CLEVELAND — Like it or not, winter is coming very soon. Yep, that means it won’t be long before we’re dealing with snow and ice.
Ugh.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is gearing up for the winter driving season -- but the organization says they're struggling to find enough snow plow drivers as they work to fill 500 jobs statewide.
"Finding qualified workers to fill these positions has been a bigger challenge this year," said ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks. "We know that many other entities and industries are facing the same challenges."
ODOT says they have 641 drivers ready for the winter weather in Northeast Ohio.
"These employees often work 12-hour shifts during snow events," ODOT explained in a press release. "While most are full-time drivers, ODOT also uses auxiliary drivers. These auxiliary drivers are ODOT employees who normally do other tasks and only plow snow when needed. A third group of drivers are hired seasonally."
Although drivers are in short supply, salt is not. ODOT says they currently have more than 662,000 tons of salt on hand.
"ODOT's goal is to have primary routes back up to speed within two hours of the end of a snow event," they continued in their press release. "Crews hit that goal 95 percent of the time last winter, but if ODOT is unable to fill enough of the open seasonal position that goal might be tougher to hit this winter."
For those of you keeping track, winter official arrives on Tuesday, Dec. 21 and continues until Sunday, March 20.
MORE HEADLINES:
- RELATED: Help wanted: ODOT hiring for winter jobs
- RELATED: 4-year-old boy granted wish to become excavator operator for a day
- RELATED: Natural gas heating your home? This could be the most expensive winter in 13 years
- RELATED: CDC releases holiday gathering advice amid COVID-19 concerns
- RELATED: Cleveland Metroparks hiring for dozens of jobs, operations of toboggan chutes at risk without additional staff
- RELATED: Walmart unveils three Black Friday shopping events
- RELATED: Kohl's announces early Black Friday event, plans for easier shopping
- RELATED: Best Buy releases Black Friday plans, early deals this month
- RELATED: Warmer weather could mean more invasive insects
- RELATED: Salvation Army kicks off giving season with 75 days until Christmas: How you can help make a difference
- RELATED: Wild Winter Lights returns to Cleveland Zoo for 2021 holiday season with drive-through option