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

Kline, Christine F. · 2016 · ROSA P / Utah. Department of Transportation

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This report addresses the need for a formal policy governing snowplow operator driving time for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT). The research was motivated by UDOT’s issuance of interim guidance in February 2015 (Letter of Instruction 15-1), which specified working hours and approval requirements for snowplow operators. The study aimed to examine best practices to replace this interim measure with a comprehensive, formal policy that ensures operator safety and operational efficiency. The methodology comprised a literature review and two targeted surveys. The literature review analyzed existing research on driver fatigue, commercial motor vehicle hours of service regulations, and winter maintenance operations, focusing on factors such as shift length, rest breaks, sleep patterns, and circadian rhythms. To gather practical data, researchers conducted two surveys: one distributed to 39 state departments of transportation (DOTs), yielding responses from 27, and another sent to 20 selected UDOT region staff members, with 10 responding. These surveys collected data on current driving time practices, including shift limits under typical and emergency conditions, break policies, and minimum rest periods. The findings revealed no uniform standard for snowplow operator driving time across the nation. However, the literature indicated that fatigue can begin within the second hour of driving and that time of day is often more critical than shift length in determining fatigue risk. Circadian lows between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. presented increased fatigue risks. Survey results showed a wide range of shift lengths, from 7.5 hours to unlimited, but 12 hours was the most frequently cited maximum shift length among state DOTs. Most agencies differentiated shift limits for emergency conditions and incorporated mandatory breaks. The research highlighted that rest breaks significantly reduce crash odds, and that staffing challenges, environmental conditions, and commute times heavily influence the management of shift limits. The report concludes with specific recommendations for UDOT’s formal policy. Key suggestions include adopting 12-hour shifts based on reported successes, establishing distinct shift limits for emergency conditions, and mandating breaks in operator schedules. The authors recommend specifying minimum rest periods that account for long commute times and adjusting shift start/end times to avoid circadian lows. To address staffing constraints, the report suggests staggering shift changes, rotating drivers, and deploying all resources early in storm events. Additionally, UDOT should consider reducing service levels during extended storms, managing public expectations, allowing regional flexibility, and monitoring the policy’s impact through stakeholder feedback.

Key finding

The most frequently cited maximum shift length for snowplow operators among surveyed state departments of transportation was 12 hours.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 49

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• truck driver fatigue
• hours of service
• shift work driving
• time on task