KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Road commission agencies across the state of Michigan are working to make sure there isn't a shortage of snow plow drivers this winter.
The Ottawa County Road Commission is looking to fill four positions. A full staff is 67 operators.
Ryan Kemppainen, Operations Supervisor, said candidates are out there, but they're not getting as many applicants as in years past.
"One of the main reasons we're seeing a shortage in Commercial Driver's License (CDL) drivers right now is because they're more CDL jobs available than actual drivers in the market so it's making for a real competitive job market," Kemppainen said.
Bre Arnett, HR Generalist with the Kent County Road Commission, said they've had to change their hiring process to address the labor shortage.
"We've had to be faster so we don't lose them through the hiring process. Smaller, multiple groups means faster turn around," Arnett said.
Kent County road officials said they have the same staffing levels going into winter this year as they had going last year. That's 134 snow plow operators. A full-staff they attribute to planning ahead and overstaffing in anticipation of retirements.
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