Talkin Winter Ops
Listen in on conversations with experts in the field of road weather and winter road maintenance as they explain how their work helps make roads safer and passable during winter storm events.
Episodes
146 episodes
Episode 146: First storm of the season
Every agency has gone through it. Perfect planning for winter, perfect preparation for that first storm, then mother nature sends a curve ball, all the planets line up and all the little things add up to a big thing. That’s what hap...
Episode 145: The winter app that isn't an app
On this episode were going to showcase the work of a couple of innovative maintenance professionals long time friend and listener, Phillip Anderle turned me on to at the last APWA Western Snow and Ice Conference. These two guys created a ...
Episode 144: Communicate, Coordinate, Cooperate - the I-80 Corridor Coalition
Born out of a desire to improve winter operations across state lines the Interstate 80 Corridor Coalition has grown into the second longest corridor coalition extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Likewise, the operational focus has...
Episode 143: Winter readiness, get your house in order
While it's important to have stockpiles full, equipment repaired and ready, and staff training and assignments set, it's important to have your home weather ready as well. After all, when you're out there battling the weather, there's pea...
Bonus Episode 142: Pacific Northwest Snowfighters 2026
The Pacific Northwest Snowfighters Association will be holding their biannual conference for winter maintenance professionals and practitioners May 2026 in Spokane, Washington. This best in the west winter operations conference is a perfe...
Episode 141: Maintenance-If you think it's not important, just stop doing it
From that moment the very first engineering project was completed the age of maintenance began. While the initial delivery of the public work carries a lot of fanfare nothing is more important than keeping it functional and in service.&nb...
Episode 140: Salt is about the speed
In this episode we’re revisiting an earlier episode of Talkin Winter Ops that you may have missed. In this episode we visit with Dr. Scott Koefod, inorganic chemist, about just how salt works when used as part of a winter maintenance stra...
Episode 139: Don't give your spouse the leftovers
Winter maintenance is more than work plans, budgets, disasters and recovery. Your family plays a huge role in your public works career and public service often demands family sacrifice during times of crisis. Lots of times the two w...
Episode 138: Designed for snowplows
Developing an infrastructure project is series of compromises and tradeoffs and so often maintenance and operations considerations end up on the cutting room floor. Unfortunately, those decisions have implications that agencies have to li...
Episode 137: Innovation, the little ones are the big ones
A hundred and fifty years ago road departments leaned on the farmers next to the road to help maintain it and often times paid them to do so. As time marched on and road departments became DOTs with dedicated maintenance workers and tools...
Episode 136: Keep snow off the road with Snow Fence, Minnesota style
The easiest snow flake to remove from the roadway is the one that never lands on it. Seems obvious but how to make that happen? On this episode we’re Talkin Winter Ops with Dan Gullickson, Minnesota DOT supervisor of their Blowing S...
Episode 135: 2025 National Briefing - No Boundaries
This briefing features the No Boundaries Pool Fund Study. The No Boundaries pooled fund project is a community of practice of state DOT maintenance and operations professionals who share innovative maintenance technologies and practices t...
Episode 134: 2025 National Briefing - Professional Snowfighters Association
This briefing features the Professional Snowfighters Association a North American based non-profit professional association dedicated to creating a community of practice, based upon adherence to sound science as it seeks to improve knowledge an...
Episode 133: 2025 National Briefing - AMS
This briefing features the work of the American Meteorological Societies Committee on Road Weather and Technology. Focusing on advances weather science and technologies to fashion solutions to advance mobility during winter events the com...
Episode 132: 2025 PIARC Winter Service Technical Committee
This briefing features the international Winter Service Technical Service Committee of the PIARC. This Technical Committee focuses on activities facing all winter maintenance organizations across the globe. Check out the
Episode 131: 2025 National Briefing - APWA
American Public Works Associations Winter Maintenance Subcommittee is the focus of this briefing. The Winter Maintenance Subcommittee’s mission is to promote the development and use of the safest, most cost-effective, efficient, and envir...
Episode 130: 2025 National Briefing - MDSS
This episode of the National Briefing features the Maintenance Decision Support System Pool Fund Study. This organization is advancing winter maintenance decision support through advanced forecasting and understanding of the winter weathe...
Episode 129: 2025 National Briefing - Winter Weather Management TSP
On this episode of the National Briefing features AASHTOs Winter Weather Management Technical Service Program, Formerly SICOP. Winter Weather Management work focuses on the identification, promotion, and collaboration efforts necessary to advan...
Episode 128: 2025 National Briefing - Clear Roads
On this episode of the National Briefing we feature the Clear Roads Pool Fund Study. Clear Roads focus is on all things winter maintenance from driver safety to liquid chemicals. Check out the
Episode 127: 2025 National Briefing - Aurora
On this episode of the National Briefing we feature the Aurora Pool Fund Study. Aurora's work focus is on road weather, instrumentation, and forecasting among other related activities. Check out the
Episode 126: 2025 National Briefing - TRB Update
In just the past few weeks there have been big changes at TRB that include the Winter Maintenance and the Road Weather Committees. On this episode of the National Briefing Paul Pisano, former chair of the Road Weather Committee is here to...
Episode 125: 2025 National Briefing - Maintenance Operations TWG
On this episode of the National Briefing we feature the Maintenance Operations Technical Working Group of AASHTOs Maintenance Committee. One of the 5 Technical Working Groups of this Committee, Maintenance Operations focuses on activities like ...
Episode 124: 2025 National Briefing - Introduction
The National Winter Maintenance and Road Weather Briefing is an annual event where organizations working in this space can highlight their activities and advancements in winter maintenance and road weather. This year 11 organizations will...
Episode 123: APWA Certification Program
We’ve been on a training theme for the last couple of episodes which, I think, is super relevant considering the average level of experience in the winter maintenance profession right now. As maintenance managers, where do you go to get r...
Episode 122: The Maintenance Leadership Academy
When it comes to preparing your folks for leadership roles in highway maintenance the National Highway Institute Maintenance Leadership Academy is the gold standard. This comprehensive program and the experiences of the instructors provid...
