Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Applications are being accepted for the Michigan Department of Transportation’s 2025-2026 “Paint the Plow” program.

The program is said to offer a unique opportunity for MDOT to partner with area schools - using students’ creativity to communicate safe winter driving practices for all Michigan residents.

The Paint the Plow program is open to all Michigan high schools, including technical and vocational programs.

Students are invited to submit a creative and original design reflecting their individual school, while promoting a selected safety theme.

This year's safety theme is "Give plows space; it's not a race."

The safety theme reminds everyone that driving safely on winter roads is crucial to preventing crashes and ensuring road user safety. Snow and ice can make roads slippery, reducing traction and increasing stopping distances. Slowing down gives drivers more time to react to changing conditions and helps maintain control. It's especially important to be cautious around snowplows, which travel at reduced speeds and have limited visibility. By slowing down and giving plows plenty of space, drivers can help keep Michigan's roads safer for everyone.

MDOT Director of Communications Jocelyn Garza told WHMI it is kind of a funny time of year to be talking about “paint the plows”, because this is the time of year they’re saying goodbye to plows for hopefully the next six months at least. She said they’re starting now because it’s the point where they have to start planning for the next winter season.

Garza says they accept applications for the following year in the spring to get them squared away before the end of the school year. MDOT then reaches out to whatever schools apply and are accepted into the program and make arrangements to drop off their plow blade off in the fall.

Garza said it’s usually about mid-October when they start readying their winter maintenance fleet; noting winter weather can start pretty early in Michigan – especially in the northern and superior regions - so they have to pick up the plow blades by mid-October to make sure their fleet is outfitted.

Garza said the program is still pretty new. She said they had a had a pilot year two winters ago and tried it with one school. Then last year it was opened up statewide and four schools applied that had artwork deemed acceptable. Garza said ideally, they would like to have a plow blade in each of their seven regions across the state but would love to expand beyond that.

As for the theme, Garza said they always pick one based on a safety message that’s important to promote. Last year’s was centered on Michigan’s hands-free law. This year, the theme is based around giving plows room to do their job.

Garza said a newer law was signed into law by Governor Whitmer requiring vehicles to remain at least 200 feet behind a plow while operating and clearing snow and ice from a roadway. She said they wanted to take this year as an opportunity to highlight that new law and remind drivers that they need to keep a safe distance between their vehicle and a plow operating in front of them.

Sample artwork is submitted with applications, which is screened ahead of time, to make sure it meets criteria and there’s nothing questionable with the design.

MDOT will accept Paint the Plow design applications through Friday, May 16th.

Selected schools will be notified before the end of the 2025 school year and arrangements will be made for the delivery of their plow blade in the fall.

Depending on location throughout the state, schools will have approximately six weeks to complete their design before MDOT staff return for the completed plow blade in time to ready trucks for the winter maintenance season. Painted plow blades will be visible along various state trunklines (I, M and US routes) in Michigan through the winter.

Interested schools can visit the provided link for more information and to submit their design.


Pictured top to bottom:

-Superior Region’s Newberry High School
-Bay Region’s Heritage High School
-University Region’s Western High School