Twin Cities snowplow drivers ready themselves for winter roads
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In a large empty lot just south of the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, Keilon Johnson climbed into the snowplow truck, turned over the engine and lowered the blade on the far side of the cab, known as the wing.
"So we're about to do a wing course, that's where you use the wing on the side of the truck." Johnson said. "We just practice driving through the course so you know how to use your wing."
Johnson is a snowplow driver for Ramsey County. It's not his first year plowing snow, but most of his experience has been in northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. This will be his first winter clearing Minnesota roads.
Ramsey, Hennepin and Anoka counties, plus the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul and Columbia Heights, host a weeklong training session called Snowplow Operations Training, or SPOT for short.
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SPOT give drivers like Johnson space to safely practice maneuvering the truck around obstacles and avoiding mailboxes.
"That's why we have this program right here, to help us get ready for the snow and train to be good at our job and stuff," he said.
Ramsey County Public Works Director Brian Isaacson said snowplow drivers take pride in their work, which they see as a public service.
"These are folks who get up at midnight, one, two in the morning,” he said. “They come into work in the worst conditions, and they jump in a truck so that the roads are safe for people to get to where they need to go. They take this responsibility very seriously."
Johnson said he enjoys the work because it's a way he can help the community. However, there's one way to show drivers your appreciation: Give plow trucks space and patience.
