Winter Plowing Preparedness for Snow-Plow Drivers

Lists of what you need in your vehicle for winter driving aren’t geared toward the professional snow-removal business, especially a business where the sole employee is also the boss. While they won’t hurt, they’re not always as intuitive as the list-writer may think.

So, with an intuitive look at winter plowing, and because time is literally money in this business, a professional snow-plow operator should consider carrying:

• A jump starter like a NOCO or Genius, which eliminates bulky jumper cables and the need to find another vehicle. Keep it charged; it’s easy to forget about.
• A portable, fully charged battery-powered inflator, like the hand-held Ryobi with a gauge, in case a tire gets leaky.
• First-aid kit.
• Several pairs of winter gloves (to replace wet ones); ditto on hats. Your boots should be waterproof and insulated, so you shouldn’t need a second pair.
• Cell phone with plug-in charger (either a USB or the old cigarette lighter device). You can be out a lot longer than you think, and the more it snows, the more your phone is going to light up (hopefully, if you’ve done a good job marketing yourself).
• Quick-energy food. If you’re out all day, you can start to tire and may need something before lunch (or breakfast, as the case may be). A good on-the-road snack can recharge your body’s alert-system. Sandwiches on whole-grain bread with protein in the middle (meat, peanut butter, egg salad), whole-grain protein bars, dark-chocolate covered almonds, and a good trail mix are all easy to eat on the go and can give you that second wind.
• Dehydration will tire you out, and there is nothing better than water to keep everything going.
• Shovel and kitty litter. Sounds obvious but, sadly, it’s just not.
• Extra windshield wiper fluid and a window ice scraper (visibility is critical in this business).
• You just never know, and we don’t want to overtax our phones.

For safety, wear a blaze orange vest if you think you’ll have to get out of the vehicle much—or at least have one in the truck. You want to be easily seen in blowing, drifting snow. As much as you’d think dark clothing would stand out in the white snow, it just doesn’t.

Keep your wits about you. Don’t let other drivers get your goat. Give them the right-of-way, especially if you’ve got your name and phone number on your vehicle. No one needs that kind of negative publicity.

Wear your seat belt, skip auto-driving options, keep double the normal space between your vehicle and the one ahead of you (remember, your vehicle is heavier than normal with that plow on the front), and drive the speed limit or less. While time is money, as we said in the beginning, you’re not going to make any money if you get in an accident.