AUGUSTA, Maine — Another crucial industry finds itself short-handed this year, the people Mainers rely on most when the snow starts to fly.
The Maine DOT said its snow plow driving force is down 20 percent from where it should be.
Kyle Hall, the department's maintenance operations director, said he has just over 500 drivers statewide. Hall said he would feel more comfortable with 650.
Hall is actively hiring and said he's offering increased salary stipends, competitive benefits, and on-the-job training to new hires. He's not concerned about coverage for this weekend's storm — the first of the winter. But, as the season gets uglier, he could use the extra hands.
"[During] longer events or back-to-back events, I don't have the depth that I used to have of drivers to relieve drivers," he explained.
Hall said he has dozens of mechanics and other DOT staff, who have commercial drivers licenses, who are willing to hop in the driver's seat if the plow team gets stretched thin. But, he said, that would then mean the department would be stretched thin elsewhere.
According to the department, its plow teams maintain 8,225 lane miles of roads and work out of 93 crew camps statewide.