# How much to pay a sub??



## show-n-go

What would be considered fair money to pay a sub per hour that has his own truck and plow. The guy is reliable and doesn't mess around, he comes in and gets the job done without having to be watched all the time.


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## grandview

$150.00an hour and a cup of coffee.


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## NorthernSvc's

$100-120.00 hr ( depending on truck size and type of plow)


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## suzuki0702

you guys are crazy. northeast ohio subs can pull 65 an hour max. thats with a 8611 and fully insured to 3 mil and 5 mil aggregate!!!!


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## grandview

Fine,$40.00 an hour and 2 cups of coffee .


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## show-n-go

wow i was thinking i was being robbed there for a min, thanks suzuki now that i know im in the right money. Sounds like i should move north for the winter.


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## NorthernSvc's

i make 200.00 hr off each truck... i'd rather not deal with, why can't you come in??? or why is it taking you 2 hours to do a job i know only takes 1.... or so your truck is broke again huh?... or you know you can't drink while your plowing, no i don't care that its a private parking lot... or worrying about people stealing business from me... good subs are hard to find, and they are worth every penny!
i also usually don't do hourly rates, i pay flat fees for 2-4,4-6,6-8 ( i just use those numbers to help figure out rates...) more incentive for people to work harder if they know they are only getting x...no more milking clocks etc etc..


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## NorthernSvc's

but hey like anything else around here you get what you pay for...
and i have really short routes so they expect more money an hour, typical 2-4" is 3 hours of work...


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## got-h2o

$50-60 depending what his truck/plow combo is.


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## suzuki0702

got-h2o;832050 said:


> $50-60 depending what his truck/plow combo is.


finally another honest person!! my god i thought i was by myself ... .200/hr . c'mon guy doctors dont make that, nor do lawyers.


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## 98Chevy2500

65 with a decent truck and 8' plow, 70+ with an 810


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## CityGuy

65-80/hr depending on truck, plow and expierience. Years of service/dedication can be an incentive for a few more bucks


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## blk90s13

70/hr is the going rate here


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## Chrisxl64

my best advice is to get info from guys around you if they will share it with ya. The best way to get the best people is offer them what anyone would want, a good boss that they work with, not for, and a competive wage.


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## nekos

NorthernSvc's;832041 said:


> i make 200.00 hr off each truck... i'd rather not deal with, why can't you come in??? or why is it taking you 2 hours to do a job i know only takes 1.... or so your truck is broke again huh?... or you know you can't drink while your plowing, no i don't care that its a private parking lot... or worrying about people stealing business from me... good subs are hard to find, and they are worth every penny!
> i also usually don't do hourly rates, i pay flat fees for 2-4,4-6,6-8 ( i just use those numbers to help figure out rates...) more incentive for people to work harder if they know they are only getting x...no more milking clocks etc etc..


Good subs know when to milk the clock and when not to also. Our route takes 4 1/2 hours regardless of how much snow. ( with the exception of very large storms and blizzards) Some times you just need an extra cup of coffee that takes 20 minutes to drink before you finish those last 2 passes but every thing is always done on time ! Good subs also will not stick around if you push them to get done fast. Were out there to make money.

I like the way you pay though. Sounds fair and if i wasn't treated so good where I'm at now i would seriously consider working for a flat rate like you have set up. Just curious how you pay for the larger storms though ? Our route could be done in 4 1/2 hours easy, That doesn't mean I'm only out for 4 /12 hours a night though. I have more then 1 lot that needs to be kept clean at all times. It's not uncommon for me to run back to them 4 and 5 times during a storm.


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## NorthernSvc's

nekos,
i only have 2 subs, the majority of the work i do is for people who expect it done constantly and they get that service. 
i figure in extra time, i break it down by 2-4", 4-6", 6-8". anything over 8" is by the hour.
subs only go out for the initial opening. i have crews and employees whod rive my equipment who go back during the day after big storms to follow up with opening of parking spaces etc. 

what you guys fail to take into account is the original poster basically painted the picture of the perfect employee - or a real good sub unfortunately they are so hard to find that when i do find them ill treat em like gold "The guy is reliable and doesn't mess around, he comes in and gets the job done without having to be watched all the time." I work full time for a fire department so it means a lot to me to be able to show a guy a property once and walk through it with him at the beggining of the year, and not have to worry about it for the rest of the winte, because 1/3rd of the winter im not there to check up on them...

now most guys that start out won't make that much, untill i know that they are good i usually start around 75-85 an hour - figured into the pricing structure i said before.
i pay more because i don't use my subs that much, so i think its only fair, i see it as they could be working for someone else who doesn't care as much about getting stuff done in such a quick amount of time, or they have accounts which arent as time sensitive, so they can have alarger route and work more.

so i ask you would you rather work for 3 hours and make $300, or 5 hours @65hr.
my subs have their own routes and customers, as long as my stuff is numero uno i don't care what else they do...


