Snow removal contracts and storm scheduling for a small crew

Choose one of three snow contracts, or offer more than one: per push (the customer pays each time you plow), per event (one price per storm), or seasonal (a fixed price for the winter, with or without a cap on pushes or snowfall). Write the trigger depth, the service area of each lot, salting, and how you bill into the contract. Then schedule by the forecast: line up every lot and driver when a winter storm watch goes out, and confirm when the warning or advisory comes.

Per push, per event or seasonal?

Each one moves the weather risk to a different side:

• Per push. You bill every visit. A heavy winter pays well, a light one pays little. The customer pays only for what falls.
• Per event. One price per storm, however many times you come back during it. Simple to bill; you carry the risk of a long storm.
• Seasonal. A fixed price for the winter, paid up front or in installments. Steady income and an easy budget for the customer; you carry the risk of a heavy winter. A cap on pushes or total snowfall, with per-push pricing above it, limits that risk.

There’s no single right answer, and nothing stops you offering seasonal contracts to some customers and per-push to others.

What goes in a snow contract?

• Trigger depth: the snowfall at which you come out, and whether you return during the storm or only after.
• What gets cleared: the lot, the drive, walks, the loading dock, and where the snow gets piled.
• Salt or ice melt: included, per application, or on request.
• Price and billing: per push, per event or seasonal, with any cap.
• Timing: when you’ll be there, for example before a business opens, and what happens if a storm runs overnight.
• Damage: how you handle a scraped curb or a lawn edge, and how soon the customer must report it.
• Term: the season’s start and end dates.

How do you schedule a storm?

Use the National Weather Service’s alerts as your cue. A winter storm watch means conditions are favorable for a significant winter storm; a warning is issued for a significant winter weather event; an advisory means wintry weather is expected but below warning criteria. In practice:

1. When the watch goes out, check who’s available and line up the routes.
2. When the warning or advisory comes, assign every lot to a driver and put the visits on the schedule.
3. The night before, every driver checks their list.
4. During the storm, mark each push done as it happens, so the record is there when you bill.

How do you set that up in FieldFlow?

Set each lot up once: the customer, the address, and the trigger depth, salt preference and where to pile the snow in your notes about the customer. FieldFlow’s repeating jobs follow the calendar, not the weather, so storms are scheduled by you when the forecast turns. When they are:

• Add a visit for each lot and assign the driver; each visit can have its own crew, so a lot can go to whoever has the truck that night.
• Drivers see their stops on their own phones, with the address, the customer’s number and your customer notes. Give each visit a time in the order you want the lots done, and drag it on the calendar to change it.
• A truck goes down? Move its lots to another driver.
• Per-push customers: give the job an invoice template and each completed visit drafts its invoice for you to check and send. Seasonal customers get one invoice, or one per installment.

FieldFlow doesn’t do route optimization or GPS tracking, so the route order is yours to set.

What should you look at after the season?

Count the pushes per lot, the hours your drivers logged, and what you were paid. A seasonal lot that took more pushes than the price assumed needs a higher price or a lower cap next year. The visit history on each job gives you the dates if a customer disputes a push.

The short version

Pick per push, per event or seasonal for each customer, write the trigger depth and the details down, line up drivers on the watch and confirm on the warning, and log each push as it happens. FieldFlow keeps the lots, the drivers, the pushes and the invoices in one place at $19/month for the whole crew, with a 90-day free trial. See the snow removal page and scheduling.

Questions owners ask

Should I charge per push or a seasonal rate for snow removal?

Per push pays you for every storm and suits customers who want to pay only for what falls. A seasonal rate gives you steady income and the customer a fixed bill, but you carry the risk of a heavy winter, which you can limit by capping the pushes or snowfall the price covers. You can offer both.

What is a trigger depth in a snow contract?

The snowfall at which you'll come out, for example two inches. Write it in the contract, along with whether you return during the storm or only after it ends, so the customer knows when to expect you.

When should I schedule drivers for a storm?

Line the routes up when the National Weather Service issues a winter storm watch, which means conditions are favorable for a significant storm, and confirm them when a warning or advisory is issued for your area. Assigning the night before beats texting addresses from the plow.

Can FieldFlow schedule snow jobs automatically when it snows?

No. FieldFlow's repeating jobs follow the calendar, not the weather. Set each lot up once with its trigger depth and salt preference in your notes about the customer, then put the visits on the schedule and assign drivers when the forecast turns.