Towns still desperate for plow drivers ahead of 2022’s first snowstorm

FOXBORO, Mass. — 25-year-old plow driver Blaine Newhook feels more in-demand than ever.

“If it’s snowing, everyone needs snow removal,” Newhook said, standing in front of his plow truck on the eve of 2022′s first snowstorm. Anyone with a truck and the proper equipment is a hot commodity these days, but Newhook sees the pool of plow drivers shrinking every winter.

“Overhead is through the roof. Overhead just keeps going up and lot of guys can’t afford to do it,” he said.

Rising fuel costs, expensive insurance premiums, and terrible, unpredictable hours are driving independent contractors away, and smaller towns are paying the price.

“It’s a tough gig. I mean, going out in the middle of the night in the cold, it’s hard to attract people to that job,” Needham Public Information Officer Cyndi Roy Gonzalez said.

Roy Gonzalez said Needham has been forced to think outside the box. The town tried recruiting college students to shovel snow this winter and offered incentive bonuses to contractors willing to sign up in the fall.

“We’ve been down [drivers] the last couple of years. Snow plowing is just not as desirable a job as it once was,” she said. “It’s not a pretty picture here. Add COVID to the mix and we’re really not feeling great about the impending snowstorm.”

Chelmsford Town Manager Paul Cohen said he has to keep increasing the town’s rate just to stay competitive with MassDOT and other neighboring communities.

“We are now offering $80 an hour for a pick-up truck and operator to plow snow. The City of Lowell is offering $125 an hour for this same equipment,” Cohen said in an email. “We could use more snow plow contractors.  We will utilize who we have and prioritize the main roads.”

Wrentham Town Administrator Kevin Sweet said this is the worst winter for recruiting plow drivers that he can remember.

“We are down to almost no contractors at this point for a number of reason,  not limited to fuel and insurance costs. It is extremely competitive amongst communities and we have had to increase rates and think out of the box to attract interest but even with that it is very difficult,” Sweet said in an email.

Other towns like Foxboro, Norwood, Norfolk and Plymouth are going into Friday’s snowstorm more or less fully-staffed.

“We have had to reasonably increase our rates to maintain a competitive position and that has allowed us to keep our full complement of private drivers and equipment.  We are fortunate to be in this position as we know it has been difficult for most places to get help in this area,” Foxboro Town Manager William Keegan said in an email.

Newhook said plow drivers aren’t trying to be greedy, they’re just trying to earn enough to cover their expenses.

“We’re not trying to gouge any prices. We’re trying to just cover our overhead and things just keep increasing,” Newhook said.

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