Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - You may be trying to decide right now if you can afford to hire a contractor to do the plowing for you this winter – some charge per job, others offer a seasonal contract.
Year to year, you never know how many times you'll need the plow guy to clear the driveway during the winter. It makes a difference if you're paying every time he shows up.
According to NewsChannel 9 meteorologist Jim Teske, there is an average 12.4 days each winter since 1949 when at least three inches of snow have fallen in a 24-hour period at Hancock Airport. Most contractors use three inches as the benchmark for plowing. Some come at two inches.
Hadley's Landscaping is representative of many plow providers.
"You're probably looking at a low end... about $350 for a minimum up to about $475 rate, minimum," said Stephen Hadley of Hadley’s Landscaping.
For their part, contractors pay more than $50,000 for each new truck they buy, which is on top of labor, insurance, and other expenses. Customers’ charges are largely untouched by inflation.
“The prices haven’t changed since the 1980s,” Hadley said. “And obviously the gas prices have gone way up. And the cost of equipment has actually doubled.”
Although Central New York winters average 12 days of three inches or more, some drivers visit houses more often.
For example, if there are eight to 12 inches, the plows might visit two or three times in a 24-hour period.
Meanwhile, snowbelt areas in places like Oswego County might see the plow dozens of times during the winter.
