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Shortage of snowplow drivers in Salt Lake County
Dec 9, 2021, 1:18 PM | Updated: 3:50 pm
Snowplow driver shortage in Salt Lake County. Photo: Canva
SALT LAKE CITY — Just as Salt Lake City sees its first winter snowstorm, Salt Lake County reported they are short five snowplow drivers.
Salt Lake County looking to hire more snowplow drivers ahead of winter … https://t.co/FlXGjBSIzi via @YouTube Thank you @fox13
— SLCoPublicWorks (@SLCoPublicWorks) December 6, 2021
The job of a Salt Lake County snowplow driver
Kevyn Smeltzer, the division director for Salt Lake County Public Work, explained some of the difficulties of the job of a snowplow driver. He said drivers start with an hourly wage of $16. Although $16 an hour is over double Utah’s minimum wage of $7.25, drivers are “on-call.” They are only scheduled to work when snowplows are needed.
Salt Lake City now has the first measurable snowfall (0.1″ or more) this season! It has been 259 days since the last accumulating snow, which is the 4th longest streak with no snow. It’s the 5th latest snow of the season on record. #utwx pic.twitter.com/BoOdv8NrCk
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) December 9, 2021
Over the last two years, winter has seen light snowfall which has meant reduced and unreliable hours for snowplow drivers.
When it does snow, it pours for snowplow drivers
Smeltzer told Dave & Dujanovic that drivers are called out to work at midnight, and can spend anywhere from 10 to 16 hours clearing snow. A night crew comes in for clean-up, but drivers will be called back out at midnight once again if needed.
Related stories:
Power outages, rain and snow affect Thursday morning commute
My Minute of News: A poem for nameless Salt Lake City snowplows
