In an attempt to attract snowplow applicants, and as drivers flock to higher-paying trucking and delivery jobs, some US cities are raising wages as high as $190 per hour and they offer “snow bonuses” of $2,000 dollars for this class of workers.
Business Insider reported that states across the country are short hundreds of snowplow drivers this winter, prompting some cities to raise wages in an attempt to compete with private companies by applicants with commercial driver’s licenses, as workers flock to higher-paying trucking and delivery jobs.
Barbara LaBoe, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Department of Transportation, explained that the snowplow shortage “is something that every state is seeing right now, as more and more private delivery jobs have been created during the pandemic.”
LaBoe noted that Washington has 140 employees below their 1,500 regular workers for winter operations, and that the starting wages of winter maintenance of state highways range from $18.94 and $ 48.90 for hour.
And although the state Department of Transportation has considered raising wages, “it cannot move as fast as private industry on issues like this,” added the official.
In the case of Pennsylvania, 94% of its permanent snowplow operators were hired, but the 55% of temporary workers normally hired during the winter. State seasonal CDL operator positions range from $17.48 and $19.72 per hour.
In Watertown, they are offering hourly wages ranging from $90 to $310, depending on the type of team used, according to government documents. The city’s hourly wage for a “snow melter” can be as high as $5,500, but the machine required for this task can cost as much as $3 million, according to information .
In Massachusetts, the Worcester snowplow app offers “extended season rates” that pay $10 additional hourly rates for drivers who plow snow before December 1 or after April 1, which brings your highest paid position to $140 per hour.
Mike Ruby, a Massachusetts resident, emphasized the long hours required for snowplow drivers and said the state’s wage increases were “pretty reasonable,” considering “that you have to bring your truck and stay up all night and have to be prepared, and the truck has to be running”.
Andrew Grider, president of Southern Sun Landscaping in Virg inia, explained that in addition to needing a CDL, many snowplow operators must complete additional training and drive in hazardous weather conditions: “All snowplows know that you typically work beyond the 12 hours, sometimes up to 24 hours or more”.
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