Ah, roadkill, the unsung mascot of every highway department. It doesn’t matter if you’re running a sleepy rural township or managing a busy county road crew, sooner or later, your phone will ring with that inevitable complaint: “There’s a dead something-or-other in the middle of Elm Street. Smells like next Tuesday.” Welcome to one of … Read more
Dealing with the Loudmouths: Managing Difficult Personalities in Your Highway Department If you’ve been in this line of work long enough, you know the type. The loudmouth. The guy (or gal) who never misses an opportunity to make themselves the center of attention at the shop. Who constantly peppers meetings with “Well, that’s not how … Read more
🗂 Safety Training Binder Checklist General Workplace Safety Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) selection and use Lockout/Tagout procedures Proper lifting and ergonomics Slips, trips, and falls prevention Housekeeping and garage safety Fire extinguisher use and fire safety Hazard Communication (HazCom) / Right-to-Know Heat stress prevention Cold weather safety and frostbite prevention Working safely in confined … Read more
Rainy Days Are Safety Days: Why Every Highway Superintendent Should Keep a Training Binder Handy As every highway superintendent knows, no two days in the motorpool are alike. Some days the crews are out patching potholes or clearing culverts; other days Mother Nature keeps them in the garage watching the rain come down. It’s … Read more
When it comes to road work, setting up cones and waving a flag might seem like the simplest part of the job, but it’s also one of the most dangerous. As a highway superintendent, you already know that your team’s safety and the traveling public’s safety depends on well-run work zones. And the person on … Read more
Let’s be honest, recruiting good people for highway department jobs isn’t getting any easier. You’re often competing with private contractors who can offer higher wages, especially when it comes to drivers with a Class B CDL in their pocket. Civil servant pay? It’s not exactly going to make the top of the Best Jobs in … Read more