MoDOT’s annual Winter Drill will be on Thursday.
With winter weather just around the corner, the Missouri Department of Transportation will hold its winter operations drill. During the drill, which will begin at 8 a.m. in rural areas and 9 a.m. in urban areas, there will be an increased number of MoDOT vehicles on state routes. The exercise should be completed by 3 p.m. This is a driver training day, and with a MoDOT Driver shortage, they say this is critical.
MoDOT State Maintenance Director Darin Hamelink says that “Roughly 16% of our plow operations have less than one year of experience, and 40% have less than three years of experience.” He says “This training drill is important to help us prepare before winter arrives. All snowplow operators will drive their routes to get familiar with the details of the road and turn-around points without any snow and ice to contend with.”