Spokane7
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December 31, 2010 in City
Vestal: No wonder if thankless job leaves them cold
It’s 6 o’clock on Wednesday night, and it’s dumping snow. If you’re smart, you’re getting off the roads about now.
But the crew inside the small shop in Spokane Valley – perusing maps and keeping an eye on the Weather Channel – is getting ready to go out into it. All night long. A handwritten note on the board reads “Let it Snow,” and the dense, purplish skies seem ready to oblige for hours.
Welcome to Thanklessville.
Whenever the snow flies, so does the snowplow snark: They don’t arrive fast enough. They leave a berm in my driveway. I saw a driver passing with his blade up. They do it better over in Idaho.
So it’s no surprise that there’s a bunker mentality among snowplow drivers. Still, when I decided to try and catch a ride on one, I had no idea it would turn into something out of “All The President’s Men.”
Hours spent working the phone fruitlessly. Rebuffed by official after official, concerned about my safety, their liability and the great god PR. Then, when all seemed lost, a breakthrough, followed by a clandestine meeting at a garage.
It took a lot of time and effort to penetrate the heart of the biggest, most-debated municipal service of the season – the one government job with an immediate impact on everyone – but by nightfall on Wednesday there I was, in the front seat of a city of Spokane Valley snowplow with Tom.
First name only, please.
If the sensitivity and secrecy seem a bit much, he says it’s because he endures plenty of abuse for keeping the city running.
“They’re mad at you when you don’t plow, and they’re mad at you when you plow ’em in,” he said.
He relates a story about a woman who recently blocked her street with her car and screamed “every expletive in the book” at him. He advises me to keep my window rolled up to block the occasional hostile snowball.
By 6:35, we’re in Truck 204 on Sprague Avenue, idling at a stoplight behind the “General Sherman” – the big, three-axle truck that will lead a convoy of five plows up and down the street to kick off the night’s festivities.
“Normally, we’d wait until later in the night to do this, but we’re afraid with the cold temperatures everything’s going to freeze up,” Tom said.
We head down Sprague in a V-formation, like a wedge of rumbling, greenish-yellow geese. The plows kick the snow off to either side. When we leave the one-way stretch of the road, the trucks switch to a single wing, sending the berms to the right, growing larger as they move from one plow to the next.
When we stop at lights, Tom has trouble getting the truck moving again, especially if he’s got a big pile of chunky, icy snow ahead of him.
“It’s like a sheet of glass out here,” he says into his radio handset.
The plows proceed methodically down Sprague, heading west, then turning around and traveling east. Snow keeps falling. Berms get bigger and heavier. Cars line up behind the convoy, which moves at 15 or 20 mph to avoid sending snow flying too fast or too far.
Tom understands that sometimes he leaves behind problems for homeowners. If someone has just plowed a sidewalk or cleared a driveway, it’s frustrating to get a fresh berm laid over it. But he doesn’t have much choice, he says – the roads have to be cleared for emergency vehicles, school buses and daily life. People like to talk about Coeur d’Alene and its gated snowplows – which allow drivers to avoid dumping huge berms in front of driveways – but he points out that the drivers don’t decide what equipment to put on the trucks, or how and when to plow.
“That’s not our call,” he said.
Spokane Valley is in its second year of plowing its own streets, after the county gave it up. But its public works director, Neil Kersten, came from Fairbanks, Alaska, so it’s not like he’s new to plowing. Spokane Valley has seven plow trucks and hires graders as needed. It has just three full-time employees like Tom. When it’s not snowing, they keep busy maintaining the equipment and working on the streets.
“They’re plenty busy,” Kersten said.
Back on Sprague, the drivers talk by radio about “chatter” on the road, ask each other if they’re clearing the asphalt – “She’s all black,” Tom says – warn each other to lift their blades as they approach the railroad tracks. No one hits anything, but it’s always a possibility.
“You get a manhole that sticks up a little bit” – Tom says, indicating a space of about a quarter of an inch with his finger and thumb – “and you hit it, it’s pretty unnerving.”
Once they finish Sprague, they’ll move onto other arterials and then into the hilly neighborhoods, where things can get gnarly. It’s been a couple hours, and Tom has a long night ahead of him. His stay-awake strategy involves an energy drink at 8, with a Five-Hour Energy bottle in reserve.
He’s worked a lot of nights this winter, between plowing and “shooting mag” – spreading liquid magnesium chloride de-icer in advance of storms. Moving back and forth between day shifts and nights can be disorienting.
“Is today Wednesday?” he asks at one point. “I certainly don’t want to be running Friday night.”
We finish Sprague, and my ride is over. As we head back to the shop, there’s a sign that it’s not always hostility that greets the drivers.
“Wow,” Tom said. “Somebody just waved. And it wasn’t with one finger.”
Shawn Vestal can be reached at (509) 459-5431 or shawnv@spokesman.com.
