UDOT plow drivers urge patience after crash

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Department of Transportation plow drivers have been working tirelessly to keep up with Monday’s snowstorm, but they say other drivers aren’t making things easy for them.

UDOT plow truck driver Stephan Foster was working I-215 southbound alongside a team of UDOT trucks, when he could tell a semi-truck was getting too close for comfort. As he was turning his truck at the Redwood Road off-ramp, he said the semi driver started passing him on his right.

“I looked over and he was already passed me and my wing caught almost his last tire on his trailer. It was a fully loaded flat bed. It was freaky. Kind of scared me a bit,” Foster said.

Foster’s brand new UDOT truck is now out of commission, and he and others could have been seriously hurt. Thankfully, he said he and the other driver are fine.

He and other UDOT plow drivers ask people to remember the rules of the road.

“It’s illegal – period – to pass on the right, but when you’re passing a plow truck on the right, it’s just stupid. It’s dangerous,” he cautions.

He wants drivers to slow down and maneuver more cautiously in the snow.

“We understand you have places to go, people to see whatever, we’re trying to clear the roads for you,” he said.

The truck only had about 700 miles on it, but now it’s in the shop for repairs, which means one fewer truck to clear the roads.

KSL have a call out to Utah Highway Patrol to see if any charges will be filed against the other driver.

Foster said trucks from Wendover, Nev. are coming to help, and he’ll be back on the road as soon as possible.