Valuable information from managers and directors
BY PHILL FELTHAM, Executive Editor
Electricity Today Magazine
Electric utilities are facing operational cutbacks and lower budgets due to the recent economic downturn. However, many of these same utilities are taking a fresh approach to maintaining high levels of service without hiring more people or buying more trucks. Recently, Electricity Today Magazine spoke to utility fleet managers and directors from several electric utilities on a variety of different topics...
Remote field operations present the safety organization with a myriad of challenges when it comes to ensuring the safety of the people that you send out to work in the field every day. Without a doubt, this includes the line workers, but it also includes nearly every member of the staff whose...
Exploiting the full potential of global positioning system software BY RYAN DRISCOLL, GPS Insight North American electric utilities experience a number of challenges when managing fleet vehicles such as digger derricks and bucket trucks. A few of these include fuel consumption costs, maintenance...
Many fleet executives working at electric utilities have doubts about implementing global positioning system (GPS) tracking technology into their fleet operations. A number of doubts exist. For example, GPS technologies are designed to track a vehicle’s whereabouts; this can lead to trust issues...
How managers and field technicians can benefit from global positioning BY RYAN DRISCOLL, GPS Insight The global positioning system (GPS) was originally designed for the U.S. military so that soldiers could easily find their objectives and to coordinate troop and supply movement. Now, the...
A coalition of large energy consumers and ratepayer advocates has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging the agency to prohibit transmission owners from independently planning "local" transmission projects exceeding 100 kilovolts (kV). The coalition argues...
Remote field operations present the safety organization with a myriad of challenges when it comes to ensuring the safety of the people that you send out to work in the field every day. Without a doubt, this includes the line workers, but it also includes nearly every member of the staff whose...
For many utilities, scheduling each day’s construction and restoration work means manually organizing and keeping tabs on ever-changing crew schedules and resources. Managers meticulously update whiteboards dotted with color-coded magnets representing crews and trucks. Augmenting the...
In June 2012, the Ontario Legislature unanimously passed Bill 8, the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, which, among other things, requires owners of buried infrastructure in the public right of way – including municipalities, universities, hospitals and private...
Utility workers are often subjected to challenging working conditions for hours at a time, yet are responsible for many mission-critical tasks. These workers must communicate with the entire organization while also representing the customer-facing side of their company. Equipping workers with...
Utility workers and linemen work in one of the most mobile industries in the country. Think about it: utility workers are always moving from one project to the next as efficiently as possible. Since utility workers rely so heavily on their work vehicles, it is critical that they drive a vehicle...
