One Obvious Choice As MDOT Gives Its Snowplows Nicknames

The Michigan Department of Transportation has begun taking submissions from kids to give its snowplows nicknames.

Of course, because this is 2020 plus 1, this season is currently tied for the least snow fall since they started keeping records for this kind of stuff.

The contest is a fun little exercise for kids (of all ages), but I think the little ones might be too young for the most obvious choice for a nickname for a Michigan snowplow. (And it might be against the MDOT rules.) This is where to submit your names. But the rules are you it can't include famous, character, or brand names, so the most obvious name might be ruled out. Gordie Plow. No? But Gordie already has a bridge named after him. Still, it's cute.

You can track for yourself your favorite snowplow on the MDOT website, on the MIDrive map. Current names include Plowasaurus Rex, Sir Salts-A-Lot, and Snowboni. Those all came from the public. And yes, Plowy McPlowface is on the list, too. Also, remember, you can't track a snowplow if it's not snowing

M-DOT says among some of the names submitted by kids, there are three names from a 5th grade class in Benton Harbor: Tiger, Chill Bill, and Frosty. Tiger, the school's mascot, is now the name of one of the plows along M-63 near the school. MDOT says there are some 250 snowplows across the Michigan, and it hopes get nicknames for each one of them.

Starting with several snowplows in MDOT's Southwest Region, MDOT is hopeful to name each of the more than 250 MDOT plows statewide in the near future.

"This idea really was driven by people who reached out to us and wanted to know how they could name our plows like those in other places. There was so much positive energy and excitement generated so quickly for this idea, it was contagious. We couldn't help but give the idea some legs and get some fantastic ideas for names." - MDOT Spokesman Nick Schirripa.

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