The first day of winter is two months away according to the calendar. But, for the Iowa Department of Transportation, the winter season has already arrived. Craig Bargfrede, the DOT’s winter operations administrator, says they’re busy preparing equipment and materials for that first big snowfall. And the agency is hiring snow plow operators.

“We’re looking at somewhere around 600 of those slot available across the state. So far, we’re getting a pretty good response for getting those positions filled,” Bargfrede said. For the DOT, the winter season runs from mid-October through mid-April. Snow plow drivers can earn quite a bit of cash if it’s a harsh winter.

“The starting wage is $17.28 an hour and it varies from location to location, but it’s basically an on-call type of program,” Bargfrede said. The Iowa Department of Transportation is responsible for snow and ice removal on more than 9,000 miles of Iowa highways.

(Radio Iowa) – More info. at https://www.iowadot.gov/careers