Missouri – You might have noticed that the number of MoDOT trucks and other vehicles has been especially high today. That’s because the Missouri Department of Transportation have their Winter Weather Drills underway today.
These drills began at 8am this morning, and are expected to have wrapped up by 3pm.
“Going into this winter season, nearly 19% of our snowplow operators have less than one year of experience and more than one-third will have less than three years of experience,” said MoDOT State Maintenance Director Darin Hamelink. “The past three years did not include many significant winter storms, making this training more critical than ever. All snowplow operators will drive their routes to get familiar with the details of the road without any snow and ice.”
During the drills, MoDOT employees are expected to react in a simulated forecast of significant snow across the entire state. During this time, emergency communications for the organization are also being tested.
MoDOT also wishes to remind the public ahead of the winter season that they are several hundred employees short of having full staff in case of emergencies, and urge interested individuals to apply for their organization at modot.org.
