PennDOT is looking for snow plow drivers. Here's what you need to know.
UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — Looking for a job this winter? Get behind the wheel of a snowplow.
PennDOT is still in need of about 100 temporary plow operators, as well as other winter service positions for the upcoming winter season.
Requirements for being a plow operator include having a commercial driver's license, being able to drive a stick shift vehicle and being willing to get out on the roads in a massive vehicle in bad conditions.
"It's fun. I like it," said Taylor Dunn, who has been an equipment operator for PennDOT since he finished high school a few years ago. "It's always a challenge. You got to be alert and pay attention. You got to watch for people on the roads and you got to be safe when you do it. So, that's my biggest goal. Go out there and be safe and have fun with a smile."
PennDOT currently has 336 plow operators across the commonwealth and every plow driver must go through two weeks of training before hitting the roads.
"It's a combination of in-class and hands-on training where operators get behind the wheel of a truck and go through a course and get graded," PennDOT District Executive of Engineering Rachel D. Duda said. "The lower the score the better. It's like golf. And then they go and hear about what things they can improve and then they go through the course again."
Despite the training for the plow drivers though, PennDOT says that when it comes to safety, it is always in need of the public's help. PennDOT said that there are a few things motorists can do when they see plows out working on the roads.
"Don't get in between plows if they are running together," said Duda. "You want to give them space. You want to make sure that you keep out of their way because they are trying to do a job for all the customers in Pennsylvania, and it's hard if there are cars or something that they have to get around."