DUNMORE -- People throughout northeastern and central Pennsylvania spent the day clearing away from four inches to a foot of snow.
PennDOT drivers were busy plowing away the mess before temperatures started to plummet later in the day.
As Dave Jones headed to his truck, he knew he could be behind the wheel for much of the next 12 hours. Jones has been plowing for PennDOT since the blizzard of 1993 and he's actually enjoyed the many snowstorms since then.
"I just enjoy plowing. You're getting the snow off the road and hopefully you're helping the customers a little bit."
As he worked on the highways in Lackawanna County, he did say other drivers can make his job a bit challenging.
"They're in their own world. They've got to be where they've got to be and a lot of times they're not so concerned about it," Jones said.
Jones and the noon to midnight shift were clearing the mess before bitter cold returned, freezing all of it. The PennDOT plow effort was going nonstop overnight since the first flakes fell. The midnight to noon shift dealt with the heaviest snow.
"It was a long night. The snow just kept coming and coming," said PennDOT driver Tom Bradley.
Bradley was part of the overnight shift heading home having cleared a lot of snow.
"I'm happy. I just have to go home and shovel now."
"You always think of the roads like someone from your family is on them. You give it that level of service, make sure your mom gets home, your daughter gets home, or your wife gets home," Jones added.
It's all teamwork to get the job done. PennDOT has a nerve center with cameras monitoring the conditions and areas that need the most attention.
Drivers like Dave Jones see the forecast and are up for the challenge.
"I get ready. You get amped up. You get keyed up for it. As long as you do that, you can still come to work every day. It's not like it's a drudge. You enjoy what you're doing."
And knowing a lot of people count on him doing a good job.
"The biggest thing is to get home at the end of the night. No one gets hurt. You do your job," said Jones.
Even though the snow is over, PennDOT drivers are still out there, treating slick spots as all that slush from earlier in the day freezes solid in the bitter cold.
