# no more plowing just management



## snowman55 (Nov 20, 2007)

well. it kind of sucks. got to the point where I cant plow anymore. I have 20 trucks and shovel crews on the road and I need to sit here at my desk and manage the plow. last year got to be too much answering 2 cell phones routing crews, tracking work done on a laptop and plowing at the same time. backed into a light pole and decided I could not do it anymore. any one else in the same boat? I miss running a truck and I'm bored with answering the phone.


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## LawnProLandscapes (Nov 15, 2007)

maybe hire a secratary type of person to take calls, and relay info. to you, that way you can run a rig still but youll still have a little work load roll over.


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## snowman55 (Nov 20, 2007)

I have an office manager/ secratary. but shes not gonna wrok nites and days and. with that many routes I and constantly having to readjust them based on timing and severity of the storm to meet varied open deadlines. we have a mix of work with deadlines from 4am to 5pm. it creats headaches but I can keep my riggs plowing for 10 hours on a 2" snowfall.


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## LawnProLandscapes (Nov 15, 2007)

yea that sounds like a headache. thats why i think i want to stay small and maybe grow to 10 trucks tops, that way im still small enough to run a rig, the day i cant plow and run my own business will be the day i quit. i love it too much .


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## snowman55 (Nov 20, 2007)

thats what I used to say but the wife wont stop spending money.


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## Luther (Oct 31, 2007)

Get Nextels (or direct connect) and maybe loose the lap top. Create fill in the blank (or check off) site sheets to track your activity. Something simple and quick, but with all the info you need.

Get away from your desk and at least perform inspections during the activity. 

Maybe plow at one of your larger sites that will have multiple trucks working, so during the non busy times of your dispatching and tracking you can plow, but little will be affected on that site when you need to sit idle to document the activity.

My huge burden is extracting all of the activity from each log (after the outings) to create my storm reports, billing, analysis, summaries........


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## snowman55 (Nov 20, 2007)

I have thought about that and may go to a system like that. haven't been able to find a program I felt was good enough. also I try to handle that burden of creating storm reports and analysis during the storm. all customers recieve email updates the following day stating services performed on their properties. I have had alot of possitive feedback about the proactive informatiom they recieve.


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## Luther (Oct 31, 2007)

You won't find what you want, create your own.

Lose gathering the other info........concentrate only on _activity_.

For our customers I create a storm description with all relevant information, detailing what happened in multiple cities and counties. They are all either faxed or e-mailed (once the girls get to the office) this which notifies them that something did happen. We have had the same customer response you experienced.


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## snowman55 (Nov 20, 2007)

well its sunday nite and I'm at my desk again got 10 trucks out. I picked up a captains chair out of a wrecked van. I'm goona build an office chair out of it and mount a joystick so I can pretend i'm plowing


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## Luther (Oct 31, 2007)

This one has the joystick control.


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## snowman55 (Nov 20, 2007)

cool where can I get a mini me?


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## Luther (Oct 31, 2007)

Mini me's are very hard to find...........if you can't locate one, get the upgraded chair.


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## danknight60 (Nov 7, 2006)

hey i love plowing but if i had 20 trucks as i only have one and i have 24 accounts and my tuck is on it 's last leg i would not complain as i would love to sit at my desk and manage 20 truck i own yes i only started my business 3 years ago but i have been plowing for 11 years, just think of it this why u could have only 4 trucks including urs and that's it get my drift "hehe" be happy :bluebounc bro i wish i just had 2 good trucks:crying:


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## snowman55 (Nov 20, 2007)

not complaining dan.I just get bored and miss running a truck. tcla send me the link on that chair I want it, but it would have to be black and the joystick be compatable with internet plow game.


