Why This Maine City Had to Send The Plow Trucks Out on The Road

It seems a little crazy to think that during the literal hottest week of summer so far in Maine that we would need big plow trucks on the road, but alas, this is Maine and we do what we want.

No your eyes are not mistaking you, those really are giant orange plow trucks fully equipped with their front plow, wing plow and sand spreaders driving up and down the roads. Where and when was this happening you might be asking?

Well, most recently this was happening on Tuesday and Wednesday in the city of Augusta, Maine. No, it wasn't snowing something fierce and no there wasn't some unexplained buildup of ice and slush on the road that needed immediate sanding. I mean geez, the heat index has been close to 100 degrees and area school have been letting out early because it's so hot.

What's actually happening is that municipalities like Augusta are getting their new drivers behind the wheel to log some training hours before the white stuff really starts to fly, which let's be honest, that could be anytime.

The new drivers that are going to plow for Augusta Public Works and other towns, need to have some idea of how these trucks operate and what their route will look like before it's all buried under several inches of snow.

That's why Augusta Public Works has taken to the streets this week in the giant orange plow trucks. So, just like you would during a real Maine snow storm, steer clear of these rigs and let them have some space so that when the time comes, they can get out and get the real job done!

Augusta Public Works said in part on their Facebook page,

If you have seen us out driving around in a plow truck over the past few days, it has been for training purposes. Even on the hottest weeks of summer we are working on getting drivers ready for the upcoming winter!