HELENA — The Montana Department of Transportation is training 48 individuals on how to take care of our roads properly. 
 


"Every day is a danger," said Trevor Patterson, Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) training and implementation manager. "The equipment moving around and how to safely maneuver it – we're just trying to instill that culture of safety into our employees." 
 


Whether it's the high speeds of the highway, distracted drivers, or the large machinery – MDT maintenance workers put their own lives at risk, making sure we travel safely.

"My goal out of this is to train them, teach them the safety aspect, and get them home every night," said Tom Chavez, a trainer at the academy.


The two-week course includes one week in a classroom and one week of hands-on experience for maintenance workers.

One attendee, Colten Scholler, said, "100% prefer this week. Everything is on hand out here, so it's super nice." 
 


The academy is a time for workers from every corner of the state to get more practice with front-end loaders, excavators, graders, and, of course, snowplows.

The 48 maintenance employees are chosen based on the qualifications needed to advance their careers, which usually happens after three years on the job. 



All attendees are competing for awards, including the overall top hand award and awards for each piece of equipment.

"They're challenging each other, but they're also building those working relationships where they are giving ideas off each other and learning new skills that they might not see," said Patterson. "Missoula might not see the same wind that they get out in Scobey." 



While learning safe practices and proper protocol is the primary focus, the attendees and trainers get more from the academy. 


"It's the camaraderie I get out of this. Visiting with people, learning different parts of the state," Chavez said. "I don't travel a lot – my wife's going to agree with this - I don't like to travel. I'm a homebody, but it's just the network I've built with people here."