Snowplow operator driving time: survey of state and local practices : final report.

Final reportPDFTech ReportUT-16.0616-8371Best practicesHours of laborLiterature reviewsOperators (Persons)RecommendationsRest periodsSnowplowsState departments of transportationSurveysUnited StatesUtahUtah. Dept. of TransportationKline, Christine F.CTC & Associates LLCUtah. Dept. of TransportationUnited States. Dept. of TransportationUS Transportation CollectionIn February 2015, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) issued interim guidance for continuous workinghours for UDOT\ue2\u20ac\u2122s snowplow operators. Letter of Instruction 15-1 specified the number of hours that could beworked by snowplow operators and the approval required for certain shift lengths. This research examines bestpractices for snowplow operator driving time to inform development of a formal policy that will replace the Letterof Instruction 15-1 interim guidance.The major tasks of this research include a literature search that gathered information about the implications ofdriving time, rest breaks and other driving time policies with a focus on commercial motor vehicle drivers andsnowplow operators. Two surveys\ue2\u20ac\u201done provided to 39 state departments of transportation and another distributedto 20 specially selected UDOT region staff\ue2\u20ac\u201dgathered information about current snowplow operator driving timepractices across the country and within UDOT.Recommendations for UDOT\ue2\u20ac\u2122s consideration in preparing a formal policy for snowplow operator driving timeinclude establishing 12-hour shifts given the successes reported by survey respondents; establishing different shiftlimits for emergency conditions; including breaks in the operator\ue2\u20ac\u2122s work schedule; specifying a minimum rest periodbetween shifts that accommodates long commute times for drivers; identifying ways to remediate staffingchallenges; considering reducing the level of service during extended storm events; managing public expectations;allowing for flexibility at the area, region or station level; and monitoring the impact of the new policy