Municipalities seeing shortage of snow plow drivers

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NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – Cities and towns in Rhode Island are having a hard time finding plow truck drivers who want to work when it snows.

Some officials say it may have to do with the low unemployment rate, while others are blaming rising insurance costs for drivers and a lack of interest in the profession.

Some municipalities say they’re facing the storm season with less people than they’d like.

“There’s not a lot of interest in snow plowing,” said Woonsocket Public Works Director Steven D’Agostino. “Quite frankly, it’s pretty brutal.”

In North Providence the town says they don’t have enough drivers to put all of the equipment they have out on the roads.

“We have the vehicles,” said Mayor Charles Lombardi. “We just need the bodies.”

Mayor Lombardi says they need another 6–8 drivers to be comfortable going into the storm season.

“You get a significant snowfall, it’s going to probably add maybe 4–5 hours on your snow removal program,” he explained.

Pawtucket has enough drivers but they are seeing hesitation for vendors in the snow plowing market because of rising insurance costs.

The Director of the DPW Eric Earls estimates it costs the plow driver between $5,000–$8,000 to insure them for municipal roads.

“It’s a bit of a gamble for a plow operator to come up with that insurance at the start of the season and then not be sure whether or not they’re going to have enough plowing events to recoup those costs,” explained Earls.

And in Woonsocket, officials there say they are in need of both city drivers and contractors.

“We somehow just keep utilizing what we have and we make it work,” said D’Agostino.  “But in the event of a Nor’easter or a very significant storm, that will pose some challenges.”

Each city and town wants to assure residents the roads will be safe and clear either way but some say it may take longer.

Mayor Lombardi says he will even go out to plow the roads with the other drivers if he has to.

“I’m not lying in bed while you’re working,” said Lombardi. “I can do what you do, and it’s my pleasure to be able to help you do that.”

D’Agostino says he thinks this problem is only going to worsen as there’s less and less interest in working such long hours for less of a pay off.

© WLNE-TV 2019