TRUCKEE, Calif. — Storms have repeatedly hit Sierra and foothill communities throughout winter, and it's not over yet.
Roads and major freeways have been shut down over the past couple of months and there's a crew of people behind the scenes fighting the forces of nature to get roads open.
Jacqueline Carson works in Truckee as an equipment operator for Caltrans, meaning she drives graders, loaders, forklifts, and snow plows to clear roads.
She drove trucks for 10 years before working at Caltrans. She was a driver for Blue Jay Trucking and would even haul for Caltrans from time to time.
“One of the guys came up to me and said, ‘Hey, there’s an opening, you got to put it in.’ I put it in and here I am, driving for Caltrans,” said Carson.
The Sierra snow doesn't just fall during normal business hours, it requires around-the-clock attention. She works seven days a week, 12 hours a day during Sierra storms.
“The challenges are the snow and the impact on how to drive and learning how to plow the snow. Using the snow truck has been really challenging but it's been fun, too,” said Carson.
She likes the challenge.
"I think it’s challenging, it’s rewarding. I see when we started, there’s snow everywhere, and when we get done now we have a black road and now people are going through safe and I think that’s just really rewarding," said Carson.
There are about 100 male equipment operators for Caltrans for the Sierra 80 team and just three women. Carson says it's a little challenging working her first year among a mostly male team, but they respect her and watch out for her.
"We all get along and we all work well together. We all watch each other's back and I think that's so important," said Carson.
Her message to other women or those who want to try a position like hers is to go for it.
“Don’t be scared, go for it. I mean, when I got here, all I knew how to do was drive trucks and now I’m driving graders and loaders and forklifts. They give you an opportunity to grow here,” said Carson. “I’ve only been here a year, there are a lot of things I’d like to do, a lot of things I’ve already accomplished, so I feel good being here.”
So, if you see Jackie in the North Lake Tahoe area, give her a wave and a smile. A thank you goes a long way.
"I think it’s really exciting when I look down and a girl or boy goes, 'It’s a girl,'" she said.
Don't forget to be courteous to the crews working to get roads back open as they deal with multiple feet of snow at times.
“If you’re not used to driving up here in the snow, take it easy and take it really slow. And when the storm is happening, I would not recommend coming up here. We’re trying so hard to keep the road maintained,” said Carson. “When we’re plowing and you have other plows going, we’re all plowing the road at the same time, you have cars trying to go around and everything, just back off and give us some space.”
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