News

May 23, 2023 - Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment is pleased to announce that Jeff Johnson has been appointed President and CEO of the company. He succeeds Tom Scott, Jr., who passed away earlier this year. Johnson previously served as Scott Powerline’s Chief Operating Officer for over 20 years.

Monroe, LA-based Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment, LLC rents, sells, and services a wide range of equipment including boom trucks, bucket trucks, cranes, crawlers with winches, digger derricks, drills, multi-purpose amphibious vehicles, sign trucks, track-mounted equipment, trailers, and wire-stringing equipment for electrical line construction and maintenance companies, investor-owned utilities and electric co-ops, as well as companies involved with bridgework, foundation drilling, sign and lighting, and general construction. In addition to its two facilities in Monroe, LA and McDonough, GA, Scott Powerline supports its customers through field service assets and qualified customer support partners located throughout the US and Canada. For more information concerning Scott Powerline, contact Jeff Johnson at 877-388-9269 or jjohnson@scottpowerline.com.

Tom Scott, age 79, was born to Mayme and T.H. Scott on September 22, 1943 in Monroe, Louisiana.  His life was a testimony that it truly is more blessed to give than to receive.

Tom attended Neville High School where he played center on the 1959 and 1961 championship football teams, something of which he was very proud.  From there, he attended both Louisiana State University and Northeast Louisiana University.  In 1964, he joined his family’s business, Scott Truck & Tractor Company.  A natural-born salesman, he excelled in equipment sales before moving his young family to Shreveport, Louisiana where he assumed duties as the branch manager of the farm equipment store.  He was instrumental in adding construction equipment to the company’s product portfolio and would later become president of Scott’s construction equipment division. After returning to Monroe, he fulfilled his dream of establishing a company devoted to providing equipment services exclusively to powerline contractors such as his long-time customer, Irby Construction.  This company, Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment, commenced operations in March 2000 with one location, thirteen employees, and about 50 pieces of equipment.  Under Tom’s leadership, Scott Powerline would become his crowning achievement, growing to be one of the leading utility equipment providers in North America.  In recognition of his many professional accomplishments, the Monroe Chamber of Commerce honored him with the prestigious Kitty Degree Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in Business in 2019.

In addition to being a savvy businessman, Tom Scott was also known for his compassion and generosity.  In the day of email and text messages, he carried on his mother’s practice of sending handwritten notes of congratulations, encouragement, and love to family, employees and friends.  A recovering alcoholic for nearly 50 years, he was passionate about helping others struggling with addiction. He generously gave his time and financial resources to organizations dedicated to helping others stay sober. He often said helping others stay sober kept him sober. Another passion of his was helping others receive a higher education. In 2014, he began working with Delta Community College, Louisiana Tech University, and ULM to provide tuition assistance for students who do not qualify for various financial aid programs but still need help paying for their education.  To date, over 300 students have completed their higher education thanks to his generous support.

Anyone who knew Tom Scott knew he was not all work and no play. He had an interesting sense of humor and loved to tell stories, where he relished in referring to himself as “Big Daddy.”  A history buff, he read numerous books on a wide range of topics. His enthusiasm for history dovetailed nicely with the fact he was well-traveled, having visited places as far away as China, Japan, and South Africa to name a few.  Tom was a long-time golf fan, which he played well into his early 70s, and encouraged both family and friends to enjoy the sport.  It was on the golf course where he would sometimes enjoy a little wager with associates or friends, often invoking his own special set of rules to insure a “proper” outcome. He also enjoyed playing a variety of games – the recurring poker game with his buddies at the country club was often the highlight of his week.

Tom Scott, Jr. is survived by his wife Sharon Fisher Scott; his children Evelyn Scott Johnson (Jeff) and Thomas Holloman Scott, III (Leslie) of Shreveport, LA; his beloved grandchildren Drew Johnson (Shay), Abigail Johnson, Griffin Scott, Elliott Scott, and Oliver Scott; and sister Betty Cummins.  His extended family includes Sharon’s children Shannon Rider (Clint) and Heather Poole; grandchildren Scott Rider (fiancée SuSu Shackleford), Christian Rider, Madeline Poole (Derek Williams), Andrew Poole, Grayson Poole, and great-grandson Shepard Williams; and numerous nieces and nephews. Tom considered his Scott Powerline employees as family and credited them for much of the company’s success. He remained close with his Georgia Tucker kindergarten friends, the late Dianne Cage, Gilbert Faulk, Steve Parker, and Manco Snapp.  Tom made friends and created relationships everywhere he went and will be truly missed by all.

