Why is that KDOT plow truck not going faster?

If you are a motorist wanting to pass a KDOT truck plowing snow or putting down salt or brine to fight ice, you might not realize why it is moving so slowly.

It comes down to physics and performance.

Fact, the physics: A KDOT plow truck weighs around 26,300 pounds - and that’s unloaded - while the average vehicle weighs about 4,000 pounds. The KDOT operator is trying to keep all that weight under control in slippery conditions while pushing snow with a plow in front and maybe a wing plow on the side. That’s a lot of force exerting from different directions to keep under control.

So the operati...