Jerk
12/2/2006, 03:12 PM
(long and boring post)
I'll tell you a few things about driving a snow plow truck.
First, they're the worst trucks in our company's fleet because they're only used a few times a year. 6 or 7 of my 28 hours was spent either broke down or in the shop.
Anyway, driving a snow plow in ice and sleet is boring, very boring.
Driving one in heavy snow is a kid-at-heart's dream. Imagine a little boy with a tonka toy playing in the snow, but this thing is huge...they used to be mixer trucks but they took the drums off and put sand hoppers on the back and blades in the front.
Now, when the snow is getting heavy and you're cruising down the road with the plow down, it is serious fun...and it throws that stuff high and far...it makes a friggin white wall like a wave and you cover up alot of stuff. It was just a blast. And I am like a king on the road...I ran lights and did U turns right in front of Yukon and Peidmont cops...they didn't even give me a second look. No one else was out.
There is a bad thing that happens. When you got the blade down and you go over a bridge, sometimes that blade will fall into the expansion joint :eek: Let me tell you, it is a sudden bone rattling jar that will surely get your attention. It's designed to "flop" but it sure goes bang!
My manager saved a woman's life. He was cruising in his pick-up behind another snow truck and thought he saw something (this was in the middle of the night during a white-out out in the country). He turned around and found a woman in the ditch, on her knees, her car down in a creek, both her legs broke, her bleeding from the chest. That was good for him. He had a tough year..he found one of our drivers back in March in a pile of rocks after he got hit by a train.
So...I went in at 4:00PM Wednesday and drove until 10:00AM the next day, then came back at 9:00PM that night and drove until 10:00AM Friday morning. I lost track of dates and times. Good fun. I never seen it thunder and lightening AND snow for so long.
I'll tell you a few things about driving a snow plow truck.
First, they're the worst trucks in our company's fleet because they're only used a few times a year. 6 or 7 of my 28 hours was spent either broke down or in the shop.
Anyway, driving a snow plow in ice and sleet is boring, very boring.
Driving one in heavy snow is a kid-at-heart's dream. Imagine a little boy with a tonka toy playing in the snow, but this thing is huge...they used to be mixer trucks but they took the drums off and put sand hoppers on the back and blades in the front.
Now, when the snow is getting heavy and you're cruising down the road with the plow down, it is serious fun...and it throws that stuff high and far...it makes a friggin white wall like a wave and you cover up alot of stuff. It was just a blast. And I am like a king on the road...I ran lights and did U turns right in front of Yukon and Peidmont cops...they didn't even give me a second look. No one else was out.
There is a bad thing that happens. When you got the blade down and you go over a bridge, sometimes that blade will fall into the expansion joint :eek: Let me tell you, it is a sudden bone rattling jar that will surely get your attention. It's designed to "flop" but it sure goes bang!
My manager saved a woman's life. He was cruising in his pick-up behind another snow truck and thought he saw something (this was in the middle of the night during a white-out out in the country). He turned around and found a woman in the ditch, on her knees, her car down in a creek, both her legs broke, her bleeding from the chest. That was good for him. He had a tough year..he found one of our drivers back in March in a pile of rocks after he got hit by a train.
So...I went in at 4:00PM Wednesday and drove until 10:00AM the next day, then came back at 9:00PM that night and drove until 10:00AM Friday morning. I lost track of dates and times. Good fun. I never seen it thunder and lightening AND snow for so long.