Career Path
Underground Lineman: Groundman to Splicer
The path runs groundman, apprentice, journeyman, cable splicer, then foreman and superintendent slots that clear six figures without climbing a pole. Here is what each step pays, what certs move you up, and where the work is right now.
What the job is: installing, maintaining, and repairing cable systems below grade. Three lanes: underground residential distribution (URD), commercial and industrial primary, and underground transmission. A day might mean pulling 1,000 feet of 15kV concentric neutral through duct bank, splicing a fault on a 25kV feeder in a manhole, swapping a pad-mount transformer, or chasing a fault with a thumper and TDR.
The Fork in the Road
Underground vs Overhead
Overhead crews work poles, hot sticks, and buckets. Underground works trenches, vaults, manholes, and pad-mount switchgear. Voltage classes run from secondary (120V to 600V) through primary distribution (4kV to 35kV) and up to underground transmission (69kV through 500kV) on XLPE or high-pressure fluid-filled pipe-type cable.
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No daily climbing. Knees, back, and hands take the abuse instead.
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Confined space entry under OSHA 1910.146. Tripod, 4-gas meter, and rescue plan on every manhole.
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Less weather-driven downtime, but heat waves and storms drive cable failure callouts.
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Splicing is precision work. A bad splice on a 25kV feeder faults inside a week and your foreman will know your name.
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Less travel for many programs because underground work concentrates in cities and dense suburbs.
Plenty of overhead JLs cross to underground at 45 or 50 when the climbing stops paying back. The work is steadier but slower. If you are still deciding, read distribution vs transmission lineman first.
Pros and Cons vs the Overhead Track
Easier on shoulders and knees in your 50s. Harder to outsource because the work is technical and city-bound. Steadier weekly hours in major metros. Higher splicer wages in dense markets.
Confined space and lockout-tagout work some guys find tedious. Less storm pay overall, since overhead drives the big weather premium. Heavy equipment work with cable reels at 5,000 to 10,000 lbs and hydraulic pullers. Smaller pool of experienced trainers in some locals, so training quality depends on which crew you land on.
Step by Step
The Ladder and What It Pays
01
Groundman / Material Handler $20 to $28/hrCable reels, tugger, jackhammer trench, hand-dig around live facilities, pull tape. Most apprenticeship lists pull from groundmen first because foremen recommend the guys who already show up. See the full groundman to journeyman progression.
02
Apprentice, Early to Late $24 to $52/hrRegistered DOL apprenticeship through an IBEW JATC, a utility-direct program, or an NRECA-affiliated co-op. 7,000 OJT hours plus roughly 700 classroom hours over 3.5 to 4 years. Local 3 NYC and Local 1 St. Louis run separate cable splicer programs.
03
Journeyman Underground Lineman $40 to $70/hrRun a job, terminate, splice, troubleshoot faults, operate switchgear. ConEd and PG&E underground JLs sit at the top. Co-op underground guys in Texas, Oklahoma, and the rural Midwest sit at the bottom.
04
Certified Cable Splicer $50 to $85/hrA separate classification in many locals. You earn it on specific systems: 3M cold shrink, Raychem heat shrink, Elastimold molded rubber separable connectors, HPFF pipe-type for transmission. Local 3 transmission splicers run north of $80 per hour with package. Splicers also pull the bulk of premium emergency callout work.
05
Foreman / General Foreman +10% to 25% over JLForeman runs the crew, signs the prints, owns the safety brief, deals with the customer or system operator. GF runs multiple crews. GF hourly typically lands $55 to $95.
06
Superintendent / PM $130k to $220k baseOffice-adjacent. Runs jobs across multiple GFs, owns the budget, works directly with utility engineering. The PG&E undergrounding program is currently hiring superintendents at the high end of that band.
Where the Scales Land
Highest underground scales nationally: Local 3 NYC, Locals 103 and 104 Boston, Local 1245 Northern California, Local 1 St. Louis, LADWP. Lowest: rural co-ops in TX, OK, KS, and the Dakotas. Per diem on out-of-town underground transmission work runs $90 to $200 per day on top of base. Compare against the journeyman lineman pay scale.
Stack These In Order
Certifications That Move You Up
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CDL Class A with air brakes.Cable trailers and reel trucks require it. No CDL, no callback. Start with the CDL requirements for linemen.