The draw of the unknowable 
nannette on December 31 at 12:58 a.m.
Once again the superiority of driving a car over walking or public transportation.
As long as people(how soon they forget the despicable oil spill) insist on THEIR CARS and city,county, state and federal representatives don’t give a darn, people shall be greedy.
Sorry, don’t feel a lot of love from the city for doing my best against depending on fossil fuel.
lewis8457 on December 31 at 6:05 a.m.
many of us have thankless jobs so what? SR why don’t you run their wages and we can match up thankless jobs and pay accordingly.
Snowman on December 31 at 6:55 a.m.
A person only needs to read some of the inconsiderate, disrespectful, and generally foolish comments to understand the IQ of some of the S-R readers. For those of us who understand the sacrifices winter workers make, a BIG THANK YOU!!! Those who work within the “on-call” environment deal with unpredictable weather and are, at times, not able to be with family during holiday gatherings. They work irregular and lengthy hours, not to mention working until the work is completed. They DESERVE our GRATITUDE, not criticism. Their hours begin “when needed.” They are NOT 8 to 5ers.
palousereader on December 31 at 7:45 a.m.
Glad you persevered and got the ride-along, Shawn. Nice piece.
Orphan on December 31 at 8:15 a.m.
Oh the poor Dears, lets go get the people that conscripted them and keep making them work.
I dont believe any of them took this job not knowing what they were getting into. If the took the job and dont like it they should find another job ASAP.
Thoreau on December 31 at 8:28 a.m.
I may have more sympathy if their salaries were included in the article.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on December 31 at 9:09 a.m.
Jeez, the way these people get talked about, you’d think they were cops.
Lewis/Orphan/Thoreau: How about YOU take a job where you do the public as much good as plowing snow* and see how much YOU like being called filthy names / having stuff thrown at you / running the risk of getting shot at** / being routinely vilified in online comment forums… for doing your job.
I feel like my job is fairly thankless too, because not that many people seem to care if I do it well. Boo hoo. But at least nobody throws stuff at me or calls me names for doing it.
Pardon me for pointing out something the guy says toward the middle of the article: “People like to talk about Coeur d’Alene and its gated snowplows – which allow drivers to avoid dumping huge berms in front of driveways – but he points out that the drivers don’t decide what equipment to put on the trucks, or how and when to plow.” So go ahead & get mad at the mayor and/or whoever makes those decisions, but for cryin’ out loud treat the plow guys with common courtesy. They’re not doing this just to make YOUR life unpleasant.
And salaries? You’ve got to be kidding. They’re probably all union members, so naturally when they get off work they all climb into their Mercedes SUV’s and head back to their gated golf course communities. Because that is what life is like for union members. Just ask any schoolteacher.
*sure, we all like to complain about our driveways getting bermed in, and our side streets not getting plowed. That’s a hassle. But once you finally make it out to Division or Maple St, would you rather find those unplowed too?
**we all remember the guy 2 winters ago, right?
Observer on December 31 at 9:23 a.m.
@thatoneguy - I know, right? It’s always the same ones, too - always bitter, negative, and critical of others.
biker on December 31 at 9:28 a.m.
Watch out for the accolades…..they will be wanting more money for a job they are already paid to perform. Fireman have been doing this for years. Check out their salaries. Volunteers?
misjustice on December 31 at 9:36 a.m.
Well, I always give the plow and grader drivers the “happy wave” when I see them. Last night, around 8 p.m., they came through my neighborhood as my woodman was delivering more wood to me. He pulled his truck up onto my property to allow room for the grader to clean the side street.
I was expecting a large berm to be created which would have made it a hassle for the woodman to pull off of my property. But, I was pleasantly surprised! After giving the “happy wave” to the drivers they lifted the blades so there wasn’t a huge snow boulder berm. Thanks, guys/gals! Much appreciated!
; )
Elkay on December 31 at 9:50 a.m.
Ms. J - that happened to me yesterday! He saw me wave, and he waved back.
The wonderful driver actually backed up to deliberately scoop the berm out of my driveway. And all the other nasty snow around there.
Makes me think that showing appreciation to them goes a lonnnnng way.
johnclarke on December 31 at 10:17 a.m.
Yup, two of them big graders came by last night. Each and every driveway on my block was perfect ! No snow berms. Thanks, snow plow guys and gals.
soccermomsusie on December 31 at 10:35 a.m.
Seeing a snow plow rumbling down our street reminds me of when the Russian tanks rumbled into Prague.
Barb Spencer is right. Obviously, these snowplowmen are going to cash in just like the firemen. Where is the spirit of volunteerism? It works for our military. They are an all volunteer group so they don’t get paid which saves us taxpayers a lot. It is why our military costs so little.
Let’s not stop at asking for volunteers for the military, fire dept, police dept and snowplow dept.
