Snow clearance and gritting

First, confirm with your vehicle insurance company that they will insure you with the plough fitted while driving on public roads (it may raise your insurance costs ££). Some businesses use ploughs that are quick fit and are carried to site off vehicle to reduce risk.

Never plough a location you do not know....(ie where are humps, kerbs, posts, ditches, drains?)

Documemt/Photograph any pre-existing damage.

Decide how you are going to charge, per visit, per hour, per inch of snow.

Agree where you will push snow to (ie how many car park spaces will you need/they loose). This is true - we had one business complain stating they expected us to take snow away :)

Confirm how site is to be signed off (so you get paid. Consider a plough visit, then it snows later same day / overnight. Will they acknowledge your previous visit etc)

Agree Service Levels with clients before hand. It's an 'event'. Everybody will call for service when that 'event' happens at the same time. How do/will you prioritise?

Just some comments from experience.....

Double check with Ins Co......Are you insured for SD&P use on your 4*4 or Business Class 1 / 2 ? Should be the latter. That is vital. Get it confirmed in writing ;)

Ok, for a Retainer, suggest you need a Contract with payment IN advance. Otherwise when no snow happens people conveniently 'forget' they agreed to a Retainer.

Prioritising; You should look to service the nearest first, otherwise you could waste all your time getting to a distant site, where you could have been making money locally.

Also remember you at the mercy of the public road network. Any agreed service level should be subject to that, otherwise a commercial business may try it on if you committ, but can't deliver.

If you Sub for one of the nationals, a lot of that becomes irrelvant.

Replies

PRO

Gary RK January 28, 2015 at 3:24pm

First, confirm with your vehicle insurance company that they will insure you with the plough fitted while driving on public roads (it may raise your insurance costs ££). Some businesses use ploughs that are quick fit and are carried to site off vehicle to reduce risk.

Never plough a location you do not know....(ie where are humps, kerbs, posts, ditches, drains?)

Documemt/Photograph any pre-existing damage.

Decide how you are going to charge, per visit, per hour, per inch of snow.

Agree where you will push snow to (ie how many car park spaces will you need/they loose). This is true - we had one business complain stating they expected us to take snow away :)

Confirm how site is to be signed off (so you get paid. Consider a plough visit, then it snows later same day / overnight. Will they acknowledge your previous visit etc)

Agree Service Levels with clients before hand. It's an 'event'. Everybody will call for service when that 'event' happens at the same time. How do/will you prioritise?

Just some comments from experience.....
Mitchel ingham January 28, 2015 at 3:38pm

Well that was easy Gary just rang my insurance company all sorted as long as it's mot passable it's legal.

Requirements for it to pass mot amber flashing light, all front lights still visible with plough lifted.

How do I charge for it is the bit I struggle on? Also someone suggested a £50 retainer fee for the year.

Prioritising is a hard one to I guess simply I will only take on what I can handle.
- PRO
  
  Gary RK > Mitchel ingham January 28, 2015 at 3:46pm
  
  Double check with Ins Co......Are you insured for SD&P use on your 4*4 or Business Class 1 / 2 ? Should be the latter. That is vital. Get it confirmed in writing ;)
  
  Ok, for a Retainer, suggest you need a Contract with payment IN advance. Otherwise when no snow happens people conveniently 'forget' they agreed to a Retainer.
  
  Prioritising; You should look to service the nearest first, otherwise you could waste all your time getting to a distant site, where you could have been making money locally.
  
  Also remember you at the mercy of the public road network. Any agreed service level should be subject to that, otherwise a commercial business may try it on if you committ, but can't deliver.
  
  If you Sub for one of the nationals, a lot of that becomes irrelvant.
  - Mitchel ingham > Gary RK January 28, 2015 at 3:52pm
    
    4x4 is a commercial insurance policy I'll get them to send details of which type
  - Mitchel ingham > Gary RK January 28, 2015 at 6:03pm
    
    Sadly national lot are pretty useless by looks of it round here
    - PRO
      
      Gary RK > Mitchel ingham January 28, 2015 at 6:15pm
      
      Get online/YP etc and find local schools - can be a good local source of clearence work..
This reply was deleted.
- Mitchel ingham January 30, 2015 at 6:54pm
  
  Is it £500 retainer for any size site seems a lot when you say you don't plough i was told a retainer was to keep your equipment maintained and ready?. So you you just chuck grit out and shovel the paths?.
  
  I think I need to up my retainer defineatly but need to work out the size of sites also how much grit to store on site and at home .
  - This reply was deleted.
    - Mitchel ingham January 31, 2015 at 10:00am
      
      you got any pictures of the kit you use?
      
      i looked at a mounted gritter but your talking thousands.
      
      also what pedestrian hoppers?
      - Jason Conway > Mitchel ingham January 31, 2015 at 11:09am
        
        We used to run something like this
        http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/151272336888?nav=SEARCH
        
        worked fine as long as the salt wasnt too wet and it wasnt overloaded.
        
        Mitchel ingham > Jason Conway January 31, 2015 at 11:17am
        
        yeah i've looked at them been told there poo if the salt gets wet at all.
        
        im tempted to purchase one of these also a quad bike and spreader for that