Start here

How to become a lineman

There are three main doors into line work, and they don’t have the same gates. Pick the door first, then prepare for its gates in the order they come.

Checked against official pages October 24, 2026. Non-official sources are labeled.

IBEW outside apprenticeship

One of nine regional programs. Aptitude test (most), Class A CDL, committee interview, orientation or boot camp, about 7,000 hours.

The 9 programs →

Utility apprenticeship

Apply to the utility. A written test (often EEI CAST, or the utility’s own online assessment), physical tests, CDL, interview.

Which test each utility uses →

Co-op or contractor

Usually no published written test. Hiring leans on line school, a CDL and an interview; many start as groundmen.

Line school vs going straight in →

The gates, in the order you’ll hit them

The CDL. Class A, often with air brakes and a manual transmission. Most union programs want it before the interview; utilities often give you months. Start now. CDL rules by program.
The application window. Union programs open monthly (NEAT), on short posted windows (Cal-Nev, Mo Valley) or year-round (MSLCAT, NW Line); utilities post jobs. Which are open.
The written test. Union: the electrical training ALLIANCE aptitude test (algebra and reading). Utility: EEI CAST (mechanical, graphic arithmetic, reading) or an online assessment like Duke’s VAL. Aptitude test · CAST.
The interview. In union programs it decides your rank; SELCAT, Mo Valley, MSLCAT and NEAT publish a 0–100 score per committee member. How it works.
Climbing and physicals, usually after you’re selected or as part of a utility’s hiring. What to expect.
The apprenticeship itself: about 7,000 hours, three and a half to four years, paid on a rising scale. Lineman pay.

What it costs to start

Application fees: $25–$35 at most union programs (SWLCAT charges $30 per area).
Orientation: MSLCAT 3–5 days, unpaid; NEAT’s Boot Camp 6–8 weekends, unpaid; SWLCAT 8 days (pay not stated).
Materials and tools: NEAT lists $545 for first-year materials and $1,000–$3,000 for tools.
Tuition while you work: MSLCAT $0.75 per hour worked; NW Line contractors withhold $25 a week; ALBAT $1 an hour.
Line school, if you go: Northwest Lineman College lists $19,325–$22,045 in total tuition and fees plus $3,265–$3,550 in required costs; Southeast Lineman Training Center lists $24,555 total; NW Line’s VOLTA school is $8,500 for 400 hours.
The CDL: training and testing costs vary by state and school.

Is it worth it?

Union journeyman lineman base rates in the federal determinations we pulled center around $59–$60 an hour before benefits, and O*NET puts the national median for power-line installers at about $95,320 a year. The work is physical, outdoors, often far from home, and includes storm duty. Talk to a lineman before you commit.

Where these facts come from · all checked October 24, 2026