I would like to volunteer to be a famous movie actress, country music star, regional war duchess or dentist. Where can I sign up?
STOP THE SNOWCIALIST PLOWS!!!
HEAR OUR VOICE!!!!
greenlibertarian on December 31 at 10:40 a.m.
Haven’t seen the plows this storm, but the last one, yeah, they bermed in everybody’s driveway, at first, but then they used a back-hoe type equipment to clear everybody’s driveway/walkway berm.
zelda on December 31 at 11:02 a.m.
@misjustice — there’s a lot to be said for the “happy wave.” When I see/hear the plows coming I try to get to the front doorstep to give them a smile and wave of appreciation.
horse_feathers on December 31 at 11:08 a.m.
You guys must live in a better neighborhood then me. Nobody in my neighborhood had the berms removed by city/county.
Not complaining , just saying.
Loudin on December 31 at 1:17 p.m.
Very timely article! Wednesday night, around 7PM, I cleared my driveways, both my sidewalks (live on a corner) and my neighbors sidewalks. 10PM? Plow comes through and buries my sidewalks, my neighbors sidewalks and the entrances to my driveway. So, I’m up at 5am and doing it all over again…but w/a real shovel, thanks to the frozen chunks of ice.
Now my street is forty (40!) feet wide, but it’s only two lane. Why is it necessary to plow it all the way to the curb? Why not put the snow 2-3’ off the curb, instead of on the sidewalk? I suspect my plow-guy probably isn’t thinking about that…and of course, he isn’t going to engage me as he (along w/all of them) are “gun shy” because they think everybody hates them.
Message to the plow people: Do unto us who have tried to clear the snow as you would have us do unto you. I know you’re trolling around in those trucks at time-&-half wages (thus, the “Let it snow” comment in the story), but emphathize w/the people who have to dig out their driveways at 5am so they can get to work. I’ve lived in Baltimore & N. Virginia (DC), and not to slander their public works employees, but if they can plow streets clear w/out this problem, you can plow streets clear w/out this problem.
eagleproducer on December 31 at 1:17 p.m.
misjustice: Do you tip a woodman? If so, how much?
thatoneguy: I know lots of public school teachers who live in gated communities and drive luxury SUVS. Take a married couple who are both teachers and have 25 plus years of experience, advanced degrees and a coaching contract or two and they are hauling home between them $150,000.00 plus benefits.
Thanks plow guys/gals for all you do. I wouldn’t say it’s a thankless job, either. Being able to see the immediate benefit of your efforts is something that not every profession enjoys.
misjustice on December 31 at 1:32 p.m.
misjustice: Do you tip a woodman? If so, how much?
Usually just a squirt or two of oil, to keep him lubricated! Like the tinman in the Wizard of Oz.
; )
Orphan on December 31 at 2:17 p.m.
Thatoneguy I have had some pretty bad jobs even had guns pointed at me a few times, but I never complained that no one ever thanked me in a newspaper artical.
These people are our employees we pay them and provide darn good benifits to do a job that is all the thanks anyone can expect. Now I never said that a friendly wave was not a good idea.
As far as having things thrown at them that is assault plain and simple and never correct unless you are defending yourself or others. As far as the verbal stuff goes get over it lots of people get yelled at by the public in the process of doing their jobs.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on December 31 at 3:29 p.m.
Oh OK. Well never mind then.
Thoreau on December 31 at 7:29 p.m.
thatoneguy: You do not know the variety of jobs I’ve experienced. Therefore, don’t make assumptions.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on January 01 at 2:24 a.m.
Ha. OK, I’ll try not to. Thanks.
Sam_Smith on January 10 at 2:51 p.m.
Why do you care what a snow plow driver makes in order to care if he or she is assaulted, insulted, shot at or hated for doing their job? they make a regular salary just like you do. most of the time they are not making overtime, the City has it scheduled that way, unless they get an ‘event’. One, who would volunteer to drive a plow truck? Are you kidding me??? Then can you imagine, “I don’t have to take this, I am a volunteer, you can’t pay me enough to do this job.” Drafted to drive a snow plow truck! Who would put up with that? It snows here people, get over yourself. if they didn’t do their job and the police, firemen and ambulance got stuck in it, you would hate them for not other services not being able to get to you. Gee, I am so sorry that you have a job that people don’t write an article in the paper about you, if it bugs you that much, go get one that does and leave these people who are trying to help you out alone. they are doing a job to service you. they are not going to run around and ask for more money to do it. Policemen and Firemen put their lives on the line for you every day. snow plow drivers do their job so that those people can get to you and you can get to the world. I have never seen a bigger bunch of babies whining about something you live here and love “snow” it is a fact of life. If you don’t like the snow or the plow drivers move to Arizona or Texas and deal with their problems instead but you would still find some poor public employee to )_#*$)(# about there too. How about just treating people, each other that you live with and around with the common curtsy we all deserve?