Reporter Gets A Look At Life In A Snowplow
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
"Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes," is an old cliche we've all heard before.
I got the opportunity to apply that cliche when I "walked in the shoes" of the Kosciusko County Highway Department road crew Monday.
I rode in one of the county's 10-ton trucks with highway department patrolman Dave Jackson, at the invitation of county highway superintendent and engineer Rob Ladson. Jackson plows a large area covering parts of Franklin and Seward townships.
We met at Burket United Methodist Church. Our one-hour trip began on CR 700W. The Mentone and Burket fire departments and other services such as ambulances use 700W, making it an emergency route.
"I try to cover my whole route and then go back and cover these (emergency routes) twice," Jackson told me. "It's not bad; it's been worse."
We passed by a yellow truck in a ditch along CR 700W. Jackson said it had been there since the Saturday. I could believe it because it was practically covered by the snow.
"It hasn't really bothered me, so I haven't had it called in to be towed," he said.
Along the route, we passed several cars driving in the opposite direction. They would pull over to the side of the road as far as possible and let Jackson drive by. He would wave to them in appreciation for allowing him to pass.
As we rode along his route, he explained the difference between a snowplow with a V-blade and one with a straight blade. The V-blade shovels snow off to both sides of the road while the straight blade pushes it off to one side.
"I usually prefer a straight blade, but with as much snow as we've had, I wouldn't have been able to get my truck through," Jackson said.
He also told me about the smaller blades located underneath the cab of his truck. The big blades in front can't get everything, so the small blades help get a little more. Secondly, the little blades are great for getting the snow around the corners, he said.
At 4 a.m. Monday, Jackson said he began his 12-hour shift. Before he could even begin plowing the roads off, though, he had to de-ice the insides of his windows because they had frozen over.
Eventually, we turned off CR 700W onto CR 700S. Because of the slippery conditions and snow, some of the hills were rough going, even in the large truck. The truck, besides weighing 10 tons, was also carrying seven to eight tons of salt and sand. With this load, we managed a speed of 30 to 35 miles per hour. At times, Jackson said, he could only drive 10 to 15 mph because of conditions.
"I don't have a lot of the headaches the other guys do. I don't get much traffic through here," he said.
When we got to the county line at CR 1300W, Jackson had to turn around. It was not an easy feat, but he managed to get going back the other way. Luckily, no vehicles were coming either way.
On our way back, I could tell the snowplow had been up one side of the road. However, even though some pavement could be seen through the snow, there was still some snow left on the ground. And the snow kept falling.
Whenever we crossed an intersection or train tracks, Jackson had to roll down the windows on both sides to see. The side windows were frozen over.
"It was good foresight of the county to get automatic windows on both sides of the cab. Usually, we don't have two guys in a truck," he said.
I was beginning to realize at the end of our journey that I didn't want Jackson's job. Being in a truck for 10 to 12 hours a day for five to six days isn't my idea of fun.
On Jackson's route, there weren't too many vehicles on the roads. However, the other guys in the highway department must deal with many more cars in front of and behind them.
Jackson told me about the vehicles he helped get out of the snow. He told me about the two propane trucks that also managed to get stuck in the snow.
"Sometimes, it's easier to get them out than go around them," he said.
The last legs of our tour took us to CR 1000S, CR 1000W, Ind. 25, and back onto CR 700W.
By the time Jackson dropped me off at my car in Burket, I understood some of the problems faced by the county highway and their plows.
Jackson said, "It was nice they let us off Sunday. It wasn't too bad until the afternoon. It was nice to meet my family again."
And I'm sure that his two girls were happy to have him home at least one day of the week. [[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
"Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes," is an old cliche we've all heard before.
I got the opportunity to apply that cliche when I "walked in the shoes" of the Kosciusko County Highway Department road crew Monday.
I rode in one of the county's 10-ton trucks with highway department patrolman Dave Jackson, at the invitation of county highway superintendent and engineer Rob Ladson. Jackson plows a large area covering parts of Franklin and Seward townships.
We met at Burket United Methodist Church. Our one-hour trip began on CR 700W. The Mentone and Burket fire departments and other services such as ambulances use 700W, making it an emergency route.
"I try to cover my whole route and then go back and cover these (emergency routes) twice," Jackson told me. "It's not bad; it's been worse."
We passed by a yellow truck in a ditch along CR 700W. Jackson said it had been there since the Saturday. I could believe it because it was practically covered by the snow.
"It hasn't really bothered me, so I haven't had it called in to be towed," he said.
Along the route, we passed several cars driving in the opposite direction. They would pull over to the side of the road as far as possible and let Jackson drive by. He would wave to them in appreciation for allowing him to pass.
As we rode along his route, he explained the difference between a snowplow with a V-blade and one with a straight blade. The V-blade shovels snow off to both sides of the road while the straight blade pushes it off to one side.
"I usually prefer a straight blade, but with as much snow as we've had, I wouldn't have been able to get my truck through," Jackson said.
He also told me about the smaller blades located underneath the cab of his truck. The big blades in front can't get everything, so the small blades help get a little more. Secondly, the little blades are great for getting the snow around the corners, he said.
At 4 a.m. Monday, Jackson said he began his 12-hour shift. Before he could even begin plowing the roads off, though, he had to de-ice the insides of his windows because they had frozen over.
Eventually, we turned off CR 700W onto CR 700S. Because of the slippery conditions and snow, some of the hills were rough going, even in the large truck. The truck, besides weighing 10 tons, was also carrying seven to eight tons of salt and sand. With this load, we managed a speed of 30 to 35 miles per hour. At times, Jackson said, he could only drive 10 to 15 mph because of conditions.
"I don't have a lot of the headaches the other guys do. I don't get much traffic through here," he said.
When we got to the county line at CR 1300W, Jackson had to turn around. It was not an easy feat, but he managed to get going back the other way. Luckily, no vehicles were coming either way.
On our way back, I could tell the snowplow had been up one side of the road. However, even though some pavement could be seen through the snow, there was still some snow left on the ground. And the snow kept falling.
Whenever we crossed an intersection or train tracks, Jackson had to roll down the windows on both sides to see. The side windows were frozen over.
"It was good foresight of the county to get automatic windows on both sides of the cab. Usually, we don't have two guys in a truck," he said.
I was beginning to realize at the end of our journey that I didn't want Jackson's job. Being in a truck for 10 to 12 hours a day for five to six days isn't my idea of fun.
On Jackson's route, there weren't too many vehicles on the roads. However, the other guys in the highway department must deal with many more cars in front of and behind them.
Jackson told me about the vehicles he helped get out of the snow. He told me about the two propane trucks that also managed to get stuck in the snow.
"Sometimes, it's easier to get them out than go around them," he said.
The last legs of our tour took us to CR 1000S, CR 1000W, Ind. 25, and back onto CR 700W.
By the time Jackson dropped me off at my car in Burket, I understood some of the problems faced by the county highway and their plows.
Jackson said, "It was nice they let us off Sunday. It wasn't too bad until the afternoon. It was nice to meet my family again."
And I'm sure that his two girls were happy to have him home at least one day of the week. [[In-content Ad]]