Snow plow drivers have been incredibly busy the last few weeks as relentless snow has pounded the region.
The Nebraska Department of Transportation had its plows out on highways and interstates all night on Tuesday, laying down a salt mix for traction and removing snow that fell.
Mike Gundersen tells 6 News he has been clearing the highways around Omaha and Council Bluffs for 19 years and said this winter has been more frustrating than most. "Everybody is getting kind of cranky."
He says the snowy season is taking a toll on all plow drivers as they work around the clock, with one shift adding up to about 230 miles. "Twelve-hour shifts until it's completely done. This year it's a little bit more because we've had back-to-back storms, you know."
Experience has taught Gundersen to leave frustration off of the road because the job is dangerous enough as it is.
Driving miles and miles for hours on end leads to fast-building fatigue. "It's just something you've got to work through," Gundersen said.
Gundersen says blind spots around the tow plows don't help. "I can't tell if there's a car over there or sometimes I'll kind of edge over that way and there's a car there." He says he has learned that he can't rely on other drivers to notice him, even with flashing lights.
(Photo courtesy of 6 News)