Apprentice Groundsman Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Type
Full-time
Description
DREMC is seeking an Apprentice Lineman 1st Year - Journeyman Lineman.
BE A PART OF POWERING SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE!
Duck River Electric Membership Corporation (DREMC) is a member-owned electric cooperative, serving an area of approximately 2,500 square miles across 17 counties in southern middle Tennessee. Our amazing team at DREMC distributes safe and reliable electricity at the lowest possible cost, promotes and facilitates economic development, and enhances the quality of life over 85,000 members across 6,500 miles of line.
Location: Lewisburg, TN
Reports to: Operations Supervisor
APPRENTICE LINEMAN 1ST - 4TH YEAR
Job purpose:
The Apprentice Lineman is a team-player willing and able to learn from peers and supervisors. This position begins actively training in line work with a focus on line construction. Requirements include assisting a crew to insure proper construction, service, and maintenance of electrical distribution services.
Job Dimensions:
Internal Responsibilities - In a courteous and professional manner consistent with DREMC policies, work with and learn from crew members of their assigned crew. Taking the initiative to speak up for matters relating to safety.
External Responsibilities - Communicate with members explaining the Cooperative's plans, procedures, service programs and objectives as necessary; to provide efficient and courteous service, resulting in good member relations.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES 1st Year
Must meet the accountabilities of Apprentice Groundman position and is responsible for following:
1. Follows established safety rules and safety precautions, studies the American Public Power Association safety manual and attends scheduled safety training sessions.
2. Under observation, operates vehicles and hydraulic equipment/tools assigned to crew.
3. Fabricates pole assemblies both on the ground and on the pole and hangs guy-wire, transformers, security lights and other equipment on de-energized poles.
4. Ties-in conductors on de-energized poles, lays underground cable, and makes connections of meter loops/bases, single phase transformers, grounds, cable terminals and other equipment.
5. Installs and removes standard, single-phase meters, learns to accurately read meters and becomes familiar with associated service cut-in/out procedures.
6. Makes splices in underground cables and overhead bare and covered conductors/cables on de-energized lines.
7. Studies the nomenclature of RUS/DREMC specifications.
8. Progressively learns the hardware and associated materials required for makeup of both overhead and underground unit specifications.
9. Learns the basic single-phase residential connections at a point of delivery for overhead and underground service.
10. Successfully climbs 150 poles during the year and must demonstrate the ability to perform pole top and bucket rescue.
11. Must reside within a twenty (20) statute mile radius of assigned office.
12. Emergency response coverage as needed.
13. Refer to Job Curriculum for additional details of the job training.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Education: High school diploma or equivalent required.
Experience: Must have completed Apprentice Groundman curriculum or equivalent. Must complete TVPPA Lineman Apprenticeship Program: Unit I, II, TVPPA Digger Derrick/Aerial Device Lab and TVPPA Fundamentals Lab I or equivalent.
Certification/License, etc.: Must possess a valid Commercial Driver's License with Class A or B endorsement. Must be eligible and remain insured as a driver by the Cooperative's group liability policy for the automotive fleet.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Ability to maintain a continued education that supports the maintenance of the Cooperative's distribution equipment and practices. Must be able to exercise discretion and use sound judgement in dealing with people and confidential information. Possesses effective oral and written communications skills.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES 2nd Year
Must meet the accountabilities of Apprentice Lineman 1st Year position and is responsible for following:
1. Follows established safety rules and safety precautions, studies the American Public Power Association safety manual and attends scheduled safety training sessions.
2. Under direct observation, works on energized primary poles to make secondary connections up to 240 nominal volts, including grounding connections.
3. Learns how to read and use a conductor sag chart from initial/final sagging tables and how to properly sag conductors.
4. Develops basic knowledge of sectionalizing equipment such as oil circuit reclosers/breakers, oil/dry type sectionalizes, substation breakers, regulating devices, control devices, capacitors and other related equipment.
5. Installs or assists with installation of security lights, streetlighting, school flasher equipment and traffic signals together with related controls and other equipment.
6. Learns how to replace lamps and perform routine maintenance on controls.
7. Observes and becomes familiar with DREMC switching procedures and interruption records.
8. Operates vehicles, hydraulic equipment/tools and other special equipment.
9. Assists with training of Groundmen and Apprentice Lineman I personnel.
10. Studies electrical theory of equipment, transformer connections and develops increasing technical proficiency.
11. Learns various operating and maintenance accounts and how to handle material charge-outs for construction work orders as well as material credit procedures for returning retired materials salvaged or excess new material originally charged out.
12. Successfully climb 100 poles during the year and must demonstrate the ability to perform pole top and bucket rescue.
13. Must reside within a twenty (20) statute mile radius of assigned office.
14. Emergency response coverage as needed.
15. Refer to Job Curriculum for additional details of the job training.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Education: High school diploma or equivalent required.
Experience: Must complete Apprentice Lineman 1st Year curriculum or equivalent. Must complete TVPPA Lineman Apprenticeship Program: Unit III, IV, and TVPPA Construction Lab 2 or equivalent.
