Northwest District Senior Traffic Specialist Steve Tarr has worked in three different districts during his 45-year career, all while based in Carroll County! Tarr began his MoDOT career as a maintenance worker at Roads in Carroll County on Nov. 15, 1975. At that time, Carroll County was part of the former District 4, with its headquarters in Kansas City. While at Roads, Tarr was promoted to crew leader in 1978 and supervisor, before the building was closed and districts reorganized. Carroll County became part of the former District 2, with its headquarters in Macon. At that time, Tarr became a traffic specialist covering Carroll, Livingston, Saline and Howard counites.
During the Bolder Five-Year Direction, the Macon office was closed and Tarr applied for the traffic specialist position with the newly formed Northwest District. He was nervous, but committed to MoDOT and thought, “Well, if I don’t get it, I’ll just go back to maintenance.”
Tarr did get the position in which he continues to serve in today, covering 11 counties: Carroll, Chariton, Caldwell, Livingston, Linn, Daviess, Grundy, Sullivan, Harrison, Mercer and Putnam.
Tarr appreciates the support he receives from his supervisor Adam Wood, his colleagues in the NW Traffic department, and all the maintenance personnel in his area.
“I drive a lot of miles!” Tarr said. “I cover a large area and there is no way I can cover it all without their eyes and ears helping me.”
The pandemic protocols in place have not allowed Tarr to spend time with the colleagues he respects and relies on.
“Anyone that knows me, know I’m am a talker. I love to visit with fellow workers, but this virus has been very difficult on me because I have not stopped by a shed since March 6, 2020.”
When asked what the biggest change he’s seen in his 45-year tenure, he said it’s how you work with the public.
“When I started, the public respected us and slowed down through work zones,” Tarr reflected. “And there were no cell phones. The volume of traffic is so much greater, and safety needs to be the highest priority. MoDOT wants everyone to go home to their family.”
There was one incident where Tarr almost didn’t make it home. He was working Christmas Eve in 1983 with a crew filling cracks on U.S. Route 24 in Carroll County. Tarr was the back flagman with the bumper truck. He saw a truck coming towards the work zone and realized the driver wasn’t slowing down. Tarr radioed for the front flagman stop his traffic. While Tarr ran to a safe zone, the truck struck the bumper truck. Both the motorist’s vehicle and the bumper truck went across the road and onto the bank. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Forty-five years of experience has left Tarr with wisdom he’d like to share with new employees and all employees: a day’s work for a day’s wage, you have a choice.
“Even though the wage is a little low compared to some jobs, the benefits are great: retirement, vacation and sick leave.” Tarr added. “Save your sick leave because someday you will get old like me and need it. I have had three joint replacements and two different types of cancer and I never missed a paycheck.”
Tarr has many memorable stories from winter operations, below are a couple from his first two snowstorms:
The first was on Thanksgiving Day in 1975. His boss called him to come to work. Tarr just knew the boss was going to put him in a truck. To his surprise, his boss took him to the back of the lot where the motor grader was and told him to climb in. The boss stood on the step and pointed to the levers, explaining how they work.
“As many ’old timers’ will know,” Tarr said. “If the levers quit working, that means the share pin in the column is broken and they are known for knuckle busting.”
Tarr didn’t go very far before the levers quit working. He put a new pin in and finished the day.
The second storm happened the same year and started at night, Tarr’s boss rode with him on his first round. As he turned down a low-volume blacktop where the snow was deep, he was grateful for the tracks a farm tractor had made in the snow. Tarr began to follow them when the snowplow pulled down. He gave it more gas and that’s when the boss said, “Steve, we don’t do gravel roads you might want to back up and get back on the blacktop.”
Tarr had to plow with no tracks but made it back to the shed. The boss said to go run the rest of the routes without him. It was a long night.
Tarr wanted to share one final thought: I feel like every day the good Lord allows me to wake up is a good day, and the day I don’t wake up is a wonderful day with the Lord!
Thank you, Steve, for 45 years of service to the citizens of Missouri!
