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Help Wanted: Ohio needs more snowplow drivers

Ohio Department of Transportation

Ohio is one of six states that’s looking to hire more than 100 snowplow drivers, with winter just a few weeks away. And that’s not an easy task this year for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

ODOT’s Matt Bruning says the state usually hires about 500 temporary snowplow drivers each winter. He says retired workers or those who work in construction during the summer usually sign on to drive plows in the winter. But it’s not so easy to get enough this year.

“There’s such a high demand for CDL drivers across all sectors of the economy and not just here in Ohio but all across the country,” Bruning says.

Bruning says the state has a 95% record of clearing roads within two hours of a snow event but this year, if there’s a shortage of drivers, it could take longer to get those roads cleared.

Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.