Certification/License, etc.: Must possess a valid Commercial Driver's License with Class A or B endorsement. Must be eligible and remain insured as a driver by the Cooperative's group liability policy for the automotive fleet.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Ability to maintain a continued education that supports the maintenance of the Cooperative's distribution equipment and practices. Must be able to exercise discretion and use sound judgement in dealing with people and confidential information. Possesses effective oral and written communications skills.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES 3rd Year
Must meet the accountabilities of Apprentice Lineman 2nd Year position and is responsible for following:
1. Follows established safety rules and safety precautions, studies the American Public Power Association safety manual and attends scheduled safety training sessions.
2. Installing and/or changing out transformers and other equipment on energized lines when work is outside the minimum approach distance of primary energized lines.
3. Maintaining energized line components such as changing insulators, crossarms and poles with use of hot sticks and related equipment under direct observation upon completion of 6 months satisfactory work under close supervision.
4. Clearing trouble on the distribution system disconnect/gang-type airbrake switches, underground elbow connections/terminators and other system devices used for line sectionalizing under observation.
5. Developing knowledge of multi-phase transformer bank connections and pole framing procedures, and the basic principles of voltage regulation and metering.
6. Increase knowledge of RUS/DREMC specifications on both single and three-phase units/drawings and learn all basic NEC/NESC clearance requirements for constructing overhead lines.
7. Increasing overall knowledge of system maps, switch number locations, substations and relating this knowledge to actual circuit sectionalizing points in the field.
8. Successfully climb 50 poles during the year and must demonstrate the ability to perform pole top and bucket rescue.
9. Must reside within a twenty (20) statute mile radius of assigned office.
10. Emergency response coverage as needed.
11. Refer to Job Curriculum for additional details of the job training.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Education: High school diploma or equivalent required.
Experience: Must have completed Apprentice Lineman 2nd Year curriculum or equivalent. Must complete TVPPA Lineman Apprenticeship Program: Operations Lab 3 and Underground Lab 4 or equivalent.
Certification/License, etc.: Must possess a valid Commercial Driver's License with Class A or B endorsement. Must be eligible and remain insured as a driver by the Cooperative's group liability policy for the automotive fleet.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Ability to maintain a continued education that supports the maintenance of the Cooperative's distribution equipment and practices. Must be able to exercise discretion and use sound judgement in dealing with people and confidential information. Possesses effective oral and written communications skills.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES 4th Year
Must meet accountabilities of Apprentice Lineman 3rd Year position and is responsible for following:
1. Follows established safety rules and safety precautions, studies the American Public Power Association safety manual and attends scheduled safety training sessions.
2. Constructs single-phase tap lines, lift-pole service extensions and other initial service facilities without direct observation when requested.
3. Metering single-phase, instrument transformer and/or self-contained meter locations and acquiring knowledge of three-phase instrument transformer metering.
4. Understanding operational functions of sectionalizing equipment including automatic reclosing devices and sequences utilized equipment.
5. Testing line sections for fault locations, patrolling lines and isolating/repairing trouble causes without direct field observation when capable.
6. Performing substation switching and maintenance under observation when required.
7. Successfully climb 50 poles during the year and must demonstrate the ability to perform pole top and bucket rescue.
8. Must reside within a twenty (20) statute mile radius of assigned office.
9. Emergency response coverage as needed.
10. Refer to the Job Curriculum for additional details of the job training.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Education: High school diploma or equivalent required.
Experience: Must have completed Apprentice Lineman 3rd Year curriculum or equivalent. Must complete TVPPA Lineman Apprenticeship Program: Troubleshooting Lab 5 and the TVPPA Lineworker Apprenticeship Final Exam or equivalent.
Certification/License, etc.: Must possess a valid Commercial Driver's License with Class A or B endorsement. Must be eligible and remain insured as a driver by the Cooperative's group liability policy for the automotive fleet.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Ability to maintain a continued education that supports the maintenance of the Cooperative's distribution equipment and practices. Must be able to exercise discretion and use sound judgement in dealing with people and confidential information. Possesses effective oral and written communications skills.
EEOC: 6-Craft Non-supervisory Pay Grade: 9 Non-exempt Residency Requirement
Position Description Effective Date: June 2025
LINEMAN I, II, JOURNEYMAN
Job purpose:
The Lineman position performs the construction, operation, and maintenance of electric distribution lines for the efficient, reliable distribution of electricity to members.
Job Dimensions:
Internal Responsibilities: Work with, and learn from, crew members of their assigned crew. Taking the initiative to speak up about matters relating to safety.
External Responsibilities: Communicate with members explaining the Cooperative's plans, procedures, service programs and objectives as necessary; to provide efficient and courteous service, resulting in good member relations.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES
Must meet the requirements of the Apprentice Lineman position and are responsible for the following:
1. Follows established safety rules and safety precautions, studies the American Public Power Association Safety Manual and attend scheduled safety training sessions.
2. Operates and maintains vehicles and hydraulic equipment/tools and other specialty equipment, including chain saws and other hand-operated tools.
3. Constructs all required specifications safely and in a professional manner without supervision.
4. Assumes foreman duties, such as directing line crews, as needed.
5. Works energized lines with hot-line tools or with aerial bucket truck.
6. Performs switching assignments on the distribution system or in substations, as needed.
7. Investigates, and corrects- equipment and/or control malfunctions or makes temporary bypass adjustments until proper repair/replacement can be scheduled.
8. Keeps constantly aware of system feeds and alerts other personnel of changes in line feed d