Services were held on Thursday, February 2, 2023 at First Methodist Church, 3900 Loop Road in Monroe, Louisiana with Reverend Warren Eckhardt of North Monroe Baptist Church and Terry Slawson of Seeker Springs Ministry conducting the service.

Pallbearers were Drew Johnson, Elliott Scott, Oliver Scott, Clint Rider, Scott Rider, and Jesse Wied. Honorary pallbearers are Abigail Johnson, Griffin Scott, Jeff Adams, Jim Bershen, Brian Covington, Jeff Elkins, Gilbert Faulk, Shawn Gentle, Tom Nicholson, Dickie Raymond, Manco Snapp, Richard Turnley, as well as Tom’s many banking and manufacturing partners.

The family would like to give a special thank you to Dr. Richard O’Donovan, Alicia Doyle, Cooper Doyle, Donna Ford, Jackie Garth, Louis Harris, Marilyn Randle, Vernon Rogers, Karen Stevens, and Haven Home Health for the wonderful care and comfort they provided Tom.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in his memory to Seeker Springs Ministry, 1280 Okaloosa Road, Eros, LA 71238 (seekersprings.com) or The 1900 Club, PO Box 2441, Monroe, LA 71207, which provides support to 12 Step groups.

“Tadano Mantis Cranes have a great reputation in the industry. They’re tough. They’re versatile. They’re unmatched in performance and reliability.” said Jeff Johnson, Executive Vice President and COO at Scott Powerline, at the massive show in Las Vegas.

ConExpo also gave Tadano Mantis a chance to honor it valuable partner, as Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment celebrates turning 20 in 2020. We were excited to present Jeff and his team with a 20th Anniversary crystal plaque, and to display the GTC-550 with the SPL commemorative logo.

The Scott Powerline tale is a classic American success story of hard work and service, and here is some of that inspiring detail:

The Scott Powerline story began in a cotton field outside of Tallulah, LA., with a chance meeting between Tom Scott, Jr. and Irby Construction Company. An enduring relationship between Mr. Scott and Irby brought Scott Truck and Tractor, a farm and general construction equipment distributor founded in 1939 by his father Tom Scott, Sr., into the world of utility-related construction and maintenance. Since that day, over forty years ago, Scott has provided contractors and providers in the powerline, telecommunication, and other related utility industries with industry-recognized products and unsurpassed service. Scott equipment has served on numerous projects from Alaska to Florida, Canada to California – not only that, but many of the employees of Scott Powerline have chewed much of the same ground supporting that equipment. According to Tom Scott, Jr., our company’s founder, “Service to the customer is priority #1. That commitment is the basis of our success in the past, present and future.”

That commitment to service, coupled with the recognition of enormous opportunity in the industry, led Mr. Scott to “spin off” the Powerline division and form Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment, L.L.C., on March 31, 2000. At the time, Scott Powerline employed no more than 13 employees and worked out of a small office in Monroe, LA – today, we’ve more than quadrupled our workforce operating out of a much larger facility in Monroe as well as a location in McDonough, GA.”

Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment is headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana and has a service center in McDonough, Georgia. Scott offers everything from Mantis cranes to boom trucks to bucket trucks to pressure drills and tracked utility vehicles.

Tadano Mantis Cranes appreciates the Scott Powerline partnership over the last 20 years, and looks forward to a bright future together. Here are some fun photos from over the years:

Scott Powerline is pleased to partner with PowerTraxx Vehicles in introducing the new PowerTraxx RT18 rubber-tracked vehicle - it will be displayed at the upcoming ICUEE Show in Booth N2225. The RT18 features the following:

- 95,000 lbs. GVWR vehicle with a ground pressure of approximately 6.0 psi
- 100,000 lbs. rated ROPS operator cabin
- Payload capacity of 50,000 lbs.
- 350 HP Cummins T4F turbo diesel engine
- Heavy duty rubber tracks
- Joystick steering, back-up/rear view camera, 7" color touch screen display with instrument readouts, trouble-shooting/fault code readings, diagnostic capabilities

Our ICUEE unit is equipped with the well proven Terex TM125 insulated aerial device - the RT18 can also be mounted with 45-50 ton cranes as well as an array of other large construction devices.

As with most of our equipment, this unit is available for bare rental, our best-in-industry RPO, or outright purchase.

