Snow plough drivers as pillars of society

Give all road maintenance professionals peace to do their work and not stop them unnecessarily, and, in particular, please do not go to the cockpit to give them your feedback or to make threats.

At the time of writing, dozens of centimetres of new snow is forecast for the next few days. Snow removal workers will be working long hours for the next few days, and I know that many of them will only briefly stop by at home during that time. Many of them are extremely eager to work, especially in ploughing. Helping others is known to make you feel good.

Road maintenance personnel, such as plough drivers, are one of the pillars of society, among nurses, police officers, firefighters and other professions that enable the society to function. At the same time, work in this industry is heavy. While you may feel like the roads that you use are the last ones to be ploughed and you could do things better yourself, these professionals usually keep working until they have finished ploughing their own area, no matter how long it takes. Most of them work double shifts without even being asked, so that other people can get to work, hobbies, school and home. They are professionals who are proud to do their job as well as possible.

Plough drivers are humans too, and they have their own problems like we all do. Many of them have families who have to manage while they work long hours. I would like to ask you to give all professionals peace to do their work and not stop them unnecessarily, and, in particular, please do not go to the cockpit to give them your feedback or to make threats. We have dedicated channels for feedback, and we would very much like you to give us as much feedback as possible through these channels, so that we can develop our operation and do even better next time. Of course, in case of an emergency situation, you may disturb the plough driver.

Next time you meet a plough driver, give them space to do their job, so that they have time to clear the road for as many road users as possible. If you are walking or cycling, please go around the plough on its lower side and look over your shoulder every now and then so that you can be safely overtaken if necessary. The most important thing is to raise your hand to say hello, instead of using the other hand signal, to make sure the driver has seen you and to spread good mood to everyone. We do this work for all of you.

Respectful regards to all professionals,
Olli-Pekka Kurki
Site Manager
YIT

Road maintenance