PA is one of 6 States with Snow Plow Driver Problems

As snow looms in the forecast this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has been trying to fill hundreds of snow plow driver positions across the state to prepare for the upcoming winter weather. In a “robbing Peter to pay Paul moment”, PennDot CDL lists of municipal workers have been solicited in recent months for school bus drivers as well as plow drivers. 

Currently, PennDOT has filled 40 percent of the 695 temporary operator positions and 93 percent of their permanent operator jobs, according to agency spokeswoman Alexis Campbell. 

PennDOT, like other organizations looking to hire professional truck drivers with commercial licenses, has seen a steady decline in applicants in recent years, Campbell said. 

Crews might get a hint of how their current staffing works out Wednesday when light now is expected in the morning. Accumulation is expected to be about an inch, so it won’t be much of a test. The impact of staffing in fact will hinge largely on the amount of snow that falls in the Commonwealth this year and where and when. 

Pennsylvania is one of six states facing a major drop in plow drivers for the upcoming winter, according to AccuWeather.com.