The GTC-500, with a rated capacity of 50 US tons and a maximum extended boom length of 113’ 10 “, is the newest model in the GTC crane series from Tadano Mantis. This crane is purpose-designed and offers superior capacity - the 50 US ton rating is a real, useable capacity with a “level” ground load chart that allows for operation on slopes of up to 1.5° so that the crane can be used to its full capabilities without the requirement of ground preparations to give a perfectly level lifting base. The load charts offer full chart pick-and-carry capacity through 360°. Other features include the Tadano AML-C system, the exclusive OPTI-WIDTH™ feature, a 28.9’ / 49.9’ bi-fold jib that offsets at 5°, 25°, and 45°, a Cummins Tier 4f, Euromot stage IV QSB6.7 diesel engine rated 260 HP @ 2,200 rpm, and boom mounted auger system. The GTC-500 can ship in one truck load and also accommodate the WP-750 2-person work platform. The GTC-500 will allow Scott Powerline to continue to serve our customers as the tried-and-true legacy 10010MX gradually ages out. Each of our two full-service facilities recently received a GTC-500; a third will be displayed at the ICUEE Show in early October while the fourth unit is scheduled for receipt at the end of this year. As with most Scott Powerline units, our GTC-500s are available for bare rental, our best-in-industry RPO, or outright purchase.

Monroe, LA-based Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment, LLC rents, sells, and services a wide range of equipment including boom trucks, bucket trucks, cranes, crawlers with winches, digger derricks, multi-purpose amphibious vehicles, pressure drills, sign trucks, track-mounted equipment, vacuum excavators and wire-stringing equipment for electrical line construction and maintenance companies, investor-owned utilities and electric co-ops, and companies involved with bridgework, foundation drilling, sign and lighting, and general construction. Scott Powerline supports its customers through field service assets as well as its two facilities in Monroe, LA and McDonough, GA - further facility and field service is provided via qualified customer support partners located throughout the US and Canada. For more information concerning Scott Powerline, please contact Jeff Johnson at 877-388-9269 or jjohnson@scottpowerline.com.

This D115R, mounted on a 6x6 International 7400 chassis, was manufactured by Elliott Equipment Company and showcased at the Electric Utility Managers Conference (EUFMC) held last week in Williamsburg, VA. With a 115 foot tip height, 44 foot digging radius, 20,000 foot pounds of digging torque, and 30,000 lb. material handling capacity, the D115R is definitely built to get your job done. Other features include EZ crib outriggers which provide extra vertical penetration (thus reducing the need for cribbing) and full pressure hydraulic controls for outstanding feel. The D115R will round out SPL's digger derrick offering which presently includes the industry-leading Terex Commander and General series as well as the Elliott D105R (which was displayed at last year's EUFMC). As with most of Scott Powerline units, this D115R is available for bare rental, our best-in-industry RPO, or outright purchase.

Monroe, LA-based Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment, LLC rents, sells, and services a wide range of equipment including boom trucks, bucket trucks, cranes, crawlers with winches, digger derricks, multi-purpose amphibious vehicles, pressure drills, sign trucks, track-mounted equipment, vacuum excavators and wire-stringing equipment for electrical line construction and maintenance companies, investor-owned utilities and electric co-ops, and companies involved with bridgework, foundation drilling, sign and lighting, and general construction. Scott Powerline supports its customers through field service assets as well as its two facilities in Monroe, LA and McDonough, GA - further facility and field service is provided via qualified customer support partners located throughout the US and Canada. For more information concerning Scott Powerline, please contact Jeff Johnson at 877-388-9269 or jjohnson@scottpowerline.com.

And the latest telescopic boom crawler crane for Scott Powerline is the GTC-600, which is the first of this model to be received by a dealer, placed in a rental fleet and now put on a job site. The 66-ton machine is currently working on a 20-mile powerline transmission construction project in Texas for Can-Fer Utility Services LLC, a Quanta Services company.

Jeff Johnson, Executive Vice President and COO at Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment, is very excited about his recent purchase, “We’re very pleased to once again partner with TMC to introduce the new GTC-600 to our clients, which will maximize their productivity and safety.”
David Foy, Fleet Manager at Can-Fer Utility Services, LLC, has been pleased with the feedback received from the field: “The operation of this crane is very smooth, from the travel functions to the hydraulics to the track extend/retract functions to the tilt cab. The choice of boom sequencing modes really reduces setup frequency, and the fine control mode made difficult lifts much easier. Also, the assembly and disassembly is very easy with the wireless remote."

The new GTC-600 features a four-section, 118.1-foot main boom, plus a 58.1-foot bi-fold jib. The crane has automatic-switching load charts for operation at up to four degrees out-of-level; the level ground charts for Tadano Mantis are for slopes to 1.5 degrees. The GTC-600 boasts the Tadano AML-C rated capacity indicator with OPTI-WIDTH™ (Tadano Mantis’ system allowing asymmetric track positioning in reduced width configurations), HELLO-NET Telematics and a Cummins 310hp QSB6.7 Tier 4f engine.

Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment is headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana and has a service center in McDonough, Georgia. Scott offers everything from Mantis cranes to boom trucks to bucket trucks to pressure drills and tracked utility vehicles.

The management of Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment is pleased to announce that Karla Trevino has recently joined our McDonough, GA team as Parts Manager. Karla brings a wealth of experience to this position – she was with Ryder as their rental fleet manager in Las Vegas before making the move to McDonough, GA where she began working for Newell Transportation as a purchaser for all departments related to transportation and equipment. She has developed a diverse background over the years by overseeing fleet DOT compliance, fleet maintenance, parts inventory, as well as other areas pertaining to equipment and fleet management. We’re pleased to put this experience to work for the benefit of our customers. Karla may be reached at (877) 396-1500 or by email at KTrevino@scottpowerline.com. Monroe, LA-based Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment, LLC rents, sells, and services a wide range of equipment including boom trucks, bucket trucks, cranes, crawlers with winches, digger derricks, multi-purpose amphibious vehicles, pressure drills, sign trucks, track-mounted equipment, vacuum excavators and wire-stringing equipment for electrical line construction and maintenance companies, investor-owned utilities and electric co-ops, and companies involved with bridgework, foundation drilling, sign and lighting, and general construction. For more information concerning Scott Powerline, please contact Jeff Johnson at 877-388-9269 or jjohnson@scottpowerline.com.

Terex Utilities' Bud Shaw presented Scott Powerline founder and CEO Tom Scott, Jr. with a special award recognizing our 15 year relationship as well as Scott Powerline receiving over 750 Terex units during that same time span. Check out photos on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ScottPowerline). Monroe, LA-based Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment, LLC rents, sells, and services a wide range of equipment including boom trucks, bucket trucks, cranes, crawlers with winches, digger derricks, multi-purpose amphibious vehicles, pressure drills, sign trucks, track-mounted equipment, vacuum excavators and wire-stringing equipment for electrical line construction and maintenance companies, investor-owned utilities and electric co-ops, and companies involved with bridgework, foundation drilling, sign and lighting, and general construction. For more information concerning Scott Powerline, please contact Jeff Johnson at 877-388-9269 or jjohnson@scottpowerline.com.

These new products include the Bay Shore Systems TR40-40 drill mounted on a PowerTraxx 15SXW (N-2039), an Elliott 34142R crane mounted on a PowerTraxx 15SXW tracked vehicle (L-435), a National NBT30H-2 boom truck (N-2016), the Skylift Super Arborist 61 backyard machine (L-119), and the Tadano Mantis GTC-1200 130-ton rated teleboom crawler crane (N-2000). We take pride in partnering with our manufacturers to develop and provide the equipment to get our customers' jobs done! Monroe, LA-based Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment, LLC rents, sells, and services a wide range of equipment including boom trucks, bucket trucks, cranes, crawlers with winches, digger derricks, multi-purpose amphibious vehicles, pressure drills, sign trucks, track-mounted equipment, vacuum excavators and wire-stringing equipment for electrical line construction and maintenance companies, investor-owned utilities and electric co-ops, and companies involved with bridgework, foundation drilling, sign and lighting, and general construction. For more information concerning Scott Powerline, please contact Jeff Johnson at 877-388-9269 or jjohnson@scottpowerline.com.

The management of Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment is pleased to announce the promotion of Service Technician Mike Cannon to Service Manager of the McDonough, GA facility. Mike joined the Scott Powerline team earlier this year as a facility-based service technician – prior to that, he had extensive experience as both a mechanic and service manager. That experience, along with the drive and initiative Mike has shown during his short tenure here, distinguished him among the other candidates. Operations Manager Wayne Smith will continue to work closely with Mike as he transitions into his new position. Mike is married and has two daughters. Monroe, LA-based Scott Powerline and Utility Equipment, LLC rents, sells, and services a wide range of equipment including boom trucks, bucket trucks, cranes, crawlers with winches, digger derricks, multi-purpose amphibious vehicles, pressure drills, sign trucks, track-mounted equipment, vacuum excavators and wire-stringing equipment for electrical line construction and maintenance companies, investor-owned utilities and electric co-ops, and companies involved with bridgework, foundation drilling, sign and lighting, and general construction. For more information concerning Scott Powerline, please contact Jeff Johnson at 877-388-9269 or jjohnson@scottpowerline.com.