The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) is in the process of reviewing its winter operations with its truck drivers, and mechanics are preparing its winter-maintenance equipment including trucks and plows in anticipation of the inevitable arrival of winter weather.
Again this winter season, RCOC is also hiring both full-time, permanent laborer/truck drivers and temporary (part-time) laborers/drivers to augment its winter operations (see the “Careers” section of the RCOC website, www.rcocweb.org, for more details).
RCOC is also continuing to update its fleet of snowplows/salt trucks and is currently in the process of adding 34 new plow trucks, which cost approximately $425,000 apiece. “We are continuing to replace our aging fleet of trucks,” RCOC Managing Director Dennis Kolar said.
“As a safety feature,” Kolar added, “all new trucks are equipped with green lights that can be seen from a greater distance during winter weather. Pick-up trucks used for winter maintenance are also equipped with the green lights.”
Kolar noted the agency is prepared for whatever Mother Nature brings during the winter, though a milder winter is always appreciated. “Winter maintenance is one of our most critical functions for the safety of everyone,” he said. “We always prepare for a worse-than-normal winter which includes having plenty of road salt available.”
The RCOC team is also constantly looking for best practices when it comes to maintaining roads during the winter months, such as the “wing plows” ordered with new trucks in recent years. The wing plows extend from the right side of the truck and are retracted when not in use.
“The wing plows increase the width of roadway plowed by a single truck, enabling trucks to plow a roadway lane and the shoulder at the same time, for example,” Kolar said. “Equipping many of our trucks with wing plows has improved their efficiency,” he added.
RCOC also utilizes its pickup fleet to clear crossovers/turnarounds on boulevards in a more timely manner as well as to get into subdivisions/residential streets more quickly. The pickup fleet is also used for winter-weather rapid-response operations that allow RCOC staff to get to isolated icing occurrences and other urgent situations more quickly.
Additionally, during or following weather events with six or more inches of snow, RCOC uses non-road-maintenance staff to augment its pool of drivers and hires contractors to help on gravel roads.
Despite the addition of the part-time, temporary employees and the rapid-response plan, Kolar explained that motorists must still be vigilant when driving during or immediately after snow events. “Drive for the conditions. That will make a safer environment for everyone on the road,” he stated.
Kolar also reminded motorists that as of last year, Michigan law requires motorists to stay 200 feet back from a plow truck. “This helps to ensure the safety of motorists,” he said. “It can take a longer distance to stop in snow and ice, and when vehicles run into the back of one of the big orange trucks, it’s not good for the passenger vehicle. So, please don’t crowd the plow -- give the plows ‘room to groom’.”
