It’s a busy time of year for transportation workers, especially here in the Midwest.
State DOTs have fleets of cars, trucks and heavy equipment to help them get the roads and highways in shape.
In Michigan, the official state vehicle fleet includes a vintage Ford Model T.
Now Michigan has a long history with the auto industry; for example, Ford’s headquarters is in Dearborn, just outside Detroit.
But this isn’t just a nod to the state’s car culture and its many autoworkers.
Michigan is also home to around 18,000 Amish people.
While they don’t use cars, they do use the roads, traveling by buggy.
Generally they travel on the shoulder, but sometimes there’s not enough of a shoulder to hold the whole buggy, so the vehicle juts out into the road.
And that can be dangerous: states with Amish populations have been trying for years to prevent crashes between motor vehicles and buggies.
This is where the Model T comes in.
When Michigan’s Department of Transportation does its road audits in places where there are Amish or Mennonite communities, they will also check on the size of the shoulder.
Ford designed the Model T so that its wheels would run in the same tracks as the horse-drawn carriages of that time.
It’s a way to simulate what it’s like to travel on these roadsides by horse and buggy without actually using a horse and buggy.
Then, if needed, they can make adjustments to the road design so actual horses and buggies can travel safely.
Plus, it’s got to be fun to drive a vintage car for your job.
Starting today in Ohio, it’s the Dayton Air Show.
The Wright Brothers flew for the first time in North Carolina, but they developed their planes and gliders out of their bike shop in Dayton.
The air show includes demonstrations from the famous US Navy Blue Angels, Army paratroopers, Coast Guard search and rescue helicopters.
Plus two guys who look like Maverick and Iceman from the Top Gun movies.
Michigan DOT Still Has a Century-Old Ford Model T in Service (The Drive)
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