Street crews work long, tough hours

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- Plow truck drivers and front loader operators have been working long hours since the storm Friday night. Plow truck drivers and front loader operators but some people say they haven't been doing enough.

Joe Ouimette's grandfather taught him how to operate heavy machinery when he was a little kid. He now operates the largest front loader in the fleet.

He has been maneuvering around the tight streets of Hartford with other loaders, scooping snow and pushing back the curbs. A tough job on its own but add in impatient drivers.

"They don't like you, I don't know why but people are mad at ya. I don't understand it," said Ouimette.

He is working 12 hours on, 12 hours off straight through until the snow is cleared. Long days in a loader that sits almost 12 feet off the ground and has tires taller than the average car and it's those cars and the drivers that worry him.

"You life up your bucket and they think they can drive right underneath you. You don't see them and then I mean if you drop your bucket you would crush their car in a second," said Ouimette. "They will not keep their distance and then they whip around you and give you the finger so it's challenging."

He knows he must stay calm and remain patient which is a tough thing to do when the people he has come to help don't help him.

"I've had beer bottles thrown at me. I've had snow balls thrown in my cab. I've had guys pull out in front of me and yell at ya. Other guys have had guys stand in front of them with shovels. They just won't move," said Ouimette.