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## nekos

NorthernSvc's;832332 said:


> nekos,
> i only have 2 subs, the majority of the work i do is for people who expect it done constantly and they get that service.
> i figure in extra time, i break it down by 2-4", 4-6", 6-8". anything over 8" is by the hour.
> subs only go out for the initial opening. i have crews and employees whod rive my equipment who go back during the day after big storms to follow up with opening of parking spaces etc.
> 
> what you guys fail to take into account is the original poster basically painted the picture of the perfect employee - or a real good sub unfortunately they are so hard to find that when i do find them ill treat em like gold "The guy is reliable and doesn't mess around, he comes in and gets the job done without having to be watched all the time." I work full time for a fire department so it means a lot to me to be able to show a guy a property once and walk through it with him at the beggining of the year, and not have to worry about it for the rest of the winte, because 1/3rd of the winter im not there to check up on them...
> 
> now most guys that start out won't make that much, untill i know that they are good i usually start around 75-85 an hour - figured into the pricing structure i said before.
> i pay more because i don't use my subs that much, so i think its only fair, i see it as they could be working for someone else who doesn't care as much about getting stuff done in such a quick amount of time, or they have accounts which arent as time sensitive, so they can have alarger route and work more.
> 
> so i ask you would you rather work for 3 hours and make $300, or 5 hours @65hr.
> my subs have their own routes and customers, as long as my stuff is numero uno i don't care what else they do...


 I wasn't saying anything bad about the way you pay ! Like i said i think it is fair how you do it. I was just unsure how you handled / paid your subs when we get the big storms.

Sorry if i came across like i was bashing you or the way you paid your sub's. I didn't mean it like that at all. I was agreeing with what you said , I just kinda added that good subs know when to milk the clock. In my situation my boss knows we can get our route done faster then we do. He also knows we wouldn't stick around if we got the route done in 2 hours and that was it. It's not worth it from our end.

Again i wasn't in anyway trying to say anything bad about the way you pay i just didn't under stand it.


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## Grampa Plow

What do you guys do with call backs (if you have them)? Pay them again or is that expected? Just curious, I have never used subs...always have used my equipment and hired drivers.


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## partsguy08

There is a company around here that pays their subs 50.00 an hour. That does not include drive time. They will pay from the time you drop your blade until the lot is done.


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## NorthernSvc's

nekois,
no offence taken! they way i do it is kinda complicated and i did a bad job of explainin it, so just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page!
grampa, no call backs for subs, i have my own guys and my own equipment, subs are only used for the initial opening up. but i guess if i got in a bad bind ( my employees calle dof, my trucks broke...) then it would be by the hour, same as if the storm dropped more than 8" in a 24hr period...


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## ford550

$65 - $70 here........


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## Dissociative

keep in mind everyone that Northern happens to live in and probably plow in one of the most wealthy cities in IL.......

Northbrook, Oakbrook, Glencoe, ect.ect.......sure they pay 200 an hour for plows...


real world sub rates here in Chicago area.......65-80


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## NorthernSvc's

ahh yes forgot to mention that!! lol


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## NorthernSvc's

they are also the biggest whiners... and expect everything to be perfect all the time... they get what they pay for!


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## Midwest BuildIt Inc

although your pay looks great for that initial time to open everything up. I f you hired me, and you sent me home while it was still snowing and/or didnt call me up to finish the storm. I would be working for someone else and/or finding another contractor to work for. I put in around 200 hours last year. what did your guys get.


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## tls22

partsguy08;832423 said:


> There is a company around here that pays their subs 50.00 an hour. That does not include drive time. They will pay from the time you drop your blade until the lot is done.


lmao...i would not leave my couch for that...i get 100 an hr from the time i leave my driveway until i get back


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## carl b

suzuki0702;832035 said:


> you guys are crazy. northeast ohio subs can pull 65 an hour max. thats with a 8611 and fully insured to 3 mil and 5 mil aggregate!!!!


Wow an honest person on plowsite. If you add a bulk spreader it's only 75 an hour here.


