MaineDOT Enhances Efforts to Recruit More Snowfighters

AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Transportation is enhancing its efforts to hire more snowfighters as the height of the winter season approaches.

The department will be increasing hiring ads on social media in the coming weeks and months in an effort to improve staffing levels. This is in addition to increased pay stipends, competitive benefits, and on-the-job training that

the department continues to offer. The enhanced effort comes as MaineDOT, like many other public entities and private businesses, has struggled to fill truck driver vacancies and to retain desired levels of experienced snowfighters.

MaineDOT, however, is prepared to tackle the storm that's expected to hit Maine tomorrow.

"We are working to improve our hiring by offering pay stipends in different parts of the state along with a snowfighting bonus, competitive benefits, and on-the-job training all while extending our recruitment efforts through more social media," said Kyle Hall, Director of MaineDOT's Bureau of Maintenance and Operations. "MaineDOT offers stable and rewarding careers, and we invite Maine people looking for work to join us this winter. Becoming a MaineDOT snowfighter will help ensure that our roads stay in top shape through every storm. Your service will make a difference."

With the winter season upon us, the number of licensed truck drivers trained in snowfighting operations is about 20 percent lower than would be optimal to cover all weather scenarios. This situation is further complicated by ongoing supply chain issues that have led to shortages or delays in equipment and material deliveries. While MaineDOT remains ready to handle most winter weather events this season, these staffing shortages may impact the department's ability to maintain levels of service during long-duration storms this winter. Maine travelers will see the quick and thorough response they are accustomed to seeing for short-duration winter events, but winter road conditions could be worse than normal during long-duration storms that bring heavy, wet snow. This will be especially true for storms that last more than 24 hours.

If the number of snowfighters does not increase, the department hopes to minimize impacts to travelers by sharing plow drivers between crew maintenance facilities and by utilizing other employees that are licensed but do not drive plow trucks as part of their regular jobs such as mechanics and supervisors.

"We say this all the time, but it bears repeating: please avoid driving in bad weather, but if you have to go out, give our plow trucks plenty of time and space to do what they do best in the safest way possible," said Hall. "Our snowfighters take great pride in keeping our roads clear. We appreciate their continued dedication to the people who live, work, and travel in Maine."

MaineDOT provides winter maintenance on 8,225 lane miles of roads that are divided into nearly 350 individual plow routes. More than 500 licensed truck drives from 93 crew camps across the state stand ready to tackle winter weather events. During the average winter, Maine experiences 35 storm events. It is not uncommon for MaineDOT snowflighters to plow more than two million miles of road during the winter that's the equivalent of traveling from the earth to the moon and back again more than four times.