This has been a quiet winter for PennDOT's large fleet of trucks, as it's felt more like spring so far. PennDOT spokesman Brad Rudolph said that might have given drivers an unjustified sense of confidence and he hopes people are prepared.
"Make sure your vehicle can handle the conditions," he cautioned. "We see a lot of disabled vehicles, not necessilary crashes, but all it takes is a disabled vehicle to take out a lane and all the sudden we have a significant backup."
Rudolph said they knew this storm was coming and did prep well ahead of time. "Fortunately, we were able to pre-treat area highways, expressways, some of the lower volume roadways on Thursday and Friday," he said, "which will help us with some of the initial salting operations."
And the fact that this is a weekend does make their job a little easier, but the drivers still need your help. "They have traffic to worry about, so they have a big job," Rudolph explained. "The more distance you can give them, the better and of course, make sure your vehicle is ready and again, watch your speed."
According to Rudolph, it only takes a little bit of ice to make a big mess on the roads, so even though we're not getting buried under a foot of snow this time around doesn't mean you should take it lightly.