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 article by Scott Simmons of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), visit the T&D World website. 

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-site visits and analyzes tools and technologies for lineworkers. 

He also shares an update on the Hurricane Helene restoration, his lessons learned for storm response and his experiences competing at the International Lineman's Rodeo. 

If you want to be part of a future episode, swing by the T&D World booth at the 2026 International Lineman's Expo, where we will be giving out free T-shirts and temporary tattoos for line families. We look forward to seeing you there!

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 work hours, replaced 1,485 poles, installed 471 transformers and rebuilt 214 miles of wire.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Appalachian Power transformed storm response by adopting digital workforce management tools from Arcos. This episode highlights the shift from paper-based, bird dog-led workflows to shared, real-time coordination that improved safety, accelerated restoration and enabled efficient scaling of mutual aid resources.

To read the full story, visit the T&D World website. 

Also, we at the Line Life Podcast wish all of our listeners a Happy National Lineworker Appreciation Day on July 10. If you post at #thankalineworker, make sure you tag T&D World at Linemen World on Instagram or our other social media channels so we can put your crew in the spotlight. Thanks for all you do to keep the lights on and the power flowing!

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, skill milestones and the emphasis on character, leadership and community engagement that set apprentices up for success. Listeners will hear how the program builds technical mastery and crew leadership, prepares apprentices for real-world storm response and system growth and spotlights the dedication behind keeping the lights on.

To listen to Part 1, which featured an interview with Benjamin Kent, tune in to this episode. 

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 accounts of line crews working without cell service or roads, using helicopters, track machines, drones and old-school line work to restore power. The International Lineman's Rodeo journeyman team of Miles Bell, Heath Burrell, and Jordan Henderson from Duke Energy also shares five valuable lessons learned about logistics, safety, teamwork and community resilience.

To learn more about the storm response, listen to Part 1 of the two-part series, "Hurricanes Helene and Milton: One Year Later." Stay tuned to Podbean or your favorite podcasting app to hear an interview-style episode with Bell with an update on the restoration in the wake of Hurricane Helene. 

Also, if your line crew just finished restoring power following a storm and you want to share your story, please contact Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast and Head of Content for T&D World. We look forward to hearing about your best practices and tools and technologies for storm response. 

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 aspects of the job, and for consistently going above and beyond to help his colleagues, members, and community.  

If you have an apprentice you would like for us to feature in T&D World or on the Line Life Podcast, please email Amy Fischbach. We'd love to hear from you.

Also, look for Part 2 of this series, which will feature Ben's trainer, Josh Hanawalt, a journeyman lineworker at PEC. He will share more about his journey in the line trade, the Apprentice of the Year program and his training center. 

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. To read the story, which appeared in the January 2026 issue of T&D World magazine right after the one-year anniversary of the hurricanes, visit the website. 

Also, if your line crew has just finished a storm restoration and wants to share your story, please email Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast and Head of Content for T&D World, with high-resolution photos of the damage and restoration. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your best practices for storm restoration with our readers, subscribers and Line Life Podcast listeners. 

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 in the line trade on TikTok, where he has more than 115,000 followers and 1.8 million likes. 

During this Line Life Podcast episode, he talks about staying safe and hydrated in hot and humid conditions in Florida, dealing with water snakes and alligators and being on call 24/7. He also shares how he balances his work and family life as a married dad of two young daughters. He gave a shout-out to his wife and other line wives for all they do to support lineworkers on the line. For more information about Austin and to view his training videos, subscribe to his TikTok channel or follow him on Instagram or Facebook. 

If you know of a lineworker we should put in the spotlight, please email Amy Fischbach, Head of Content for T&D World and host of the Line Life Podcast. Thanks for listening!

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) and Heather Moran of Level Ascent Solutions, was featured in the January 2026 issue of T&D World magazine. Their story highlights safety concerns around rights-of-way and the need for rapid communication and coordination. It also shares how technologies can help if implemented with input from pilots, drone operators and utility safety professionals.

Listeners will hear why preserving human judgment and teamwork is essential as drone inspections and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations expand. It will also focus on why collaboration, standardized protocols and training are critical to safely modernize inspections above the power line. For more information, read the article on the T&D World website.