Ride along with the 'Bulldog': ODOT pusher trucks keep Interstate 5 open in southern Oregon

Pusher truck 'Bulldog' helps keep I-5 open and freight on the move during severe winter conditions on Siskiyou Summit, the highest pass on I-5 in southern Oregon.

[@leslie476]

Boy, I could watch this guy for hours. What a professional driver.

[@IanLConnors]

Right he's got such a cool job getting to whip around traffic in a super powerful truck

[@maxsjoberg788]

Yeah, seriously. It’s sad to see how society views these people. Very meticulous at his work.

[@connormeechan5784]

He’s 1 of the best as far as I know he’s been doing it for yearsss

[@kwhemphill4254]

Steve was a great asset, too bad he retired last year, I enjoyed working with him as a contractor doing wreck repairs.

[@wadebrewer7212]

That's what I was thinking....its onlyb2 minutes long....kinda disappointed on this cold Saturday morning.

[@Goldenstu]

Instead of shafting the trucker by making him call a wrecker wich will cost his company or him thousands of dollars the state DOT is actually helping out!! 👏👏👏 Oregon DOT rocks, thank you❤

[@samdilworth1989]

It makes the process a lot quicker and keeps the roads a lot safer.

[@matt9c1]

I do agree with this idea. But....you just know there's a team of lawyers waiting to pounce. I assume this is why it's a rare thing these days to see a state owned vehicle touch another vehicle in a situation like this. With everybody suing for anything now.....yea.

[@bigred1247]

Wait for it..$$$$

[@kenuber4766]

It's a new concept!! Helping not hindering!!

[@jefffinkbonner9551]

@@matt9c1 I seriously hate how people can’t even do common sense, courteous things just because they fear getting sued. Said lawyers should be sent to chain up those rigs on the cold shoulder of that busy highway

[@quindeman1879]

I had no idea that such a thing even existed.

[@Z4Zander]

They use them on Ice ROAD Truckers sometimes.

[@kjantzer]

Same, and I drive up that section of I5 all the time

[@bhproductions1061]

Watch highway thru hell on the weather channel

[@Redbikemaster]

They use them in Donner too

[@wileydowler7822]

It might have eluded us be because normal drivers tend to avoid mountain passes during snow storms

[@kb9847]

"Thank you very much, Sir. That helped a bunch" loved that.

[@motoxguy7]

Finally! A truck driver that deserves to call himself a “professional”! Rare breed.

[@connormeechan5784]

A guy that knows it in and out

[@travisnull273]

There are still several of us! Just too many that don’t want to be here.

[@BlenderRookie]

@@travisnull273 Yeah and too many trucking companies that spit on the old hands and pay a bare minimum for new drivers, which ensure the turnover is high and the experience is low. I stopped driving about 10 years ago. Too many steering wheel holders and supertruckers. Add to that the four wheelers who will cut in front of you and slam on their brakes to make their exit, and I had more than enough.

[@eliaslundstedt5607]

*Coughs in the ones that are not american and thus got their license in a cereal box*

[@stonesdude154]

What did that driver know?

[@NGH99999]

My dad used to do this, over this same stretch of I-5, back when it was a new road in the late '60s. He worked for LASME freight, out of Yreka, driving a company-built single-screw Freightliner cabover, with a massive concrete block mounted on the frame rails right over the drive axle. He said he had a lot of fun doing this job.

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Isn't the comment section amazing, brings all the right folks

[@rapturebound197]

Way to go dad! Good story! 👍

[@gabrielhernandez-sg5iz]

What a fun ride that must've been

[@NGH99999]

@@gabrielhernandez-sg5iz He has said it was hard work, but he had a lot of fun along the way. He has many stories. At times, he'd push all the way north to Wolf Creek, Oregon, then turn around and back to Yreka. The winter of 1968 (the year I was born) was especially bad for snowfall in that Southern Oregon / Northern California corridor of I-5.

[@scdevon]

It sounds like a real beast with that weight over a single screw. With a set of chains and the axles locked in, I bet it could really get down, LOL.

[@itruck96]

This has to be an extremely satisfying job....

[@Josh-of-all-Trades]

We appreciate what you do to help us out. We don't like being stuck there either!

[@AfrewSpines]

1:50 “A lot of these drivers realize that momentum is actually their friend.” Unfortunately, a lot of non-commercial drivers don’t. Every Winter I see countless people dumping their car off the side of the road or sliding backwards down it because they chicken out at the top of the hill and press the brakes instead of keeping on the gas. Keeping traction while still moving is a LOT easier than trying to gain new traction from a dead stop.

[@2KCamaroZ28SS]

Not to mention people don't buy good tires either. Or buy junk vehicles that don't belong out in the snow to begin with!

