Even among Wyoming's most experienced snowplow drivers, there’s always something to learn. Shaun Emmett, an experienced heavy equipment operator with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), found that out during a harrowing incident on the Chief Joseph Highway.
Emmett was clearing snow off Wyoming Highway 296 Monday morning when he noticed traffic stopped further down the pass. As he approached, he saw a 4-foot-deep snowdrift, around 400 yards long, blocking both lanes.
“I tried pushing through it with the truck, and I made it about a third of the way,” he said. “There was no way I could get through it, so I called our crew for a grader. I cleared some drifts I skipped on the way up and made my way back.”
Emmett repeatedly attacked the snow drift, but the walls lining the highway made it challenging to get the snow off the road. With 50 yards to go, he figured enough momentum would get him through to the pavement beyond.
“I backed up, got a good head of steam, and plowed through until I hit a hard berm in the snow,” he said, “That launched the truck and threw me sideways.”
For the first time in 22 years, Emmett’s truck was utterly stuck in the snow. It was “a humbling experience,” he said.
“I’ve been stuck before but was always able to get myself out,” he said. “Every storm is different. You’ve got to be on your toes all the time.”
Constant Vigilance
WYDOT sends a plow along the extent of the Chief Joseph Highway every day during the winter. Keeping the highway clear and accessible is a priority in northwest Wyoming.
“We spend a lot of time on Chief Joe in the winter,” said WYDOT spokesperson Cody Beers. “There’s a lot of residents who live along that highway, and we need to make sure they can get in and out. So, we roll up our sleeves and give it our best.”
Beers called Emmett “one of the best we’ve got” in WYDOT District 5. Even he was surprised when he saw the photos of Emmett’s truck stuck in the snow.
“This sort of thing doesn’t happen every year, but we’ve had quite a bit of snow up there this year,” he said. “It became a big job, and sometimes we get our plows stuck, too.”
Emmett said every storm is different on the Chief Joseph Highway. This year has thrown plenty of curveballs at WYDOT’s snowplow drivers.
“This year, it's drifted in places where we usually don't get drifts,” he said. “Drifts are pretty common in the area where I got stuck, but other places where you’re not expecting them. You just never know.”
It was a "humbling experience" when WYDOT heavy equipment operator Shaun Emmett got his snowplow stuck on the Chief Joseph Highway on Monday, the first time he’s been totally stuck in 22 years of plowing Wyoming highways. (Courtesy Wyoming Department of Transportation) 
It was a "humbling experience" when WYDOT heavy equipment operator Shaun Emmett got his snowplow stuck on the Chief Joseph Highway on Monday, the first time he’s been totally stuck in 22 years of plowing Wyoming highways. (Courtesy Wyoming Department of Transportation) 
It was a "humbling experience" when WYDOT heavy equipment operator Shaun Emmett got his snowplow stuck on the Chief Joseph Highway on Monday, the first time he’s been totally stuck in 22 years of plowing Wyoming highways. (Courtesy Wyoming Department of Transportation)
Same Struggles
When WYDOT clears Wyoming’s roads of snow, they encounter the same problems as every driver. Emmett said he often finds himself battling whatever winter weather is thrown at him but has to plow forward.
“Visibility is not always possible,” he said. “Sometimes, you just guess where the middle road is and shoot for it. When you’re up on the Chief Joseph Highway at 4:30 a.m., and sunrise isn’t until 7 a.m., you're fighting the dark, snow, wind, and everything else. It can get pretty interesting.”
Beers said the best way to tackle such a significant snow drift would have been to get a rotary snowblower up there, but that’s not always a timely or available option. Emmett and other drivers are trusted to assess the situation, call for the right crews and equipment, and keep working to clear the roads.
“We needed a rotary snow blower up there, but we didn't have one up there that day,” he said. “We had a guy with a plow who had to clear a dangerous drift of snow. You never know what you’re going to run into.”
Clearing Crew
Emmett wasn’t stuck for long. The crew he called for arrived with a grader that was able to pull him out of the snow safely – but not before capturing several pictures of his predicament.
“There was an accumulation of snow on the truck right after that happened, but we won’t get into that,” he said.
The grader used the hole Emmett started to successfully breach the snow drift. Emmett’s truck was undamaged, so he followed to widen the gap. After four hours of work, the Chief Joseph Highway was clear.
Emmett praised the crew—Joe Klein, Mike Strobel, Clint Dern, Jared Parsons, Brian Lewis, and Dave Bell—that came to help him. Many of them gained experience by training with Emmett, who’s one of the most experienced plow drivers in northwest Wyoming.
"We do all these things to keep the roads safe for the traveling public for about the same wage as a guy that just screwed up your order at McDonald's makes," he said.
Beers said all of WYDOT’s snowplow drivers are the kind of capable operators you want to plow a path forward on difficult passes like the Chief Joseph Highway. Nobody’s teasing Emmett for what happened – if the most experienced drivers can still get stuck, it’s a testament to how tough it can get.
“Drifted snow is often the most difficult and dangerous plowing they encounter,” he said. “There's a method to his madness. You have to do a lot of backing up, plowing at an angle, and all that. Shaun’s one of our best, and you never know what you’ll run into up there.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
