A snowplow ride isn't a Sunday drive or park cruise.
By Richard Fippinger, Correspondent
Windsor Locks Journal
December 29, 2000
You can always tell a town snowplow driver at the local diner during or just after major snowstorms. They have a glazed, far-away look in their eyes and their heads continually swivel from side to side.
There is a marked hunching about the shoulders and the waitresses address them loudly so they can be heard. Mostly they look just plain beat.
The constant swiveling of the head is a reflex action required by the job.
Perched high in the air driving a huge truck requires constant attention to everything going on around them.
Safety is the first concern.
A drivers' line of sight can be blocked or obscured by wind driven sleet and snow which clouds up windshields and blocks vision.
Constantly flashing yellow strobe lights burn into ones' vision at night and won't go away no matter where you look.
Mirrors get knocked askew and frequently fog up.
Kids and animals always run toward snowplows, slide off of snow banks in front of them and pop up in the strangest places like hiding inside snow caves at the end of driveways.
The worst fear a driver has, just like all fire truck and commercial drivers share, is to hit a child.
The next greatest fear is to unexpectedly hitting a hidden object or car with your plow.
Going forward is difficult, backing up, which is done routinely, becomes a real adventure during storms
Other drivers require careful watching.
Many "hot dogs" with false confidence about their newly purchased four-wheel vehicles must think they are above the laws of nature and drive at regular, or faster speeds.
Others drive recklessly, abandon any good sense, play "chicken" with oncoming plows and drive with utter disregard for anyone else on the road.
Conversations with experienced drivers are always studded with stories about past experiences.
A few cite the biggest snowfall that they have ever seen.
But most reflect and shake their heads as they relate the close calls they have had, the stupid acts they have seen and the brilliant, garish light show which results when drivers crash into telephone poles and knock down electric wires or transformers.
All universally hold Mother Nature in awe. They respect the force of a storm and feel personally tested by it.
Being able to challenge the storm and ultimately win out is a great motivator in the minds of veteran drivers. They take pride in effecting the outcome, which is largely beyond human control.
A few years back Volkswagen ran a famous television commercial that asked "How Do People Who Drive The Snowplow Get To The Snow; Plow?
The answer then was obvious…by driving a Volkswagen.
Today, as storm warnings are posted, town garage parking lots are filled with powerful pick up trucks and 4 wheel drive vehicles.
Their owners got them with this type of New England weather in mind.
How does it feel to ride in a snowplow?
Well it is not a fun trip unless you like to have your eyes, ears and whole body assaulted by a variety of tortures.
It is not natural to have a few tons of steel plow hung on the nose of a heavy truck.
There is no balance, no harmony of motion.
The plow slams into every pothole, raised manhole cover and sewer grate.
It jolts up and down routinely and jars the internal organs of anyone on board.
Inside the cab it is very loud as the roar of the engine competes with the incessant chatter from the two-way radio.
Constant attention is required to watch the gages to be sure the air pressure is up and everything is operating properly including the hydraulic pumps that control the plow and the dump body filled with sand and salt.
When the steel chains are attached to the drive wheels in really heavy snow a new dimension is added as everything vibrates continually as the truck bounces along.
Fatigue is an enemy, caffeine is a friend.
Hours drag by as the repeated backing and filling goes on.
Vigilance is constant and the routine never changes. And finally the roads are open and groomed and it is time for relaxation and healing of mind and soul.
Snowplow drivers are remarkable people. I admire their stamina and appreciate the important job they do.
It is not easy to be jammed, slammed, stopped, started, vibrated, backed up and jolted for hours on end.
Some citizens say it's just a job.
Others curse plow operators for pushing snow back into freshly shoveled driveways.
Many more truly know and recognize the excellent job they really do.
This writer is one of them and I also never forget that when they are finished, they still have their own driveway and sidewalks to clear.
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