MUSKEGON, Mich. — While many states are struggling to find snowplow drivers this winter, Michigan is faring relatively well after a tough few years.
You may have already seen a lot of the plows out after the record-breaking snowfall we saw a few weeks ago. Thankfully, there was no trouble getting all of that snow off the roads.
Drew Nichols with the Muskegon County Road Commission says the snowplows are ready to go, supply on maintenance parts and salt are good and staffing is back to where it needs to be.
"We are full. We are not minimum, not maximum, just perfect," Nichols said in regard to staffing numbers.
Both Kent County Road Commission and Ottawa County Road Commission say they're doing well with staffing as well. And the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) who oversees a larger area and multiple counties, says this year is looking much better.
"We're looking at roughly 29 vacancies right now. Last year I think at this point we were still well over 50 vacancies. So already in a better spot," MDOT Southwest Region Spokesperson Nicholas Schirripa said.
Michigan is in a unique spot, however, as many other states continue to struggle to fill snowplow driver vacancies.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) represents all 50 state Departments of Transportation,advocating for better pay and conditions.
According to a survey conducted specifically for this story by AASHTO, out of 24 states that responded, 19 state transportation departments said they are experiencing snow plow driver shortages and only five states said they are not - including Michigan.
Out of the 19 states that said they are experiencing shortages - four said the problem was minor, with Ohio saying it's minor only in rural areas and Tennessee saying the same. 10 said the problem was serious, with Ohio and Tennessee saying it's serious in urban areas. Five said the problem was severe.
When asked what the cause of the problems was, most state departments of transportation said, it's a combination of state pay not being competitive with what drivers can receive in the private sector and a lack of available Commercial Drivers License (CDL) drivers to fill all positions.
"Some of these state DOT's are in a really bad place when it comes to trying to secure enough drivers to get them through the winter," AASHTO program director for media relations and TV production Tony Dorsey said. “Unfortunately, the vacancies of snowplow drivers is making this critical job a lot more difficult than it needs to be or should be.”
So how has Michigan been able to fare so well? West Michigan road departments say early and proactive hiring begins almost a year before the plows actually hit the roads, and working together with state and county departments to move talent around.
Snow plow drivers require a CDL to ride months of training before actually taking to the roads. That's where Muskegon County is busiest right now - training their newly hired staff.
Seth Plumhoff is a 19-year-old truck driver with Muskegon County Road Commission. He started working seven months ago but only now has enough training to hit the roads on his own.
"There is a lot of training precautions you have to do," he said.
Local road commissions have to be out on the roads no matter the staffing or weather conditions to keep drivers safe, so they appreciate having the extra hands this season.
"We owe a duty to the community to have trucks out there," Nichols added.
