October remains unseasonably warm for this time of year, but the Iowa Department of Transportation has started putting snow plows and salt spreaders on some trucks. DOT Winter Operations director Craig Bargfrede says they start their winter prep every year at this time.
They check all the controls to make sure the plows go up and down and the right amount of salt or salt brine is being spread. Bargfrede says the big orange trucks are used year-round, so they have to start getting some set up for winter operations.
Bargfrede has been overseeing winter operations for 12 years and says planning ahead is always the key.
The wind storm last March in western Iowa that toppled power poles like dominoes is an example of Mother Nature throwing in something new.
The DOT hires a lot of part-time workers to help them handle winter operations and Bargfrede says they are still looking to fill the ranks.
The DOT has 1,072 full-time equipment operators, mechanics, and supervisors to go along with the temporary employees. The equipment fleet includes 910 trucks, 40 motor graders, 33 tow plows, and 10 heavy-duty, self-propelled snowblowers.
