They also said the drug has not yet been tested on children. The scene seems more befitting of space travel than snow removal. But for five states, pushing snow has become a high-tech business as they soup up their plows to clear roads faster, better and more safely. Gone are old-fashioned radio equipment and dashboard levers. The plows feature onboard computers, satellite dishes, ultrabright strobe lights, video cameras, and tanks with three different de-icing liquids.
Operators use joysticks to control the plows' blades.
Global positioning systems allow dispatchers to track each truck's location down to the inch, including how many plows are in contact with the road and how much salt each driver has dumped. Doors have been replaced by clear plastic shields to improve visibility for drivers. Sensors on the new plows track road and air temperatures, to determine what type of deicing chemicals will work best. Salt dispensation is carefully controlled based on the truck's speed. Transportation officials say the most important feature is a spoiler that causes kicked-up snow to go under the plow, instead of into traffic.