different than we do, but they definitely have backbone.

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busman

I agree that it would be nice if we electricians all stuck together like the lineman. I think the difference is that we are all in competition with each other for the same buck. The utilities don't have this problem as the lineman have no competition. It's a monopoly to work on that company's equipment/lines. I think this is the reason you see them cooperate so well when they join up from many areas on a big outage. There is no real direct competition for the money.

Mark

LawnGuyLandSparky

You'd be amazed at what ex-military think they're entitled to as if they personally liberated the States from England, defeated Hitler, and is hot on Osama Bin Laden's trail.

Of course, generally, the military doesn't exactly attract the sharpest crayons to begin with. But their salesmanship must be second to none.

Zog

Not so sure about that, but one thing I know the military dosent attact is cowards.

LawnGuyLandSparky

How about people who can spell?