Riding in a plow demonstrates the difficulty of not berming
By Kathryn Reed
I’m a complainer. And I admitted this trait to a plow driver. And then to his boss.
They are used to my type.
I hate the berm. I don’t see why they have to happen. Must be a lazy plow driver is my thinking.
Bobby Maxwell convinces one South Tahoe resident berms are part of life. Photo/Kathryn Reed
That was my philosophy before spending a couple hours in the cramped cockpit of one of those monsters.
Still hate berms, but I understand why they happen. You couldn’t be lazy and have this job.
In fact, I’m guessing most people could never do this job. I know I’m going to stick with a keyboard to show off my dexterity and a computer to show how good I am with heavy equipment.
Stepping into the big blue rig belonging to South Lake Tahoe on the night of Feb. 17 I didn’t know what I was in for. Public Works Director John Greenhut invited me for a ride-along after I complained in late December about all the side streets along Tahoe Keys Boulevard being bermed. (In years past I’ve whined about berms at the foot of my driveway. My excuse for complaining is some storms I get berms, some I don’t.)
Bobby Maxwell took me under his wing, almost literally based on how cramped the snowplow is, to educate me a bit. At 26, he has been plowing the streets of South Lake Tahoe for six years.
He, and later his boss Azril Kalik, explained the berms on Keys Boulevard had to do with a sander helping clear the road. It only has a front plow, no gate. Without a gate, a berm is definitely going to happen.
I honestly thought being a snowplow driver was no big deal. Oh, how wrong I was.
Now I want to leave them beer or cookies like I do the mail carrier and garbage guys at the holidays.
Maxwell says they aren’t allowed to take any kind of gratuity. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, but I think I’m going to see if that’s just the company line. Good, hard work deserves something extra.
This isn’t to say I’m not going to have a potty mouth (under my breath) when a berm full of chunks of ice requiring someone of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stature to clear them is left at the foot of my driveway.
I’m not that easily convinced it’s all about the snow conditions and quantity of it. Yes, I understand those are legitimate reasons, but I know some of the guys are just better than others.
But Maxwell repeatedly demonstrated the gate can only do so much. It’s there to reduce a berm, not eliminate it.
It’s a thankless job. It’s long hours of staring out a window for 12 hours with blinding snow.
No breaks. No bathroom. No one to shoot the breeze with.
Maxwell might spend five minutes eating something he brought with him. Even cops take dinner breaks. And those guys are often chattering on their cell phones. Plow drivers don’t have these perks, so to speak.
This South Tahoe High grad is happy to have the job and likes it on most nights. But he admits it can be a drain. But he knows he is providing a vital service and takes pride in what he is doing.
Meticulous snowplowing might be possible to define based on industry standards, but the public is not apt to buy into it. They want cleared streets no matter the condition. They don’t want berms. They want to turn left even when the left turn lane is gone.
But this is snow country. It’s about dealing with forces that are beyond all of our control.
One thing I can control, though, is patience. I need to learn to have more of it.
I have a respect for these guys in their blue contraptions that I never had before. Now I’ll wave to them with all of my fingers.
Hi, I just loved this article. I can relate. Our plow guys are learning how to use the gate and are getting better about not leaving a huge berm. The little ones I don’t mind, are understandable as well as manageable. Shoveling the snow to the side in the direction of the plow also helps reduce the berm. Removing the berm right after the plow goes by, before it has a chance to settle or freeze, usually is the easiest time to remove it. This takes a little awareness and timing, however makes it less of a hassle, headache and backache.
This is a wonderful article. Considering the influx of people and traffic, parked cars, etc., it’s amazing they get those big machines to clear as much as they do. In Canada we cleared our own berms and were happy to have the road open…BIG SNOW! I think all of our City & County plow drivers do a great job. It’s hard to run out and thank them for doing such a great job in looking after all of us.
Great article, Kae! It always helps the general public to know that there are people inside those vehicles and, just like everyone else, they’re doing the best they can!
The driver who does my street this year only knows how to use the gate if I’m standing in my cleared driveway when he comes by. If I’m not there the gate is never dropped even if I’ve already cleared the drive to the street.
During prior years I never had this happen, the driver always dropped the gate so I didn’t have to clear the street berm.
Great article, Kae! I spent nine of my twenty years with the City of SLT working in the Public Works Department. I can’t tell you how many phone calls I took during that time from the public irate over snow removal or the perceived lack thereof. I am glad that you were able to experience first-hand what a difficult job this is for our guys and relay this to the public. You rock!
I think our snow-plow guys do a great job concidering how there aren’t many places to push the snow off the road, and how many driveways they have to deal with.
I have an issue with people who blow the snow off their driveways and into the roads! You can just be driving down a street going through the foot of fresh powder just fine… then you hit a section of thick chunky stuff and you get stuck. But hey… I guess they think that as long as their driveway is clear who cares about the other people driving down their street.
I remember running out and standing in my driveway when I heard the snowplow coming to make sure they put the gate down. And, yes, clearing what the gate leaves behind as soon as possible is relatively easy, if you’re home -or awake-when they come by.
One night, returning from copyediting at the paper about 10:30 p.m. I found my driveway clogged with snow and big chunks of ice. I had to climb across, get a shovel and clear it. And all the while a group of coyotes was sitting about half a block away watching. And do you think they’d offer to help? No way. Probably sitting there laughing at me.
I never doubted that the plow guys are doing the best they can and deserve any credit they can get for a thankless job. Up here we all have to do the best we can under the circumstances of the weather. That’s mountain living!!
What is not mentioned is that if the plow driver comes down the street a second time, he can remove all of those berms. Yes it would take longer but we’d all be happier residents at the end of the day.
Then the plow drivers would be plowing 260 miles of streets
I still think we need published standards and expectations for the snow plowing! If both the snow plow drivers and the customers, (us) had the same expectations/goals, it would be easier to understand the incredible inequality in the service provided. It changes from driver to driver. When talking to a City supervisor, we have found really “stupid” explanations to us. It is so aggravating to be told something that they have memorized for all customers, showing that they don’t even understand the problem on this street. In most jobs there are job descriptions and standards for meeting expectations. Then the employee is evaluated on his/her achievement of those expectations. We need set, published, standards that we all understand!
Also, 12 hour shifts are much, much too long! The way those huge snow plows bounce and bump and grind, it is a terrible assault on the human body. I vote for shorter shifts for all snowplow drives. Yes, that will mean more part timers, but maybe they will have more energy to do quality work when they are not so exhausted!
Thank you for listening………..