One of the tricky things about snow plowing liability is that adverse weather conditions are a defining component of what you do for a living. If it’s really snowing outside, you can take the bus to work instead of driving there. But if your job is to get the snow off the road so that the bus driver can do their job, then, well, you’re going to be driving in the snow. Without seriously adverse driving conditions, there’d be no need for snow plows in the first place.
Snow plow insurance will generally cover your basic liability considerations, of course, including bodily and property damage. If you have employees, then you’ll be looking into workers compensation, and of course you will need a business owners policy as well as full coverage for the vehicle itself. Some insurers will offer you a better deal than others, but the bottom line is that you’re looking for a robust policy to cover some moderately dangerous work.
Here’s the good news: The stuff that you do to stay safe on icy roads is the same stuff you can do to help get a good deal on your insurance policy. Every provider has their own discounts, their own way of evaluating you as a safe driver and business owner, but in general, just as with driving your car, the safer you are, the less you are likely to wind up paying each month for your insurance.
If this were a piece of clickbait, this is the part where we’d tell you the “1 weird trick” to keep your premiums low:
- Verify Your People
If your new driver comes in with an impressive resume, the quickest way to check their references is to put down the phone and take them to the nearest parking lot. See how they maneuver a snow plow in a controlled environment, hit them with a pop quiz. You can fake references, you can lie on a resume, but you can’t fake ability behind the wheel.
This applies to any sort of business where you’re hiring drivers, but especially when the job also entails the operation of heavy machinery. Basically: Just don’t take your drivers’ abilities for granted. Test your new drivers, and make sure your current drivers take a refresher course around the parking lot to shake off the rust before you put them out on the streets.
