How can I drive a snow plow?

The weekend news classifieds in my area( North Jersey)are running ads already for this winter,using their truck or yours.Pay is good but the hours suck.You can easily plow for 2 days straight (no sleep)after a big storm,then no work till the next one.It's not a steady gig but fits well into your schedual if you're a landscaper or mason who wants something to do over the winter.My son had a truck with a plow and made some good money last year,but gave a lot of it back getting his plow and truck fixed from the beating he gave it.If you have a steady job,I don't see how you can fit plowing in unless the storms hit when you are off from your regular job,or you can call in sick without getting fired.

 

I got job on a snow plow once, sent me out at 4 am , came back told boss cleared the streets off , boss was super mad, 234 calls, took me one hour too clear the street , i said about what , when you plow a street , you go around cars , i clear'ed and pushed all the cars and stuff and they were all tipped over on people front lawns , well duh, you didnt explain that part too me, you just said clear the street,that was my last job with a snowplow,and if you belive that , then i got a lighthouse for sale in Iowa,

 

man am i glad you said that was all a joke.........cuzzin' ifin' you meant you "cleared the streets"............you would have deserved to be horse whipped after that........!!!!

 

Hey Rerun covered it all.
I know that some states look hard to find people for state and county roads. PA has been advertising for a while now, both county's and the state.
I ran one for years down in MD (back before it stopped snowing down there).
We were contracted to the county and did all county secondary roads. Some residential and many farm type roads.
The county guys got regular breaks due to contract. We did not. This was before cell phones, we each had a county radio and we would be told when to stop for a few hours.
Then they would call on the radio when to roll again. So not much sleep (none) normally for 2-4 days at a time. But coffee was free at all the convenience stores. They really liked it when you "forgot" to lift your blade.
Then every driver just would happen to drive in to the right of the last driver....

 

Here is my tips,

If you get hired on with a city, county, or state you'll be able to aquire your CDL and in the winter you'll get to drive plow trucks. Other companies to look out for are as mentioned, dump trucks, landscapers, tree companies, and other contruction outfits.

If you see a truck with a stainless bed, there is a good chance they salt n plow in the winter because aside from that, the stainless bed is a pain to work with because it's hard to weld and doesn't seem to hold up as good.

If you see a chipper truck with a detachable roof, odds are they plow in the winter. You'll see 4 or 6 spring hooks on the top (kinda like a jeep hood) holding the top on.

If you see a truck with hydraulic lines hanging out the front or on the back, odds are they plow in the winter.


Some tips on plowing,

Day time you fight traffic,

Night time it's hard to see and more cars are parked on the side of the road.

Watch out for mailboxes, curbs, basketball goals.

If your plow angle is too far your plow won't stay flat on the road and it will cause your front to slide out in the opposite direction.

On real steep roads or drives where you can't turn around, back into it and dump that salt good so you can drive out of there.

On steep roads use your plow to help you brake.

If you can't turn very good, lift your plow to get more weight on your steers.

Lube those chain bearings and hydraulic fittings real good after each use.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Good luck.

 

####, i was working for a private contractor.........i made $50 per hour.........!!!!!

state jobs here pay $22.00 per hour...........plow or any other state truck driving job, but you also work as a laborer..............

 

You asked about snowplowing jobs;the job you applied for is full time DPW for the county.That would be great if you get it,there is a lot of competition for those jobs cause the pay isn't bad,you get OT when plowing after normal hours,which could be double time on holidays and Sundays,time and a half weekdays and Saturday.Also the paid holidays, vacation and sick time are liberal,plus good medical, dental and State pension plan.A lot of these jobs go to friends and relatives of polititions,and it's a job that you can retire from.I have 33 years in a town job and can retire whenever I want with full medical coverage(1.5% of my yearly salary goes into paying for benies)If I can wait until I'm eligible for SS benies and then retire, I will be collecting more than my normal salary,between pension and SS.

 

I got a snowplow job once. It paid $26 an hour. The downfall was I had to pay $500 up front to the employment agency. It wasn't long after that I sold my swamp land and moved from FL to TN. Then I went OTR