When considering commercial snow plowing services for your business you do not want to find yourself scrambling to dig out from the next big snowstorm. Planning ahead can save you a lot of headaches and a lot of money, because you never know when the next storm is going to come!
An Unexpected Storm
December of 2015 was one of the warmest Decembers on record. It was full of humid and foggy days with highs in the 70s. When January rolled in it brought with it highs down in the 40s. It was starting to feel more like winter, but still none of the white stuff. By mid-January, surface-level high pressure had built up over the Eastern US, bringing subzero temperatures. Meanwhile, meteorologists across the country were concerned about a high-impact winter storm that had come ashore in the Pacific Northwest. It traveled down the Rockies and into the Great Plains. Soon it became very clear that the moisture-infused low-pressure system would sweep across the southwestern part of the USA. At the same time, they were watching another low-pressure system in the Atlantic that was moving toward the North Carolina coast. It was forecasted to turn up the Eastern Seaboard, continuing to gather moisture from the Atlantic. These two moisture-rich systems followed a collision course towards the upper Mid-Atlantic area, taking aim at that mass of subzero air. On January 20th through 22nd, in anticipation of the growing storm the governors of 11 states and the mayor of the District of Columbia at the time, Muriel Bowser, declared a state of emergency due to the significant amount of snow that was predicted.
On January 20th-25th, the blizzard tore through a large portion of the United States. Affecting more than 100 million people with 631,000 people losing power. The storm, nicknamed Snowzilla, was declared a category 4 winter storm which NOAA describes as “Crippling”. In the end, the Blizzard dropped more than 30 inches in seven states. Peaking in Glengary West Virginia with 42 inches of snow. The system also produced nearly 18 inches in the Washington DC area. Although such an extreme change may not happen every day, we all know that weather is never predictable and can change before you know it.
Being Prepared For The Worst
Being prepared is always a good idea. An excellent way to protect your business is to establish a commercial snow plowing contract. The first thing you will notice when looking into commercial snow plowing contracts is that there are several different types of contracts.
The most prevalent one is the seasonal contract. This type of contract is customarily set for 2 or 3 years at a fixed rate. Thus favoring the client in a year with more snowfall which on the flipside will favor the contractor on a year with less snowfall. Next, you have a “Per-Push” contract. With this contract, you will pay as you go. This type of contract is perfect for a business owner who wants to pay in smaller increments. Third is the “Per-Inch” contract. With this type of contract, you will pay per inch that is removed from your parking lot. How much snowfall you get will be determined by the local weather station to avoid any disputes. Fourth, you have a “Per-Event” contract. This contract has a flat rate that you pay for each event that you need clearing for. This kind of contract would be perfect for an event hall. And then lastly you have a “Time-Based” contract. With this contract, you will pay per hour that it takes for our crew to plow your business’s parking lot. Depending on the size of the area you need to be cleared, this may be a good fit for you and your business.
Helping You Make A Plan
Over the next few weeks, we will break down each type of commercial snow plowing contract with all the pros and cons. We will lay out what each contract should look like. Exploring the different advantages each one may hold for your business. We hope to help you understand each type of contract to its fullest and in doing so help you determine what will be the best fit for you and your business.
Our commercial snow plowing business can help all different types of snow removal contracts. Our goal is to help you make sure that your business is protected and open no matter the weather.