With the first major storm of the year approaching, it's important to be prepared, especially since it's expected to hit right in the middle of the morning rush.

Roads are expected to be slick. Carefulness is key to keeping your car from ending up somewhere other than the roadway.

"Snow is good and bad for us. It's not always good like everyone thinks," said Ian Tomei of Tomei's Towing.

Sure, there's money to be made at places like Tomei's Towing, but helping those stuck can be dangerous.

"Have your car filled with gas, have extra water, something in case you would, by chance, get caught in it so you don't panic," Tomei said.

You also want to up your chances of not getting caught in it, and that includes having effective tires on snowy roads.

"You know, you can't skimp on tires and expect the car to go anywhere with bald tires."

Navigating steep hills around the Pittsburgh area

How about navigating steep hills? We've got some of those around here.

"If you come to a hill and you're scared, put it in neutral and let gravity take you downhill slowly so you don't get yourself into a predicament," Tomei said.

Stay alert for black ice

Drivers will want to watch out for potential black ice as well.

"You have to be prepared for bridges and what have you; they freeze really quickly compared to the roadway," Tomei added.

With the heaviest of the snow expected during the morning rush, it is imperative to slow down.

"Take your time. Allow for a half hour (of extra time). It might save you weeks in a hospital if you get in a bad accident."

Give plows extra space to operate

If you're out on the roads, give the plows extra space. PennDOT says that instead of the normal two-vehicle gap, double that to ensure safety. 

The timing of the storm could make for a tricky morning commute.

"That's the challenge because it slows down the routes they're doing," Allegheny County Public Works Director Stephen Shanley said.

Allegheny County Public Works will have 20 trucks out and clearing roads once the snow starts falling. They were loading up on Monday afternoon.

Pittsburgh expects 55-60 trucks out there. They have 84 of their 104 available for the storm. The plan is to have some of those 84 as reserves if trucks break down.

"We always keep some in reserve. With every event, trucks go down, so we need trucks to put a driver in a seat to operate when that does happen," Pittsburgh Public Works Director Chris Hornstein said.

PennDOT plans to have more than 70 trucks in Allegheny County. They started pretreatment on Monday, around noon.

"We'll be doing it all through the afternoon and evening. Get as much brine on the roadway as possible, we will," PennDOT Allegheny County maintenance manager Ben DeVore said.

According to PennDOT, this allows the snow not to stick immediately and prevents some ice. Pittsburgh crews are also pretreating.

In some of the northern counties, PennDOT says they have 166 trucks out there across District 10. In some cases, trucks will be staging along roadways, but it doesn't mean they aren't working.

"It's all part of the overall plan to make sure the roadways that need that attention can get crews there as quickly as possible," PennDOT District 10 community relations coordinator Tina Gibbs said.

Routes depend on each crew, but they vary from two to four hours. If you need to know who plows your road in Allegheny County, click here.