BOZEMAN — Friday morning I hopped into the front seat of a Montana Department of Transportation plow truck. And they took me along for a joy ride, showing me just what it takes to keep roads clear when the snow starts falling.
“Usually if it snows a lot, they call us at 2:30 so we’re there by 3."
And that's AM, if you were wondering. For the last 38 years, if you saw a plow truck driving around the Bozeman or Livingston area, there's a good chance it was Larry Chapel at the helm. He knows exactly what it takes to be a plow truck driver in Montana.
Watch Cassidy ride along with MDT plow truck driver Larry Chapel:
“You know, we have to be on the roads 24/7. And then we work weekends. Even if it’s Christmas or the Super Bowl, we’re on the roads,” says Larry.
Larry tells me he often racks up around 250 hours of overtime each winter. But this year, he'll be raking in the hours using MDT's brand-new plow trucks. Able to hold around 12,000 pounds of sand, they can cover some serious ground. But Larry says new trucks aren’t the only thing that’s changed over the years.
“Just a lot more traffic. Everything seems like it's more demanding now. Having to get out there sooner to plow the roads and sand because of all the traffic. And a lot more wrecks,” he explained.
In fact, we even passed an accident on I-90 during our ride-along. And Larry was right when he says this job is demanding, considering the last 2 years?
“They’ve been having trouble finding people in Bozeman to work, so there's been volunteers coming in from around the state, coming in and helping,” Larry says.
That’s just to cover areas such as I-90 and other major roads. But have you ever wondered who is tasked with plowing areas in Bozeman such as Main Street downtown?
“The hardest operation we have is cleaning our residential streets,” says Nick Ross, Bozeman’s director of transportation and engineering.
Nick tells me getting these plows around residential streets is a challenge.
“Those are large pieces of equipment. And unfortunately, when we’re going down narrow streets and folks aren't able or willing to move their cars off the street, it becomes a very stressful operation for our operators,” he says.
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Which is why the city is currently working on what they call an "odd-even" parking restriction.
“Where only half of the street parking would have to be removed on your day. That gives our operators a lot more space to move, a lot more space to clear the snow, and also gives folks more of an opportunity to keep their cars on the street,” says Nick.
Which could go into effect later this season. But no matter how hard this job can get, for folks like Larry?
“I can retire right now any time I want. But I enjoy the work, I really do. Kinda rewarding to know you’re making a difference and helping people,” Larry says.
