MTO Patrol Callsigns

[VA3ADP]

Hello! I am just wondering if the callsigns used by MTO are the hard ID's of the trucks?

Thanks!

 

[gary123]

If your refering to the plows. I do not think they are. Last year I heard one of the vehicles break down. The driver picked up a different plow but used the same ID. I think they are more related to the area the vehicle is in.

 

[VA3ADP]

If your refering to the plows. I do not think they are. Last year I heard one of the vehicles break down. The driver picked up a different plow but used the same ID. I think they are more related to the area the vehicle is in.

That's what I thought but I wasn't entirely sure. Thanks

 

[raiderex]

MTO patrols are contracted out to various companies that manage their own fleets. Most radios are mounted on plywood and are able to be reassigned to a different vehicle on the fly.

The unit numbers are assigned based on whether the driver is performing ERU (crash truck and pickup for emergency response and urgent maintenance) vs Patrol (winter operations and routine/scheduled highway maintenance) for their patrol area at the time.

Though the distinction between ERU and Patrol isn't always present based on which contractor and what time of year it is.

 

[exkalibur]

During a road & weather report, I've heard an ERU unit reply to the TOC. Example "ERU 11" instead of "Patrol 11" Pretty sure they're interchangeable at least in terms of radio callsigns.

 

[raiderex]

ERU typically doesn't respond during R&W. For the areas where Patrol 11 responds as both ERU and patrol, they don't typically use separate call signs. I'm a former operator, and they definitely haven't changed that much since I left.

The callsign designations of Patrol vs ERU (also called Site in some areas) are extremely inconsistent within each AMC, let alone across AMC boundaries. It's a bit of a mess, especially when new operators are training.