Kelly Heathman from our Transportation Equipment Fund office sent us this on the morning of January 18 and although it's a couple of weeks old, we thought we would share it with you to give you some behind the scenes detail about the people and the work that goes into maintaining and repairing those snowplows and trucks you see out on the roadways.

by guest blogger Kelly Heathman

I was watching the news Wednesday morning (January 18) as snow was falling all around my house.  The reporter was commenting on our efforts on how well we were keeping the roads clear.  It gave me a sense of pride and got me thinking about the unsung heroes at the Transportation Equipment Fund (TEF).

Every truck that was plowing snow that morning has undergone a thorough check of all its components by TEF technicians.  These mechanical marvels are a menagerie of components just waiting to fail.  Just a simple hydraulic problem can cripple one of these beasts.  As technologically advanced as these trucks are, only so much can be done to safeguard them from the corrosive agents being spread on the roads.  They are exposed to a cruel world. They simply won’t operate without maintenance and fuel. 

What happens to these trucks when the unthinkable happens?  They go to one of the six shop locations in the NW Region manned by TEF technicians, and in some cases they are repaired on the site of the breakdown.  With TEF mechanics on a snow event contingency schedule, all shops are open 24 hours to respond to any problems.  There are also 25 WSDOT fuel sites that need constant monitoring and maintenance during inclement weather.

What are the most common components that fail?  As mentioned, hydraulic problems are a common occurrence.  Since the plow and dump body functions are operated by hydraulics, one small problem can disable the truck.  When this happens, a technician usually has to repair the truck on the side of the road.  He must determine the problem and manufacture a new hose from the tools in his service truck.  This has to be done safely and in the most adverse weather conditions.

TEF takes theses trucks maintenance very seriously.  They are meticulously cared for from the minute they arrive to the Corson shop from the dealership.  We install all the controllers, mount the plows, install the lighting, safeguard the components from the elements and do all the custom fabrication.  They are on a strict preventative maintenance schedule of fluid and filter replacement, tires, brake system and hydraulic maintenance. 

So when you see that yellow dump truck traveling down the highway on the 6:00 news, please remember the blood, sweat and tears that went into the fabrication and maintenance of it.  That’s what I see.     

While Western Washington's state highways have mostly returned to normal from the two-week winter blast, the snow just hasn't stopped in Eastern Washington. Close to 60 inches has fallen in the Spokane area, and most of it has not melted.

WSDOT regularly shifts resources around areas and regions. A good weather window in Western Washington allowed us to shift plows to Eastern Region for the next five days. We are shifting five plow trucks and 10 drivers from Olympic Region (two from Aberdeen and three from Tacoma) to Eastern Region to help with the snow removal efforts over there. The Olympic Region crews will be working for Eastern Region Area 1 Superintendent Gary Clemenson in Spokane. Two trucks left from Tumwater last night for the Spokane area. Three more left this morning from Tacoma.

On one level, moving trucks and drivers from one location to another around the state seems like it should be relatively straightforward. However, there are lots of details necessary to pull it off successfully. Just a few include outfitting the trucks, getting the drivers, changing out plow bits, adjusting the radio frequency, working out the details of who would meet them and where they would go once they got to Spokane. There were a host of other details.

Here are some photos of crews switching out the OR's rubber plow bits for steel bits to use in Eastern Region. A quick tidbit...we use rubber plow bits in most parts of Western Washington to protect raised pavement markers. They use recessed pavement markers in most parts of Eastern Washington.

From Jamie Holter in the Seattle Communications office...

We’re being inundated with calls this morning about personal driveways. Folks who live on our state highways are calling and asking us to clear the berm we’ve created as we cleared snow from the road.

In the last two hours, I personally have taken calls from a mom with a new baby and three small kids in Carnation and an elderly couple for whom the need for immediate medical attention is a real possibility.

I called out to our maintenance folks and they are just swamped keeping the roads clear right now. This is another serious snow and they tell me they have a system for keeping the roads clear of snow and ice. If they break off to do a driveway out in Carnation or Aberdeen, the whole system could be thrown into disarray. (Not to mention that every person in Aberdeen or Carnation would want their driveway cleared.)

We know it’s hard especially after seven straight days of this stuff. You might want to consider calling a neighbor and asking them to help you out. Another idea - if you are reading this and you are healthy and looking for something to do, you might want to go knock on a neighbor’s door and offer your services. (I know I shove my teenager out the door to check on our neighbors at times like this.) It is the holidays, after all, and a good deed would certainly be appreciated.

The good news: I just took a tour of the traffic cameras and it appears the snow is turning to rain in the Northwest. YEAH!!!! So perhaps an end is in sight.

If you need assistance, you can call 211. It's the Washington information network and an operator can connect you with health and human service providers: www.win211.org/ .