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## NorthernSvc's

Midwest BuildIt Inc;836424 said:


> although your pay looks great for that initial time to open everything up. I f you hired me, and you sent me home while it was still snowing and/or didnt call me up to finish the storm. I would be working for someone else and/or finding another contractor to work for. I put in around 200 hours last year. what did your guys get.


no no they work till it's done snowing, im talking about going back during the day to open up parking spots at condo buildings and such...


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## Midwest BuildIt Inc

NorthernSvc's;836886 said:


> no no they work till it's done snowing, im talking about going back during the day to open up parking spots at condo buildings and such...


well maybe its better than the way it sounded. just sounded to me that on lets say a 5" snowstorm that the subs only go out for 4 hours or so to open everything up quickly then they go home and you do the rest. im not knocking you or anything. just didnt sound that great to me.


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## CGBear

I got a buddy that pays 85 an hour, and I've heard a couple other guys talk about 100. For 50 an hour I think I'd rather sleep....LOL!


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## CGBear

NorthernSvc's;836382 said:


> they are also the biggest whiners... and expect everything to be perfect all the time... they get what they pay for!


Ah yes, they do whine.....but they've got lots of MONEY!!! payup


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## nekos

CGBear;837173 said:


> I got a buddy that pays 85 an hour, and I've heard a couple other guys talk about 100. For 50 an hour I think I'd rather sleep....LOL!


I'm not 100% on this but i have heard talk of Snow Systems at $55 an hour for subs this year. I'm glad i got out of that place when i did ! You could make more money doing drive ways at $15 a pop.

Anyway, $100+ an hour isn't all that uncommon. It's just the majority of subs are not worth that much and will never see much more then $65-70 an hour.


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## jjklongisland

Now on the flip side if a sub is getting paid lets say $75 per hour, How much can you expect the guy owning the conctract (subs boss) is getting per hour for you... Double??? $150 maybe???

Going rate on L.I. varies greatly. Owner operators get between $60 and $90 per hour. Normally around $35 for just a driver and about $15 for a shoveler.


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## nekos

jjklongisland;837456 said:


> Now on the flip side if a sub is getting paid lets say $75 per hour, How much can you expect the guy owning the conctract (subs boss) is getting per hour for you... Double??? $150 maybe???
> 
> Going rate on L.I. varies greatly. Owner operators get between $60 and $90 per hour. Normally around $35 for just a driver and about $15 for a shoveler.


It all depends. With out getting into specifics the company i work for actually loses money plowing on some lots but makes it up in other areas. I would assume most are making $150 - $200 per truck/ hour though.


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## Banger

Midwest BuildIt Inc;836424 said:


> I f you hired me, and you sent me home while it was still snowing and/or didnt call me up to finish the storm. I would be working for someone else and/or finding another contractor to work for.


+1000

Not sure about everyone here but I know a lot of us depend on the long hours to keep food on the table and bills paid in the winter. To be used like that and sent home is lame at best!


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## timlutz

I make $60/hr as a sub. Charge $80/hr on my accounts and rent my truck out for $30/hr when I'm at my day job.


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## CHCSnowman

timlutz;849741 said:


> I make $60/hr as a sub. Charge $80/hr on my accounts and rent my truck out for $30/hr when I'm at my day job.


You are one brave man........you been renting your plow truck for many years? Who pays repairs?

Just for the record....I get $85 an hour in Indy for each truck w/ experienced operator and we get drive pay. Been with the same company now for 5-6 years. I would not even think about plowing for $50 an hour........I would sell my plows and sleep in.


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## timlutz

I rent my truck to the guy I sub for while I'm at my day job. He puts gas in it and pays if he breaks anything. How much do you pay your drivers that use there own trucks? I get $60/hr but charge $80/hr for my own accounts so looks like we are on the same page.


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## CHCSnowman

I dont have any drivers who use their own trucks. I am 100% a sub and so are my trucks. I have no accounts of my own. I pay drivers $20 an hour to drive my trucks and I provide fuel and repairs. When I started out with this company I got $65 per truck per hour.....but they gave me $5 per year raise and I am now at 80-85.


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## plowin4u

tls22;836722 said:


> lmao...i would not leave my couch for that...i get 100 an hr from the time i leave my driveway until i get back


Nice! I want to come up north to work with you!payup We're getting 80 an hour in ocean county.


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## novasnowplower

*how much to pay*

Should be a 80% 20% split


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