Welcome to 2026. We just completed another record volume year at Tennessee 811. I want to thank the entire staff for their continued support and dedication to serving our members and customers with focus on our corporate purpose: Customer Experience. Our employees play an important role in keeping Tennessee safe.
In traditional fashion, we have hit the ground running for 2026. January started out busy with better than usual warm weather until the ice storm hit. It brought devastation to Middle Tennessee with snow and ice that had an impact on above ground facilities. As 811 does, we worked as closely as needed to coordinate the restoration effort. Emergency locates were on the rise as many pole replacements were necessary. While the weather event had minimal impact on our operations, several of our staff experienced property damage and outages. We’re thankful the team was ultimately safe and warm, and glad that we were able to support the heroic efforts of our member utilities as they worked for the benefit of their communities across the state.
A legislative agenda proposed by Tennessee 811 was endorsed by a majority vote of the Underground Utility Damage Enforcement Board and has been filed with the legislature. Several of the changes are definitions and clarifications, but there is a notable initiative to extend the life of a locate request from 15 calendar days to 20 calendar days (more information on page 31). We welcome your input on these proposed changes, whether through direct communication with our team or through a trade group that represents your segment of the industry.
Thank you to everyone who plays a part in preventing damage to underground utilities. We see you and respect everything you do to make Tennessee a safer place.