LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – While there may not be snow on the ground in September, the Arkansas Department of Transportation is shifting gears toward winter weather preparations.

ARDOT says every new operator will spend time in a simulator before they ever touch a plow, and veteran drivers are using it to brush up as well.

"This simulator is a really great tool, we have that at our disposal to teach our maintenance workers who will become snowplow operators, drivers in a very short time," ARDOT Communication Director Dave Parker said.

Parker shares that just like pilots train before a flight, this simulator acts in the same way, providing a feel for what icy conditions and surprise hazards might be like.

It even allows them to drive the routes they will take once a winter weather event hits o

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