What do you mean when you say “routes”
A route is a list of properties that is given out to a tractor operator and shovel team. The operator and shovel team are responsible for clearing the snow of all of the homes on that particular list.
How are routes made?
Routes are divided up based on a number of factors. While number of customers is one of the main factors we look at, we also take into account other things that may affect the amount of time required to clear snow on a route. These factors include things like type of driveway (single driveways vs doubles, triples or custom driveways), distance between customers, traffic considerations (especially on main roads), and city plowing.
Will I receive poor service if I’m at the end of a route?
No not at all, we plan our routes in accordance with the cities snow removal service. Ideally we arrive right after the city plow so you are not stuck coming or going. We also have the largest fleet of tractors in the city to reduce the amount of customers per route. You will find that even at the end of our route you will be done faster than being in the middle of many of our competitors routes. We also now offer a Quick Pass during large snowfalls.
What is Quick Pass?
In 2012 we saw that during large storms it was difficult to decide the perfect time to dispatch our operators to both serve our customers in the quickest way possible while keeping the shifts for our operators still reasonable. For that reason, we implemented our unique Quick Pass™ system to be able to provide you with access to your driveway in the middle of a heavy storm and then making a second complete pass to give you the full width of your driveway with a nice, clean finish. If you have a single wide driveway we will complete one 8ft wide pass, while a double wide gets 2 passes, usually down the middle of your driveway and return towards the end of the snowfall to do the complete driveway. The benefits of Worry Free utilizing this practice during heavy snow storms are three pronged: quicker clearing times, shorter shifts for our operators, and more happy customers because they can get in and out of their driveways.
Why can’t the routes be changed or alternated from storm to storm?
Our routes are optimized to clear priority streets (main roads and bus routes) first, and then follow city graders around the residential side streets. By staying close behind both the city plows and graders, we reduce the likelihood of our customers being plowed in for a long period of time.
Each season, we work with the city to better understand their plowing and clearing routes, make notes on changes from the previous season, and adjust our routes accordingly.
Finally, we find that when our drivers get familiar with their routes and how to clear your property specifically, we have a decrease in tickets in regards to houses being missed or damage incurred. It also decreases the time it takes to complete a route. Most of our “missed driveway” tickets and damages occur when we have a substitute operator on the route who is not familiar with the route and your property.