Snow plows, sanders and other equipment used to combat the winter weather will be on the road in Missouri Thursday for MoDOT’s annual Winter Weather Drill. Motorists will notice an increased number of MoDOT vehicles on state routes during the drill, which will begin at 8:00 a.m. in rural areas. The exercise should be completed by 3:00 p.m.
Officials say the turnover rates and many positions still open, mean the driver training on this day is more critical than ever. MoDOT Chief Safety and Operations Officer Becky Allmeroth says, “Nearly 27% of our snowplow operators have less than three years of experience. Those three years did not include many significant winter storms, making this training more critical than ever.”