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OSHA 10 and OSHA 1910.269.The baseline safety cards for anyone touching utility work. See OSHA 1910.269 explained.
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OSHA 1910.146 confined space entry.Plus tripod and rescue training. Every manhole entry depends on it.
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3M Cold Shrink certification.15kV, 25kV, and 35kV classes.
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Raychem heat shrink and Elastimold.Heat shrink certification plus separable connector training.
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HPFF / pipe-type cable certification.Fewer than a few thousand certified guys nationwide. This cert alone puts you on a national per diem ticket.
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VLF, hi-pot, and tan delta testing.Diagnostic testing that moves you toward specialty crews.
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First aid, CPR, AED, plus rescue training.Pole-top and bucket rescue are still required at most utilities even on underground crews. See CPR, first aid, and AED requirements.
A pipe-type cert plus 5 years JL experience puts you among the highest earners in the trade.
Where the Work Is
Hottest Underground Markets
Underground hiring concentrates in dense urban and suburban service territories. The heaviest hiring right now:
Northern California
Biggest Driver
PG&E's undergrounding program targets 10,000 miles of overhead converted to underground by the early 2030s, the largest single underground hiring driver in the country. Local 1245 cards or willingness to travel place within weeks.
ConEd plus contractors including Hellman, Petrocelli, and KeySpan UE. Local 3 jurisdiction and the highest splicer scale in the country.
Boston & Eastern Mass
Locals 103 / 104
Eversource underground work across the metro and eastern territory.
Other Active Metros
Nationwide
Los Angeles (LADWP, SCE underground), Chicago (ComEd, Local 9 underground contractors), Florida (FPL and Duke Energy Florida, where nearly all new development goes in underground), Seattle and Puget Sound (Seattle City Light, PSE), and DC/Baltimore (Pepco, BGE, Dominion underground).
If you want to stay home and run consistent 40-hour weeks, underground in any of those markets beats overhead transmission travel. If you want $200k years, transmission cable splicing on PG&E or ConEd transmission projects gets you there.
Break In
How to Get Started
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Get a Class A CDL with air brakes before you apply anywhere.It is the single biggest factor in getting picked off the list.
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Apply to multiple paths at once.IBEW outside locals with underground work, IOU underground apprenticeships (PG&E, ConEd, Eversource, FPL, Duke), and underground contractors directly.
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Hire on as a groundman for 6 to 18 months.You will learn cable IDs, duct bank construction, splice prep, and which foremen actually train apprentices.
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Pass the NEAT test or the CAST/POSS test.NEAT for IBEW outside, CAST or POSS for utility-direct. Prep with the lineman aptitude test guide.
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Have your cards in hand before the interview.OSHA 10, OSHA 30, confined space, and first aid/CPR. It moves your name up the list.
Questions
FAQ
Is underground lineman a separate apprenticeship from overhead?
In some IBEW locals, yes. Local 3 NYC and Local 1 St. Louis run dedicated cable splicer apprenticeships. In most utility-direct programs you train on both overhead and underground and specialize after top-out.
How much does an underground cable splicer make?
Certified cable splicers in major metros earn $50 to $85 per hour base. Local 3 NYC transmission splicers exceed $80 per hour with package. Co-op and rural splicers run $40 to $55 per hour.
Do underground linemen still climb poles?
Some cross-trained programs still require pole-top and bucket rescue training plus basic climbing certification. Day-to-day climbing is rare. Knee, back, and hand work dominate instead.
How long to become a journeyman underground lineman?
3.5 to 4 years through a registered apprenticeship: 7,000 OJT hours and around 700 classroom hours. Cable splicer certifications add 6 to 18 months after you get your JL ticket.
Is underground work safer than overhead?
Different hazards. Lower fall risk, higher arc flash and confined space risk. The fatality rate runs lower than overhead per BLS data, but burn injuries from arc faults inside vaults and manholes happen more often.
What pays more, underground or overhead?
Topped out, underground cable splicers in NYC, Boston, San Francisco, and LA outearn overhead JLs by $10 to $25 per hour. In rural and southern markets, overhead with regular storm work outearns underground.
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Written by
Matthew Sorensen, skilled trades recruiting executive and founder of PowerLinemanJobs.com. 15+ years placing electrical and commercial trades professionals, author of four books on hiring, and host of the Hired podcast.