Plow-Guy Talk: The View from the Cab

Did you ever wonder why the plow operator doesn't smile and wave back?  Bud says, "We're just trying to get past without killing you!"

Bud Barber, retired state plow operator, opened his talk Thursday evening with descriptions of the size of the plow.  "About length of the Community Room in the public library; and the grader blade is 24 feet wide - wider than the width of the room."  These giant pieces of equipment are not easily operated; nor can they turn on a narrow radius.  They need room.  Bud emphasized that plowing requires teamwork between property owners and plow operators.  The purpose of Bud's talk, he said, was to give the property owners the necessary knowledge to be part of the team.

In addition to constraints due to the size of the plow, Bud assured us that "every driveway gets a berm." A berm is to plowing as night is to day.  One necessarily follows the other.  There is nothing personal in a berm!  However, one berm might look different from another because of the physics of plowing:  a driveway that is not perpendicular to the road way will collect a wider berm; more snow will be deposited in an opening (usually a driveway) on the downhill run than on the uphill run; a driveway that slopes down from the road will collect a larger berm than one that doesn't. Plow power is diminished on the uphill run.  It can carry less and therefore deposits less.

Bud also explained the two-berm phenomenon: the inside story is that there are ALWAYS two berms. It's just that when the snow load is light, the second sweep of the plow follows more closely in time to the first sweep, so it seems to the driveway owner like there is only one berm.  In this particularly heavy snow year, the time between sweeps is extended, thus the perception that you have been doubled bermed.  Savvy private operators do try to estimate the time between sweeps so that they can clear their customers drives after the second sweep, but this year of exceptionally heavy snow has made that strategy problematical. 

Here's a tip that was news to me: when clearing your berm, clear to the direction traffic flows.  Then the plow will push the snow away from your drive. Why, I asked myself, did I not figure that out after 30+ years of shoveling?

If you have to park on a street, the plow will create a berm around your vehicle.  After you blast out of your spot, think about parking a little further up the street next time so the operator can clear the snow left when he had to veer around your car.  That will help.

There are rules for parking off the street.  We should park 8 feet from the edge of the pavement, or 20 feet from the center line. Why?  Again, it has to do with the magnificent size of the equipment.  No plow operator wants to collide with your vehicle so they give it room.  When they do, that leaves snow in the road, creating a hazard for the traveling public.  The further from the edge you park, the safer for everyone. 

There are signs about town that say, "No parking 5-9 AM snow removal."  We need to respect those signs.  The consequence can be a ticket or a tow.  But the bigger consequence is to the whole system. Vehicles on the roadways slow down snow removal. When the operators start their rigs at 4 AM, their goal is to clear the roads so that people can get out and about by 8 AM.  We all have to help to make the system work.  Like Bud said, "Teamwork."  Thanks Bud!