Oh Great, Now There’s a Snowplow and Salt Truck Driver Shortage in Michigan
Keeping Michigan's roads cleared of snow this winter might be a bit more challenging compared to years past. On top of everything else that we've had to endure, you can now add a snowplow and salt truck driver shortage to the list as well.
We probably should have seen this coming with the driver shortage that the state's been dealing with already this year including bus and truck drivers.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the shortage is likely due to a competitive job market and the private sector offering bonuses and higher wages, plus, it can be hard for MDOT to compete with that because they have pre-prescribed salaries.
You have to also remember that this is a bigger issue than simply Michiganders trying to get to work on time and safely.
Mark Geib, administrator of the Transportation Systems Management Operations division at the Michigan Department of Transportation:
And so it's a little more critical to get on top of it in a very busy urban area, like Detroit or Grand Rapids. It's not just for the traveling public, but it's also for emergency services, the ambulances, and police and fire and all that. So, you know, we need to keep the roads clear so people can get around, especially in emergency situations.
While it's surely going to be an issue, they say the roads will get plowed one way or another. The way they'll make that happen is by getting people from adjacent garages and regions that will help out in the area hit the hardest by the storm. Now, if the entire state gets blasted with a major snowstorm, that'll be an entirely different situation that I guess they'll just have to figure out when that time comes.
If you've got your CDL (Commercial Driver's License), you stand to make some decent money as they usually pay between $20-26 an hour for eight-hour shifts with up to four hours of overtime.
You can apply for jobs across the state with MDOT.