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## Luther (Oct 31, 2007)

I'm thinking one of these should work. xysport


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## danknight60 (Nov 7, 2006)

xysport yea that chair is cool lol if you know of anyone getting rid of a old truck gmc or chevy keep me in mind the last 2 years killed me just stayed above water need another truck but money is so dam tight right now i really need snow in the next 3 weeks or i am out of business:crying:


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## snowman55 (Nov 20, 2007)

TCLA, what site did you get those switchs from my guys are forever *****ing about the blizzards monster controller. maybe I can fab one up .


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## Luther (Oct 31, 2007)

Get to work on it.


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## snow game (Sep 28, 2008)

Snowman,
I'm in the same boat as you I usually run about 20 pieces of equipment & trucks plus four to five crews. I made an investment in GPS that tracks when the trucks leave, the "bread crum trail" of how they go to a job, their speed, when they enter and leave a job, and events (long idle time ignition on & off) Its like Lojac, but there is more info, stored for 90 days and you only have to call the cops if they steal the truck! Good for biling T&M jobs during the entire year, especially when you have that employee who never writes anything down and makes up his hours when you call looking for the slip. A great investment.
I still plow, we used to have two way radio's all season, but know we only turn them on in the winter. The good thing about two way's is everyone can hear you, so if I'm checking on what needs to be done, the guys can join the converstaion to say they are in the area or are near the job. The Nextels we have (we just switched to nextel in May) don't have that capability, with out getting charged air time for every "all Call".
I give myself the smallest route in the center of all my accounts so I can put out fires as they arise. We had our first dusting today, only had 4 trucks out billed over 5k. I'll take a small storm all day over the big ones!


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## danknight60 (Nov 7, 2006)

i guess u guys don't remember when you first started out well good luck you big wigs us little guys will keep on trying !!!!!!! wesport


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## Luther (Oct 31, 2007)

danknight60;666691 said:


> i guess u guys don't remember when you first started out well good luck you big wigs us little guys will keep on trying !!!!!!! wesport


I remember back when. Good luck to you too sir.


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## JohnnyRoyale (Jun 18, 2006)

I hear your pain. The bigger the company gets, the more you have to lose the part of it you enjoyed most which got you into the business to begin with. I too still have a small route I plow, and generally refuel equipment, put put fires, check up on guys, and try to get out for every (most LOL) saltings, just to get a break from the office. Mind you, most of our stuff is dedicated to larger sites, and smaller ones around them , sio I cant imagine running 20 plow truck routes with multiple (10+) sites each. First one in, last one out...that will never change. You may have to delegate a bit more, maybe hire a night guy, or girl to help out in the office, I know theyre hard to find, but anyone with any kind of dispatching exp must be out there somewhere. Good luck.


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## YardMedic (Nov 29, 2006)

An assessment from a guy running a single truck (well, a spare now too!):

Span of control

What do you have for foremen out there overseeing the workerbees? What if you can get more management out there to take burden off your shoulders? If you're managing 4 guys who are each managing 5 trucks, you ride around in a Tahoe or another pickup/1-ton to plow wherever you want or wherever needed while concerning yourself only with updating your 4 chiefs who are in charge of the indians. Better still, you are chief and you're in charge of captains who are in charge of firemen.


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## snowman55 (Nov 20, 2007)

I hear you yard medic but we have such a diverse base that none of the routes are set. a snowfall ending at 400a requires all equipt to gang up on comm lots. a snow fall ending at 500p requires all equip on apt and townhomes. anything in between is a combo. over 4" we have to run thru all props for a breakout with different times. we specialize in the small lots so yeah its 20 routes about 10 sites each.I could lessen the headache and add more trucks and shorten routes so I don't juggle so much but I try to get as much $ as possible per piece of equipt. again I don't mean to complain I am just having trouble adjusting. I love running my truck. And I will never forget my beginnings a Nissan and a shovel, and a diet of smack Raman


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## YardMedic (Nov 29, 2006)

I know what you're saying, but maybe as I had been mentioning if you can make it so you have a few guys in charge of a group of trucks that have given tasks and some that can "float" between assignments, then your own management responsibilities are shared among other guys who now have to manage some. I obviously don't know your situation or your accounts, but is it possible that having a few crew leaders running different properties will make things flow better than running all your resources at the same place at the same time?


