Ground Protection equipment may provide capacity well beyond what is necessary for routine distribution work, where portability and installation speed are often equally important considerations.
Rainfall, seasonal moisture changes, or repeated equipment traffic can alter soil conditions significantly. As site conditions change, the matting strategy may also need to change through larger work platforms, additional layers, or modified access routes.
Beyond Load Capacity Selection must also account for how the matting will be transported, deployed, connected, maintained, and reused.
For routine distribution work, transportation and ease of installation may be one of the most important selection criteria. Mats that can be deployed quickly without additional equipment allow crews to respond efficiently to planned work as well as unexpected outages. On larger transmission projects, matting systems made up of larger and heavier mats are typically required as they provide greater durability for long-term construction activity.
Other performance characteristics also deserve consideration. Surface traction affects both vehicle mobility and worker footing during wet conditions. Connection systems help maintain alignment where repeated vehicle traffic is expected while reducing movement between adjacent mats. Durability, ease of cleaning, and resistance to moisture absorption may also influence long-term ownership costs for utilities managing large mat inventories.
Plan for Change
Selection is most effective when project managers, fleet and safety personnel, field supervisors, and equipment operators contribute their perspectives during planning. While matting decisions should begin during project planning, they should not end once equipment arrives on site.
Planning should also consider how matting will be delivered, installed, relocated, and ultimately removed from the project. Selecting a product that meets load requirements but creates
GROUND PROTECTION FOR UTILITIES Application Primary Equipment Key Mat Requirement
DISTRIBUTION MAINTENANCE
STORM RESPONSE
unnecessary logistical challenges can affect productivity throughout the job. For connected matting systems, the access route, turns, work platforms, and installation direction should be planned before the first mats are unloaded. Transportation requirements, available installation equipment, storage capacity, and anticipated reuse all contribute to the overall effectiveness of a matting system.
Building flexibility into the project allows crews to adapt as field conditions change. That may require extending an access road, widening a work platform, reinforcing higher-traffic areas, or relocating matting as work progresses.
Fleet-Level Planning
For many utilities, matting is managed the same way as other fleet assets. The objective is to have the right type and quantity available where the work is taking place, without creating unnecessary transportation, handling, or downtime.
This is particularly important for utilities operating across large service territories. Light-duty mats may be stored at multiple yards or carried on trailers to support distribution crews, while larger inventories are staged for transmission projects and other planned work. Moving matting from one active project to support another is rarely efficient, making the location and availability of those assets part of the planning process.
The same strategy supports emergency response. Ahead of hurricanes, ice storms, wind events, and other severe weather, utilities can position matting in areas where access challenges are anticipated. When restoration begins, the priority shifts
Bucket Trucks, Pickups Fast Deployment, Portability
Service Trucks, Restoriation Crews from optimizing a planned installation to giving crews the resources they need to make field decisions quickly and keep equipment moving.
Making the Match
Selecting matting for utility work is rarely a matter of choosing between timber or composite products. Distribution maintenance, transmission construction, storm response, and other utility applications place different demands on matting because the equipment, site conditions, duration of use, and deployment requirements are different.
The goal is not to identify one matting system that works everywhere, but to establish a repeatable process for evaluating the application. What equipment will be used and how will loads be applied? What ground conditions will crews encounter? How long will the mats remain in service? How will they be transported, installed, relocated, and removed?
Answering those questions helps narrow the options and identify the matting system, or combination of systems, that best supports the work.
For utility fleet and safety managers, that same process can be applied across planned construction, routine maintenance, and emergency response. Matching matting to the application, and having those resources available when and where they are needed, gives crews the flexibility to maintain access and adapt as field conditions change.
Kris Koberg is the president and CEO of DICA, a family-owned manufacturer and distributor of supporting materials, ground protection, site access mats, and associated products.
Rapid Transport and Installation
SUBSTATION CONSTRUCTION Cranes, Excavators Stable Work Platforms
TRANSMISSION LINE CONSTRUCTION
SENSITIVE RIGHT OF WAY / WETLANDS
Digger Derricks, Cranes, Tracked Equipment
Mixed Equipment
Load Distribution and Long-Term Durability
Ground Protection and Environmental Compliance
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