[@esfreerider]

@@2KCamaroZ28SS tires make the difference, even my miata does great in the snow with Blizzaks

[@kevinerbs2778]

I'm a worse driver in an awd SUV with anti-lock brakes than I am with my stick shift fwd car. Having more control is my friend.

[@Reblwitoutacause]

As a young man who grew up in the winters of Colorado... PREACH IT brother

[@nickmaclachlan5178]

@@kevinerbs2778 I cannot stand using ABS when driving in the snow, I pull the fuse if I have to. Manual Cadence braking with the ability to actually lock the wheels for very short periods of time is much more effective that relying on ABS, which in certain instances just won't stop you or slow you down enough to regain control. You end up being a complete passenger.

[@gunners4129]

Legend has it his wipers are still on high

[@inhaleanthrax1333]

Literally the cleanest windshield on the planet and hes got them on full blast lmfao

[@shaungiesbrecht4697]

1 year later can confirm

[@rotcaka]

Ain't that the truth. Haven't had time to change the radio station once either. Sh*t N Git!! Ain't got time for that!!

[@EricFortuneJr.]

I know these guys appreciate him. Time is money in the trucking business and it sucks to be late for scheduled delivery. He saved these drivers and the companies a lot of money.

[@TheRealMasonYoung]

Nice to see Clark Griswold's boss helping others out during the winter season.

[@drewfoster1493]

Hahaha yes!

[@marshallgibson7817]

A free jelly of the month club subscription with every push

[@CharlieRicker24]

💀💀💀💀

[@newsweathertraffic18]

Hilarious that I've never seen National Lampoons yet I knew exactly who you were talking about. Bill Murray's brother Brian Murray. I had to go look it up but sure enough he was the boss in that movie. He has such a distinct voice that I notice him every time he plays a bit character in a tv show.

[@blakeroni]

Can you all do a Livestream for part of a shift sometime? You might be surprised how many people would tune in, especially if there is a copilot in the cab responding to viewers questions!

[@Littleeagle00]

"Momentum is a friend" Amen

[@edwinhsingmaster9135]

As young adults who worked on our cars, we had floor jacks and repaired sets of chains. To make pocket money when it snowed, and we knew things on the Siskiyous were tumultuous, we'd grab the floor jack and chain-up a few cars. Next we'd head to Callahan's interchange and watch the semis trap car against the guard rail, drink a beer or two, and laugh all the way down Old 99, back to Ashland. What a mess it was sometimes. No one got physically hurt, and always felt sorry for the staters and the wreckers, who had to untangle the mess. 1964-6.

[@callumh5294]

The men who deal with nasty weather while driving a truck with a load of valuable cargo are deserving of praise.

[@koheartsgpadatslocos8320]

You guys do great work on those passes, I go over this one twice every week, Thank you for your dedication to keeping the roads flowing, it'd be nice if CalTrans learned from y'all 👍👍

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Tell your state rep for sure..send them the video

[@TacoStacks]

Fun Fact: you didn't search for this video. It just showed up.

[@kevinbrown7326]

No tacos in North east , we watch the carnage everywhere

[@GETINLOSER]

same with you and your comments yet again lol

[@MakeCriminalsIllegalAgain]

Fun fact: Every youtube video now has a comment about the algorithm

[@timedout1014]

fun fact: an idiot stating the obv is still an idiot

[@kdscrapping4452]

Hey Taco, Wavin a hand!!

[@randomdude21264]

I want this job. Every time I drive I have the urge to push the guy in front of me 😆

[@matt9c1]

The boss : "Great job today Seth, there's one problem. YOU PUSHED 4 MINI VANS, 7 SUV'S, AN AMBULANCE AND A MOBILITY SCOOTER IN AUGUST!!!" :)

[@jed6251]

Don’t drive

[@randomdude21264]

@@jed6251 Stay in the slow lane 😆

[@eddyramirez81]

This guy is pushing to help not intimidate

[@jefffinkbonner9551]

@@matt9c1 LMAO! And 18 Priuses, the slowwwest vehicles known to man!

[@Kevnadian]

This needs to be a TV show please make more episodes

[@69adrummer]

WOW ODOT actually getting something done in under 10 years! Amazing!!

[@stevefoss8171]

Gotta be passive aggressive? Can't just give them a compliment?

[@jaykoehn4106]

@@stevefoss8171 it’s true bruh

[@lemonsqweezy9532]

@@stevefoss8171 he's shitting on the organization not the individual.

[@user-tf5kr4qp2i]

No kidding lol. Now if they could get there act together and remove the chain up signs when the road is bare and wet that’s be great

[@Shine13373]

The organization sucks, but the individual employees responding to incidents are normally rockstars.

