What Today's Linemen Need to Know: Max Fuentes on Safety and Leadership in the Line Trade

What happens when decades of hard-earned knowledge leave the utility industry faster than it can be passed on? For Part 1 of this two-part Line Life podcast series, Host Amy Fischbach has a conversation with Max Fuentes, owner of Fuentes Consulting. He discusses the state of the line trade — and the lessons he believes today's workforce cannot afford to lose. During this episode, Max takes listeners through his more than four decades in the industry. After retiring in 2015, he transitioned into consulting, safety and training and expert witness work. That experience has given him a unique perspective on how line work has changed and where he believes today's practices may be creating new challenges. For example, as an expert witness, he said he has seen disturbing trends in injuries and fatalities, particularly among younger workers, and he questions whether utilities are doing enough to examine what happens before and after serious incidents. For more information, stay tuned for Part 2 of this series on Podbean or your favorite podcasting app. Also, look for a new article authored by Max in T&D World's field-focused Electric Utility Operations section in the October 2026 issue, soon to be available at tdworld.com.