Photo submitted to Times Observer A road in Freehold Township is a sheet of ice following cold temperatures a week ago. The township is working to address a shortage of qualified drivers to handle road maintenance.

It can be tough to find qualified workers for what townships are able to pay.

In Freehold Township, a lack of drivers recently became a problem when winter came through with cold and snow.

All of the township’s workers left and found other employment after Election Day, according to Secretary/Treasurer Lynn Smith.

“These issues regarding lack of drivers are just now coming to light due to the fact that roads have been decent because of the fair winter till this point,” Smith said.

The township owns a total of 41.62 miles of road.

Recent weather turned some of those into long patches of ice, according to reports.

The township is working to alleviate those problems.

“There has been one part-time worker brought on in the event the roads got bad,” Smith said. “A new hire decision was made yesterday for a full-time position.”

That driver has provided notice to his employer and will begin his duties with the township in about two weeks.

“The township is still actively looking for another qualified driver,” Smith said. “Finding experienced, qualified CDL plow truck drivers and heavy equipment operators has been a challenge.”

Spring Creek Township Supervisor Jeff Thomas is hoping his people stick with the township.

“We’ve had our employees a while,” Thomas, who wears several hats — supervisor, secretary, equipment operator — in the township, depending on what is needed, said. “If we had to find new… in today’s world, it’s scary. It would be hard… to find somebody qualified and willing to work for the township.”

Norm Thomas has been Spring Creek’s roadmaster since 1993. “He loves it here,” he said.

The township’s other full-time employee, Vince Tucci, has been on board since 2013.

“We try to take care of our drivers and employees,” Jeff Thomas said. “They are hard to find.”

Spring Creek has 48.77 miles of roads.

Even PennDOT has lost some of its people. So far, the department has been able to replace those personnel.

“We are down a few operators, but have been bringing new staff on all winter,” Warren County Maintenance Manager Adam Elms said. “We just finished interviews for another four spots and are moving forward with the hiring process.”