[@michaelthomas1248]

Best thing I've seen about OR in a long time. Great work ODOT!!!

[@maxsdad538]

I lived at the base of the Siskiyou Summit in Yreka (why-REE-kuh, not to be confused with Eureka) for 10 years, never even knew about this. Slick.

[@RyRyWags]

That's a thankless job if I've ever seen one...good job, and thank you!

[@Grognarthebarb]

That one guy did seem to be quite thankful. And you stay in a nice warm cab all day. Better than guys pulling em up with a wrecker 😂😂

[@frankish5314]

This is great.. I had no idea this pusher even existed.. More please!!

[@Chevy4x4dawg]

Hats off to the Odot and all those truck drivers!!!!!!!! Y'all do an amazing job!!!!

[@jgarciajr55]

To bad this video wasn’t longer. I could watch that all day.

[@matthewcady5489]

That was pretty neat! Thanks for sharing. More of these types of videos please!!! Very educational.

[@billwilson6670]

Yeah, that's pretty amazing. I used to drive semis and I had no idea these pusher trucks existed.

[@pagosa1040]

in colorado you just get a fine. apparently paper work and flashing lights adds traction.

[@ShervinRgn]

He pushed me couple years ago I didn’t get to say thanks (THANK YOU SIR)

[@alanhowitzer]

He's the tug of the icy interstate

[@zacharywright1196]

I would watch an hour of this

[@jeepxj]

uhh more of this guy please

[@Slavik1109]

You guys are amazing at you're work. I didn't know truck pushers existed and I been on the road for 5 years

[@cbliss]

That is a wonderful service. Much needed, thank you. I've always say it out under those conditions, especially with a single scree and or doubles. May God Bless you.

[@sideefex]

You guys do great work. Thank you for helping us Truckers!👍

[@Metalmania82]

So cool! Would love to see more footage of this.

[@ricardocalzada4035]

Thank you Sir.for all your service ,keep helping all truck drivers .

[@richbowser9500]

I remember when C-F freightways had a push truck based a boomtown ( Bill and Effies) at verdi , nev pushing on Donner.

[@mrnobody8540]

Corn Flakes or Chicken Fuckers? Made America great - for without CF their would be no Freightliner nor a ConMet.

[@kristopherkerr4128]

Thanks for your hard work and expertise Steve!

[@MrMarkpeggy]

May God bless you guys! Thank you for your help!

[@watajob]

Joints? Just retired after 43 years. Never heard them called that.

[@SoapinTrucker]

Really?!?!?!? Yeah out of 28 years I did doubles for 22 years, they were being called joints back in the 60s and 70's mainly, but people still would use that expression now and then during that 22 years.

[@DeepOwl1073]

27 years in and this is my first time hearing that as well.

[@kanoraguy]

Hell we called them joints even up here in Canada

[@coltonjaynes1605]

@@matgaragepaul We still haul double 45's over here in the west. And triple 28's.

[@jayjay-op3wk]

@@DeepOwl1073 damn rookies

[@gkcamden9050]

Oregon isn’t messing around with traffic hold-ups. Respect from Georgia.

[@mattmcnulty8131]

I live in upstate NY and we see a lot of snow, have my class A since 1994, and I’ve never seen a push truck. That’s awesome. We do have a pretty good highway system here in NY. Not too many long, steep grades on the major highways I can think of, even through the Adirondacks, but some of our secondary roads have some steep grades. Our roads get a lot of potholes. Some teeth rattlers

[@martinrios-ayala6152]

Momentum is your friend. 😁been driving these roads since I was kid

[@absjones2916]

Top man, may god bless you sir. From England.

[@robertgoodnow5069]

I could watch this guy all day

[@QueyBan]

Thank you man. You're for sure what we need out there.

[@MrIsomer]

Enjoyed watching this. What a satisfying job being a hero.

[@ke1vin]

This must be one of the coolest jobs ever. You get to help people, drive a big truck and talk on a cb!

[@matthewritchie3595]

Best thing I've seen yet thank you oregon at least you got this right

[@philly5164]

Amazing when everything works according to plan! Respect ✊

[@deenanthekemoni5567]

Seems like a super nice guy, happy with his job and takes pride in it. Good Man. 👍

[@seanwarren9357]

Thanks for keeping us rolling, boss.

[@benjaminacosta2582]

Well done, helping others truck drivers on that bad conditions!

[@hoggeric]

I like this. Saves a hell of a lot of time clearing the seen.

[@lowlife7453]

So rare to see a government program that is actually helping the people!

