PHOENIX – There may be no use for a snowplow in the Valley this winter - but there will be in other parts of Arizona - and Phoenix is among the training locations for operators who will keep the state’s road clear.

Snowplow drivers have been training using simulators since September in Phoenix, Tucson and Holbrook, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

ADOT has more than 400 trained snowplow operators to operate 200 snowplows that work around the clock when snowstorms hit. Last winter, operators covered about 1 million miles in snowplows across the state, Arizona transportation officials stated in a release.

The simulators can be programmed with 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. 

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

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.

“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,” Ortega said.

Every year, ADOT snowplow operators are required to run through a refresher course on the simulator and complete a series of classes that cover safety protocols, the different parts of the snowplow, plowing techniques and more, according to the release.

ADOT officials also said drivers of passenger cars and trucks also can do their part by staying at least four car-lengths behind a snowplow and never attempting to pass a snowplow.

For more information and tips for driving in winter weather: azdot.gov/KnowSnow.