Iowa — A single day of snowplow strikes on February 12 set a new record of 15 collisions, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation. The storm that blanketed the state with heavy snowfall also turned the state’s snow removal crews into unintended hazards for drivers on the road.
Winter operations in Iowa begin on October 15 and end on April 15, a period that already sees more than a thousand snowplows clearing highways and county roads. When a vehicle runs into a plow, the damage can range from a dent to a complete loss of the equipment, and the incident can shut down a stretch of roadway for hours. For truck drivers, especially those heading on OTR routes, these collisions can mean unexpected detours, lost time, and costly repairs to their own rigs.
On Wednesday, February 12, the state logged 15 plow strikes, a figure that eclipses the previous single‑day high of nine recorded earlier in 2024. The incidents spanned the northeast, southeast, and southwest quadrants of Iowa, with seven occurring along the heavily trafficked I‑80 corridor. Most of the collisions happened during daylight hours, even as the storm persisted through the night. While the Iowa DOT has not released damage estimates, every strike involved some degree of harm to the snowplow and the vehicle that struck it. The 2025 season now counts 25 plow hits, up from nine earlier in the year, and still short of the 32‑average annual total observed from 2015 to 2024.
What This Means for Drivers
CDL‑A holders and owner‑operators must factor the risk of plow collisions into their daily route planning. With the I‑80 corridor accounting for nearly half of the strikes, drivers are urged to maintain a safe following distance when visibility drops and to stay alert for the sudden appearance of a plow. The FMCSA regulations that require safe following distances become even more critical when the road ahead is clearing snow. A collision can delay a driver’s schedule by several hours, pushing a truck behind schedule and potentially triggering penalties for late delivery. Fleet managers should review their driver training programs to emphasize plow‑avoidance tactics and consider implementing real‑time traffic alerts that flag active plow operations.
Industry Reaction
While the Iowa DOT has not issued a public advisory beyond the collision report, trucking associations across the Midwest have called for better communication between road crews and commercial drivers. The American Trucking Associations’ Midwest division has urged state agencies to share real‑time plow locations through the FMCSA’s ELD data feeds, which would allow drivers to adjust routes proactively. Owner‑operators, many of whom rely on OTR truck driver jobs to sustain their businesses, are already sharing tips on social media about staying clear of high‑traffic plow zones during snow events.
Key Points
- 15 snowplow strikes on February 12 set a new single‑day record for Iowa.
- Seven collisions occurred on I‑80, a major freight corridor.
- Season‑to‑date total reached 25, surpassing the 32‑average annual figure from 2015‑2024.
- Most incidents happened during daylight hours, despite ongoing snowfall.
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