A nationwide shortage of plow drivers is causing several state transportation departments to rethink their snow removal operations and recruitment efforts. Transportation officials say factors causing the shortage include more drivers approaching retirement age, difficulty in filling vacancies, long hours, comparatively low wages, and competition from the private sector offering better pay. Washington state Department of Transportation (DOT) spokeswoman Barbara LaBoe said the department was short by nearly 300 permanent Commercial Driver License (CDL) holding snowplow drivers in October 2021, with much of it due to retirements. Through big recruitment efforts, however, that number was reduced to around 177 in December. “We continue to aggressively recruit, but we’re still below what we normally would have,” LaBoe said. “This is a nationwide shortage of these workers.” In 2020, the Washington department implemented hiring freezes to address “revenues concerns” during the pandemic. To offset the shortage of snowplow drivers, the department hired temporary …