Power Linemen show pride in their lineman shirts

Electrical linemen take pride in what they do and for good reason. As with many other trades, wearing a lineman’s shirt has become a way to show pride in what you have accomplished and your craft. Becoming a journeyman lineman requires a year of training and education. It takes a special breed of man, a man among men, to be a power lineman. Even as an apprentice, linemen can expect long hours, be away from home for weeks because of the storm, and hard work. After spending years learning the trade, linemen can expect more of the same, but with the added danger of working hot.

Hot, cold, rainy, snowy, on top of a mountain or by the sea, linemen work to maintain our power grid and restore it when Mother Nature decides to create a tornado, hurricane, ice storm, storm wind or a downpour that cuts power. These highly trained men race to save the day, usually with little or no sleep and often hundreds or even thousands of miles from home. When you work, you’ll notice that most linemen wear an FR shirt. An FR shirt is designed to be flame retardant, to prevent burns. When linemen aren’t on the job, many of them choose to wear a shirt that shows their pride in industry and commerce, a shirt made specifically for linemen.

T-shirts are available for all levels of linemen. There are shirts for the apprentice and others for the foreman who makes fun of the apprentices. Shirts for linemen who are still in training and those who have outgrown and become Officers in the trade. Shirts for wives and girlfriends, moms and sons, sisters and aunts. Pride in the craft runs deep. As with many other trades, many linemen choose to follow in their parents’ footsteps and there are many second, third, and even a few fourth generation linemen. Photographs of children trying on their fathers’ boots, belts and hooks are common. Future Linemen shirts for little boys are an industry favorite.

Showing pride in the industry by wearing a lineman shirt, whether serious or funny, is a lineman’s way of showing what he worked so hard to earn or what he is earning right now; a career in commerce. Becoming a lineman requires dedication. It is a dangerous job that is not for everyone. It’s also not for every family. The families behind the linemen endure husband, father, boyfriend and son being away from home for days, weeks and even months at a time while their linemen restore power, build new lines and work to repair the grid after storms.