Many call but few serve: Snowplow boot camp

By JIM FOTI, Star Tribune

Last update: November 1, 2009 - 8:42 PM

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Neither blue skies nor dry pavement nor temperatures in the 50s could keep the snowplows from their appointed rounds.

Last week the streets of Little Falls saw dozens of big orange trucks prowling around, as the Minnesota Department of Transportation conducted its latest snowplow boot camp. Roadguy stopped by Camp Ripley to check out this unusual school.

The plows spend most of their time on a large, flat gravel area at the sprawling military facility, where the drivers practice spreading sand, swerving around traffic cones and backing up to within 18 inches of a barricade.

But the two-week course also includes driving on real streets, and when the plows head into town "my phone starts ringing off the hook," said Judy Jacobs, a MnDOT spokeswoman.

With its unpredictable hours and the stress of navigating among motorists who get way too close, plow driving might not appeal to everyone, but in this economy, interest is high. Earlier this year, the district where Jacobs works had 400 applicants for six maintenance openings, and Rick Shomion, MnDOT's maintenance training coordinator, said the metro district has heard from thousands of job-seekers.

The median age of MnDOT employees is 47, and the retirements of baby boomers have created openings. The department's Snowplow Operator Training class had 103 students for its October session, and 100 in September.

On weekdays, most of them opted to stay overnight in semi-private barracks at Camp Ripley, a 53,000-acre training center where it's more common to see camouflage-clad National Guard members learning about improvised explosive devices than to see an armada of plow trucks. The trainees spend about a day and a half in a makeshift classroom, plus an hour on the other mornings, then knuckle down for about seven hours a day driving and inspecting the plows.

MnDOT centralized its plow training six years ago, and Shomion has given tours to visitors from Illinois, North Dakota, Iowa, Canada and elsewhere. The day Roadguy was there, a delegation from the city of Minneapolis was on hand to see what could be learned.

"I don't think anybody's doing quite what we do here," Shomion said, as trucks crawled around the well-sanded field.

A bit more on squeegees

Last week, alert reader Pam expressed her wish that her local Costco would provide squeegees at its gas pumps. I've since learned of a few more options for her.

One is that Sam's Club, Costco's main warehouse rival, has squeegees at several (but not all) of its Twin Cities locations that sell fuel.

The other is that states such as Connecticut require gas stations to provide free air for motorists to inflate their tires. So if Pam is feeling passionate about clean windshields, she could urge our state legislators to mandate squeegee access for all.

Questions or comments? Contact Jim Foti at roadguy@startribune.com, or at 612-673-4491.

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