OKC Salt Truck Driver Continues Family Mission Protecting Metro Roads

Ice is expected on metro roads late Sunday night, overnight, and into Monday morning. Oklahoma City street crews prepped roads to keep us safe. 

On Friday, crews treated roads and bridges with salt brine to keep them from icing up. One Oklahoma City salt truck driver has a little street cred protecting OKC’s roads. "I've been with the city of Oklahoma City since 1999,” said Richard Cole, with Oklahoma City Public Works. "We work as a team. That's the way it should be." 

The streets of Oklahoma City are where a person will find Richard Cole treating roads with care. Cole works during the calm before the storm. Cole sprays the roads and bridges with salt brine. "So, the citizens of Oklahoma City can make it to work safely," Cole said. 

Long shifts require good sleep to fuel the journey. “And a good meal,” Cole said. "An occasional energy drink every now and then." 

Working with the city is a family tradition – kick-started by his father John Cole Sr. "I always wanted to follow in his footsteps," Cole said. "Everybody loved him." 

Richard will never forget the date. “November 27th of 1997,” he said. The day a stroke took his father’s life. "I think about him a lot. I wish he was still here with me," Cole said. 

His memory drives Richard’s passion for helping people. "He's smiling down on me,” Cole said. "Pushing forward going through life." 

Richard’s dad raised him to treat roads and his neighbors – with a kind heart. “I don’t feel good. It doesn’t feel great. It feels awesome,” Cole said. This isn’t a job for Cole. It’s a calling. All he asks is for drivers to give his team enough room to do their jobs safely.