Interesting Facts for Winter Operations

By the numbers: 

• 1 set of windshield wipers every 8-10 hours during a snow event
• 1 set of tires per truck every two seasons
• 2 facilities....one in Kingsley and one in Traverse City
• 2-3 loads of salt and sand per day, per truck during a snow event
• 5 full time employees who repair and maintain the trucks
• 10 trucks currently with green and amber lights installed
•  10.5' is the width of a truck with the wing up
• 10-15 MPH is the speed at which the operators drive while maintaining subdivision roads
• 14' is the width of a truck with the wing down
• 15 - 20 tons of sand and salt used per day, per truck during a snow event
• 20 tons is the weight of an empty plow truck
• 30 tons is the weight of a fully loaded plow truck
• 30-35 MPH is the speed at which the operators drive while maintaining the main roads
• 31 truck routes for snow plowing
• 35-40 trucks available during a winter snow event
• 80-160 gallons of gas used per day, per truck while maintaining the roads
• 110 gallons each truck can hold
• 150 gallons of "pre-wet" used per day in conjunction with salt to maximize it's effectiveness. 
• 250 - 300 miles driven per day, per operator during a snow event
• 1,200 miles of roads maintained during the winter months
• $75,000 is the cost to maintain the roads for 10-12 hours during a snow storm

More interesting facts:

• Lug nuts have to be tightened up daily when running the front plows and every three or so days when not.
• In addition to driving the truck, operators have to operate separate sander controls (flight chain, auger spinner and pre-wet functions), plus scraper up/down, scraper left/right, wing up/down, plow up/down and plow left/right on some trucks
•  It is very dangerous to pass a plow truck on the right.  The wing, which extends 3.5' out from the truck, will be difficult, if not impossible to see.
• Plow trucks have the right of way at intersections.  They will stop, and even back up unexpectedly.
• Roads are prioritized during winter months.  State Highways are given first priority, with Primary, Secondary, Local, Sub-division and gravel roads receiving attention in that order.