Nine MDT Snowplows Sidelined After Weekend Crashes Near Helena

A spring storm that buried Great Falls under more than 11 inches of snow last weekend also left nine Montana Department of Transportation snowplows sidelined after a series of collisions across the state, stretching MDT's winter-response capacity at exactly the moment it was needed most.

The crashes occurred as snow that began Friday continued into Saturday, hammering Central Montana and forcing the closure of I-15 among other routes. Incidents were reported along Highway 12, I-15, I-90, and in the Circle area, where one plow was struck head-on and declared a total loss. That single collision cost MDT $250,000. Damage estimates for the remaining hits averaged $3,000 per plow, with all affected vehicles pulled from service for repairs.

No drivers were injured and no passengers were transported for medical care, according to MTN reporting. But the operational consequences were immediate. MDT policy requires that any plow involved in a collision, no matter how minor the impact appears, be removed from service along with its driver. The driver undergoes mandatory drug and alcohol testing before returning to work, while the vehicle is inspected and, if necessary, towed to the nearest MDT repair facility. Sourcing parts and completing repairs takes time, and that lag hits hardest when roads are actively deteriorating.

"Nine plow hits means nine drivers and nine plows are taken off the road," MDT noted, underscoring the compounding effect of each collision on a fleet that covers 25,000 miles of Montana roadway using more than 550 trucks, 41 of them tow plows.

"We don't have new snow plows waiting in the wings. I mean, what we have is what we have, and it'll take some time to get that plow replaced," an MDT official said, referencing the totaled vehicle from the Circle area incident.

Plow strikes are not unprecedented in Montana. From 2023 through 2025, MDT averaged 23 hits per winter statewide. But nine in a single weekend represents a concentrated hit to the agency's capacity. MDT attributed the collisions to a familiar combination: low visibility, slick surfaces, and drivers who simply will not wait.

"In this day and age, people want to get to their coffee. They want to get to their yoga class. They want to get to school. And any opportunity for them to get around one of our trucks, they do it," an MDT representative said.

The danger is not limited to plow operators. A separate incident captured on video last weekend showed a Pere County Sheriff's deputy standing alongside a pickup on I-15 to assist with crashes and slide-offs when a semi struck the pickup, sending it sliding toward the deputy.

"It's a huge safety issue. We're out there for your safety. We're out there to keep the highways clean and get you from point A to point B as quickly as possible, as safely as possible," the MDT official said.

MDT is asking drivers to give plows room to work, expect to encounter them on snow-covered roads, and avoid attempting to pass when conditions are unsafe. With repairs underway and parts still being sourced for some of the damaged vehicles, the agency's message is direct: the plow in front of you is there because the road behind it isn't safe to travel without one.