JOBSITE SPOTLIGHT
Setting the Groundwork
Matching matting to the application makes the right resources available when and where they are needed
By Kris Koberg
Utility construction presents unique challenges when establishing safe, reliable access to work areas. Unlike many commercial construction projects where operations remain within a defined footprint, utility work often extends across miles of changing terrain. Crews may move from paved roads to agricultural fields, wetlands, wooded rights-of-way, or residential easements during a single project. Equipment requirements also vary by application, from routine distribution maintenance and transmission construction to emergency restoration following severe weather.
Because every project presents different conditions, selecting the right matting system requires evaluating equipment, ground conditions, traffic patterns, project duration, and site logistics together rather than relying on any single factor.
Application Matters
Distribution crews typically operate bucket trucks, service trucks, pickup trucks, and smaller digger derricks while performing maintenance, service upgrades, and emergency response. Work is often completed at multiple locations throughout the day, making portability and speed of deployment important considerations. Matting that can be transported easily and installed without dedicated lifting equipment allows crews to respond quickly when access conditions change unexpectedly.
Composite mats are commonly used in these applications because they provide sufficient support for wheeled utility equipment while remaining practical for frequent deployment.
Transmission construction presents a different operating environment. Projects often extend across undeveloped rights-of-way where crews must establish access through soft soils, wetlands, agricultural land, or heavily wooded areas. Equipment may include cranes, large digger derricks, tracked excavators, bulldozers, drill rigs, and material handling equipment that remains on site for extended periods.
Under these conditions, matting may be used to establish temporary access roads, create stable work platforms, or provide access through environmentally sensitive areas. Multiple matting
By managing matting as other fleet assets, utilities can avoid unnecessary transportation, handling, or downtime, especially across large service territories and during emergency response operations.
systems are often used on the same project.
For utilities, standardization should mean using a repeatable selection process, not prescribing one matting system for every phase, crew, or application. Foundation work, structure erection, conductor installation, and restoration activities may all involve different equipment, resulting in different matting requirements as construction progresses.
Beyond Equipment Weight
Equipment weight is one factor in selecting matting, but it should not be the only consideration.
Different equipment interacts with the ground differently. Wheeled vehicles apply loads through relatively small tire contact areas, while tracked equipment distributes weight across a much larger surface. Equipment movement, turning, braking, and repeated travel patterns also influence mat performance over the life of a project.
For example, mats that perform well beneath a bucket truck operating from a stationary location may not be appropriate for tracked equipment making repeated turns on saturated soil. Likewise, heavy timber mats capable of supporting large, tracked
26 l September-October 2026