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## jomofo (Apr 26, 2008)

danknight60;666691 said:


> i guess u guys don't remember when you first started out well good luck you big wigs us little guys will keep on trying !!!!!!! wesport




What else do you do besides plow? I lived in NYC for about my whole life... I'd have to be using a teaspoon to make a season out of that snow most years...


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

snowman55;663830 said:


> thats what I used to say but the wife wont stop spending money.


Are we married to the same woman?


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## YardMedic (Nov 29, 2006)

Camden;667514 said:


> Are we married to the same woman?


No, it's in their genes (or is it jeans, jackets, wallets, and shoes?)


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

YardMedic;667522 said:


> No, it's in their genes (or is it jeans, jackets, wallets, and shoes?)


I'm willing to take her off your hands.


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## ABES (Jun 10, 2007)

I plow for a large company and the owner still plows, but he has 1-2 guys that stay at the shop all night and manage the plowers/shovelers/salters/subs.


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## Superior L & L (Oct 6, 2006)

JohnnyRoyale;666996 said:


> First one in, last one out...that will never change..


Thats me also, i dont want to go home and sleep till i know we are all taken care of


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## ajmarti (Dec 29, 2009)

I am still pretty new at this and still learning a lot as I go. I have been running 2 trucks for the past 3 snow season and seem to be doing pretty well. I am allways looking for advice on how to be more competitive, effecient, and stream line processes, and grow my business. Would love to get some advice and know how from some of the bigger guys. I have lots of questions and looking for someone to bounce them off of.


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## maelawncare (Mar 4, 2004)

Just get you an excursion and put a mobile office in the back  That way you still plow with it. And get on the laptop and take calls in the back.


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## elite1msmith (Sep 10, 2007)

TCLA;663871 said:


> Get Nextels (or direct connect) and maybe loose the lap top. Create fill in the blank (or check off) site sheets to track your activity. Something simple and quick, but with all the info you need.
> 
> Get away from your desk and at least perform inspections during the activity.
> 
> ...


i think this is a good idea. I like to plow at a central site. with basicly no route for me...im just there to help out, i drive the back up truck. If someone breaks, we meet up, and switch and i take it from there.

the GPS seems like a good thing.

Theres not much you can do on customer phone calls. its just gonna happen, and you answering them will proballby be able to give them more answers better and faster than any answering service or office person.

as for the guys info. Well they should be tracking there own, but if you need to constently updated. Try the gps. or try having them text message you for each time they get on a job, and off. It creates a good log. If you have a dedicated phone in each truck or equiptment...just name it Truck 1, truck 2. skid 3 ..... then you have a log on and off the property and know where they are in a route.

generally i found when i had that much things going on, rerouting trucks, and customer calls... i was just over booked and doing too much work for the equiptment i had. seemed if i lightened the route up just a little, things got alot eaiser...

I have one friend that doesnt take snow removal too seriously. He has almost 1 truck per 3 parking lots. his routes are very short. but he has almost no complaints, his service and responce times are quick. and a breakdown is basicly no big deal. I got to say, i think really thats the way to go.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

i am kind of in the same boat, we run 4 pieces of equipment, and 4-5 crews (4 usually, 5 ideally) SO MUCH HEADACHE!!!, in the next year, most of my equipment should be paid off, then i think i am going to down size a little, and look for some longer term employees other then the "kids" i get now at $10-$15/hour, i do still get out to work in the snow, that late at night, not a lot of people bothering me, only have the tractor, 2skidsteers, and loader going, but it would sure be nice not to get the pesky phone calls, because so and so didn't show up, or this broke down, or they forgot to shovel all the way to the back garbage at so and so's house, etc.

at least we see great gobs of money


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