LA CROSSE CO., Wis.--The recent snowfall is keeping plow drivers busy. Now county drivers now have a high tech tool to clear the streets.

It's a new device that monitors the weather in order to help truck drivers do their job more efficiently.

This is the second winter Wisconsin has used the technology and it's proving beneficial in more ways than one.

With 40 years of experience, Tom Niemeier knows what it takes keeping the roads in La Crosse County clear of snow.

“On a regular probably 16-hour day, I would put on over 200 miles in this less than five-mile stretch,” said Tom Niemeier, a La Crosse County snow plow driver. “It's quite a few laps.”

For the past two winters, Wisconsin plows have been using the Automatic Vehicle Locator and Global Positioning System or AVL/GPS to help clear state highways more efficiently.

“Soon as we turn the key on it's going,” said Neimeier.

The device tracks information such as the truck's location and what the weather conditions are like to help calculate how much salt is needed to clear the roads.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation says the information helps county highway officials monitor the storm and plows more accurately. 

“In the past it was set your dial at this and go out and plow, and you're putting down the same amount of salt regardless if it's 6 below like today or if it's 30 degrees above,” said Michael Sproul of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. “That's changed now. We now have the ability to modify what's being placed and having being put down based on the science of snow removal.”

Last winter, the counties using the device saved the state more than $200,000 on salt. That means less environmental hazards, more money back in the taxpayer's pocket and some consistency on the roadways. 

“Hopefully what the public is going to see is a more seamless maintenance of a storm and you won't cross county lines and all of a sudden it's slippery whereas the last one was wet,” said Sproul.

That way, Neimeier and other plow drivers can take their time clearing the roads more efficiently.

“That's all you can do,” said Neimeier. “Just take your time and do the best you can.”

So far, the Wisconsin DOT has spent roughly $6 million in federal money for the devices. As of right now about 1,000 plow trucks use the technology in the state.

More than 40 counties in Wisconsin have the devices in their snow plows, including La Crosse County.