Does PennDOT have enough snowplow drivers?
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — In the old days, people with commercial driver's licenses competed fiercely against each other for the opportunity to drive snowplows for PennDOT.
Not anymore.
"We've not traditionally had this issue," said Fritzi Schreffler, a PennDOT spokesperson. "Much like any other business out there, we still need employees."
This is not to say PennDOT doesn't have enough drivers for most scenarios.
"We're OK with our normal number of crews all across the state," Schreffler said.
Schreffler spoke to KDKA-TV near Harrisburg, where people – including PennDOT people – woke up Thursday to a surprise.
"We were expecting maybe a little slush at the beginning, but then a rain event all day," Schreffler said.
Instead, there were several inches of snow.
Anyone interested in working for PennDOT, either seasonally or year-round, can apply here. During snowstorms, plow drivers work 12-hour shifts.
"We can hold people over a couple more hours," Schreffler said. "But the way I explain it is, do you want to go to the ER and have the doctor who's already been working for 12 hours, 13, 14 hours straight? Or do you want that one who's got a fresh set of eyes (and) hands?"
She said that's why PennDOT wants to hire more drivers. If you want to watch where the snowplows are rather than driving one yourself, this is another handy site. On the left, click "travel conditions" and then "plow trucks."
"You'll see all these little trucks," Schreffler said. "You can go down to your specific area, your specific route. You can see where the trucks have been and where they're heading."
Schreffler also advised drivers use GPS apps, even if they know where they're going. In particular, she said, PennDOT feeds current information about driving conditions to the Waze app, which can then advise drivers of the safest routes to take.