[@bobpeterssen4470]

Nice job! Amazing what a little help can accomplish. KUDOS TO ODOT !

[@blueeyedscorpio7]

This guy was awesome!!! Why was the video so short!!!? Haha What's this man's name!?! Would love to ride with him for a day!

[@DrTBaginz]

Odot, this guy needs a show. Make it happen!

[@betsykeller9096]

This is the coolest thing on the highways I've ever seen! Way to go Oregon! We could use this in PA!

[@MRALBERT571]

Great job dude would love to see more retired driver so can relate.

[@deepnijjar5]

Good job guys I was stuck in my rig at Yreka truck stop didn't knew this was goin on up the hill lol

[@elonmust7470]

Looks like a great way to spend the logging off season.

[@Helpfulsuggestions]

NOW !! That’s a job where everyone appreciates you.

[@trucker_rob]

Imagine getting paid to legally hit n run lmao 😂

[@purselmer5931]

At my age, momentum is MORE than just a friend - it's a necessity!

[@brandoncaldwell95]

As soon as you stop, they are burying you....

[@dootdoot1867]

Legend. The people that help make our world work.

[@intheshell35ify]

Could watch this for days.

[@bigeye7480]

Always cool to see a skilled professional at work, no matter what it is. This guys pretty badass though

[@thumpervansqueakynuts5848]

This might be the only time a trucker is happy to see a dot vehicle in the mirror

[@psd28]

Man those turbo sounds are nice

[@MollydogRadar]

I use to live in Mullan, Idaho, at the bottom of Lookout Pass on I-90. My friends and I would chain up all 4 wheels on out 4x4 trucks and push big rigs up the hill for 10 bucks. And the truckers were happy to pay it. They called us vultures because we would wait for a truck to start loosing traction, then come up behind them and push them up the hill. We built our push bars to fit between the safety bumpers on the trailers.

[@bensmith4563]

Montana side is the worst

[@jiminycricket2230]

It just makes sence to give them a small push and get the momentum going again. To stop and tie on a line every time is so inefficient compared to this. Its good in conditions like this. Jamie Davis tried this concept in the BC mountains but with mixed results.

[@Handle423]

This week it snowed pretty heavily on the A21, I'm from Germany, and there were a bunch of trucks and card on the right lane "going" uphill, I took the left lane to keep my momentum going and I got all the way up no problem

[@dandolen1300]

Awesome, we need more drivers like that today. 👍👍

[@KawaRider88]

Badass job! These guys are heroes!

[@TheEDFLegacy]

This is the kind of job that anyone who loves bumper cars would love.

[@lambertsaldi1550]

Awesome footage guys thanks for sharing Good Stuff

[@Jushwa]

I wish this guy had a KZbin channel holy smokes this was awesome.

[@crazypete3759]

Things go so much smoother then the other driver knows what to do when being pulled or pushed!

[@silv3rbull3t59]

That looks like alot of fun!

[@jessewoody5772]

"Thank you very much sir, that helped a bunch" .....WHEN PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOIN...👍

[@willmike1624]

This man is definitely pushing 🅿️

[@laa0fa502]

This guy has an operators mentality. He could run any piece of machinery you put him in.

[@USSEnterprise123]

Excellent work!

[@1_fishin_magician153]

huge thumbs up to keeping our Truckers truckin' !!!!

[@darlenefraser3022]

I can’t believe they don’t leave big dents! Good on them!

[@bonniebethel1234]

ODOT needs a few more of those. Especially on 84. It was interesting to watch.

[@dougcooper5740]

They have one somewhere out east on 84, I think they added it last winter, but it took a bit to identify and train a couple drivers

[@bonniebethel1234]

@@dougcooper5740 They really need one there. Especially during the ice storms.

[@Hitthesack94]

I wish Washington & California follow suit in Oregon,s DOT idea brilliant. Thank you Oregon DOT 🙏

[@emilhuggarn3050]

This was new to me great idea and very good driver 👍

[@michaeltristan]

Didn't know this was a thing.. good on Oregon DOT keeping traffic flowing.

[@Michael-xd9sb]

I’ve always wanted to say thank you to these guys because without them and the plows places like Cabbage or Snoqualmie Pass in Washington would have things shut down all winter

[@bryandinardi5728]

This is super cool to watch!

[@wantahertzdonut]

This looks like a fun job!

[@anthonylehner3643]

Nice work my friends!👍✌️

[@adamochs3106]

Excellent- Great work!

[@sillykanji]

Wow that was neat to watch. This guy is entertaining.

[@BarryMckockinner]

Oregon DOT blowin up! Good job homie

[@voltsiano116]

Yo, I didn't know this was a thing until now. Awesome!