AASHTO Journal - Arizona DOT Using Snowplow Simulators for Training

To better prepare its snowplow operators for the hazards posed by winter operations, the Arizona Department of Transportation is using snowplow “simulators.”

[Above photo by Arizona DOT]

Since September, the agency has used snowplow simulators located in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, and Holbrook to help train its more than snowplow operators – all of whom must hold commercial driver’s licenses – on hundreds of scenarios that imitate what operators encounter along their routes on Arizona highways.

A simulation may have an operator plowing roads that mimic interstates, like I-40 and I-17 in Flagstaff, or two-lane highways in urban and rural environments, among other variables, Arizona DOT said.

It’s a convenient and effective way for the operators to “get a feel” for how the agency’s roughly 200 snowplows operate in different conditions without the risk of damaging equipment, explained Mario Ortega, Arizona DOT’s training delivery manager.

“These simulators react in real-time, allowing our operators to learn how the equipment responds under different conditions,” he said in a statement. “They’re an important tool to help us prepare for winter storms and that leads to safer highways during the winter.”

[Editor’s note: Several state departments of transportation are using simulators to help keep the skills of their snowplow operations sharp. The video below shows how the New Mexico Department of Transportation uses this technology for such training purposes.]

Instructors can alter the conditions of the simulation, changing from daytime or nighttime, adding iciness to the roads or affecting the visibility by simulating rain or snow. Some scenarios are designed to train operators to constantly scan their surroundings and might include an animal darting into the roadway or a car cutting off a snowplow, Ortega noted.

“In these sorts of situations, it forces the operator to ask themselves ‘What would I do and how would I react?’ The simulators help train our employees and prepare them so they can operate the machinery more safely — and ultimately help keep the traveling public safer,” he stressed.

Now, every year, Arizona DOT snowplow operators are required to run through a refresher course on the simulator and complete a series of “winter readiness” classes that cover safety protocols, the different parts of the snowplow, plowing techniques and more.