By Jessica Schmidt [1]
NAPANEE – There might not be snow on the ground, but that didn’t stop snowplow drivers from cities and towns across Ontario competing in a “Roadeo” on Wednesday to see who is the best in the province.
At the Safety Truck Roadeo [2] at the Strathcona Paper Centre, the parking lot was full of snowplow trucks, pickups and other vehicles. Like the cocky pilots in Top Gun [3], the drivers were all hoping to snag the win and be crowned best in the province.
The provincial event, organized by the Association of Ontario Road Supervisors [4], brought together 28 drivers who’d won their local Roadeo [5] and earned their place at the finals.
The competitors were shown a challenging obstacle course designed to replicate the real-world manoeuvres that snowplow drivers have to do every day. The tough point system meant that they lost points any time they strayed off course or hit something.
In one part of the course, each driver had to weave their plow around big cones going both forward and in reverse. In another, they had to back into a tight spot and leave as little room as possible behind the truck without hitting a bar placed at the end of the spot. Later, the drivers had to make their way through a tight section without hitting the posts that were on either side. It left little room for error.
The mood was friendly, with drivers offering words of praise as they watched fellow contestants from the sidelines. But there was definitely a competitive spirit.
At the end of the day, Ben Kipp of the Township of Mississippi Mills [6] was the one to bring it home and get the title of best driver in Ontario. Kipp belongs to the Lanark County Road Supervisors Association [7].
Snowplow Roadeo Trophy
“The skill set that these guys have, it’s not something just anybody can do,” said Karla Musso-Garcia, second vice-president-elect of the provincial road-supervisors organization. “These are massive machines.”
There are a lot of controls inside the trucks, she said. Five different levers control the snowplow blades alone, in addition to a standard transmission that means the drivers must change gears while operating the plow levers.
As a public works employee in the Simcoe area for 18 years, Musso-Garcia said, she got the chance to ride in the trucks. It gives you a different perspective to see it from the inside, she said.
“It’s amazing to be able to ride along with some of these guys. They’re able to make it look so easy.”
The work the plow drivers do is extremely important, said Joseph Reid, the current second vice-president of the association.
“These individuals that clear our streets, snowplow our roads, maintain our infrastructures within our communities are public works first responders,” he told QNet News. “They’re the ones clearing the road to make sure the police, the fire and the ambulances can actually get to their calls and do their jobs.”
Public works is the heart of the community, Reid added. The employees work hard to keep roads and parks safe for everyone to enjoy, he said.
There are many employment opportunities available in public works, Reid said, citing communications and civil-engineering-technician jobs. He encourages anyone who is interested to learn more about such openings, he said.
Musso-Garcia agreed: “Careers in public works is something that I’m not sure if many people consider as a first choice … (But) “having a safe community not only in the road systems but in drainage and parks … is so important, and these careers are important. I truly think that we need to promote them because of the ingenuity that is required. It’s a lot of work to do with tight money, so we need creativity and people with thoughts on how to get things done but in a way that’s done for the betterment of the community.”