All 902 plow trucks owned by Iowa Department of Transportation now are on a new G-P-S system. Craig Bargfrede heads winter operations for the D-O-T. He says this new system allows vehicles to gather all sorts of data, which the D-O-T will now be able to use for clearing Iowa’s roadways of snow and ice more efficiently.  “By having this data available, we’re able to go back and do a review to see, ‘Okay, based on, this is the treatment practice we applied during this type of storm’,” Bargfrede says. “Based on that, how effective was that treatment practice and how fast were we able to bring the system back up to near-normal winter driving conditions?”

The new system cost about 850-thousand-dollars, but Bargfrede says it will pay for itself as the D-O-T can now be more targeted with how it deploys plow trucks, how it uses road salt and anticipate if a vehicle is having mechanical issues. Bargfrede says he’s excited to analyze the new information the G-P-S system will provide. “Track truck locations, direction of travel, speed, what type of material that we’re putting down, how much of that material we’re putting down,” he says. “It also gives us the ability to gather engine data.”

Bargfrede says a previous system used by the D-O-T was cellular, and therefore data wasn’t as accurate due to dead spots. The Iowa D-O-T clears more than 24-thousand miles of snow and ice during the winter months.

(Radio Iowa/IA Public Radio contribution)