Aerial work is everything above ground: overhead distribution, transmission, and aerial fiber. Broadband build-outs and grid hardening keep these crews busy year-round, and openings run from groundman through journeyman lineman. Utilities, CATV contractors, and fiber deployment firms all hire off the same skill set: climb, bucket, frame, and hang.
Who Hires
Employer Types
Electric UtilitiesUtility
Steady overhead distribution and transmission work; hiring differences between IOUs, co-ops, and munis decide your pace and pay.
Line ContractorsContract
Storm hardening, pole replacement, and reconductoring crews that travel to the work.
CATV ContractorsCoax
Strand, lash, and hang coax in the communications space below the power lines.
Most aerial postings want it at hire or within a set window.
03
Aerial Lift Cert
Bucket truck and digger derrick operation is a hard requirement on utility crews.
04
Storm Availability
Overhead crews restore first, so on-call and travel expectations are real.
Entry Path
Start as a groundman on an overhead crew, learn to rig and frame from the deck, then move into an apprenticeship. The groundman to journeyman progression is the same whether you land at a utility or a contractor.
Questions
Aerial Lineman FAQ
What does an aerial lineman actually do?
You work the space above ground: setting poles, framing crossarms, pulling and sagging conductor, and hanging aerial fiber or coax from bucket or hooks.
Is aerial the same as transmission line work?
No. Aerial covers any overhead work including distribution and communications; transmission is a higher-voltage subset with its own crews and structures.
Do aerial fiber and CATV jobs pay like power line work?
Generally less, because voltage exposure and certification demands are lower, though the aerial skills transfer directly if you move over to electric utility work.
