The Night Before the First Storm: A Checklist for Anyone With a Plow Route

Storm night. The truck is out and you are asleep. This list is what makes that work.

What you need to know

• If you have a route, the storm itself is handled. This list is about the handful of things only you can do.
• The car is the big one. A vehicle in the middle of the driveway turns a full pass into a half pass.
• Anything on the driveway is under the snow by midnight. Hoses, toys, trash cans, the trailer tongue.
• Know your two texts. Scheduled means it is coming. On the way means move the car now.

Kaedyn Jennings Owner, Snip&Clip Alaska. Residential snow plowing in Palmer, Wasilla, the Butte and Anchorage.

Forecast says 6 inches overnight and you signed up in September, so the plowing is not your problem. These are the eight things that still are.

The checklist

1. Move the carInto the garage or to the end of the driveway on the side the stakes say the pile does not go. A car in the middle is the number one reason a driveway gets a half pass.
2. Clear the driveway of stuffHoses, kids' bikes, trash cans, the trailer tongue, the basketball hoop base. If it is on the driveway at midnight it is under the snow at 2 AM and the blade cannot see it.
3. Check the stakesWalk the edges. If a stake got knocked over by a delivery truck or a kid, stand it back up. That is what keeps the plow off your lawn.
4. Know your two textsScheduled means your driveway is on tonight's route. On the way means the truck is a few stops out. That second one is the move the car text if you left it in the driveway.
5. Leave the porch light onNot required, but the operator finds your edges faster on a lit driveway in a whiteout. Small thing, real difference.
6. Tell us anything newNew culvert, new fence post, new place you want the pile to go. Text the office before the storm, not after.
7. Pro customers, open the trackerIf you want to see it happen, the live map is there. Most people just go to sleep.
8. Go to bedThat is the point of having a route. The trigger trips, the truck comes, you wake up clear.

What to check in the morning

Look at the driveway. If it is clear, that is the whole check. If something looks off, a half pass because the car was in it, a pile in the wrong spot, a stake down, you have the texts so you know exactly when we were there. Call or text the office and we sort it out.

Then look at the street. If the borough or city plow has not come yet, it will, and it will leave a berm at the end of your driveway. On Pro Unlimited, heavy storms include the second pass for that.

Morning after. This is what the checklist is for.

Things that are not your problem

Calling usThe trigger already did. About 2 inches at your address and you are on the route.

TimingRoutes run overnight. The scheduled text tells you it is coming, the second text tells you when.

A storm that will not quitOn a multi day storm we may let it stack to about 6 inches so the pass lasts. You get texted either way.

The bermStreet plow comes after us. Pro Unlimited covers the second pass on heavy storms. Per Push, text the office and it goes on the list.

If you do not have a route yet

Then the first storm is a different kind of night. Fill out the form and we tell you within 24 hours whether your neighborhood still has room. Sign up with a neighbor and you both save 10 percent.

2 AM. Car moved, stakes up, light on. Done.

Quick answers

What if I cannot move the car?

The operator plows what he can reach and you will see it in the morning. Text the office and we figure out the rest.

Do I need to be awake?

No. Most of our customers sleep through it. The texts are there in the morning so you know what happened.

What if the forecast is wrong and it only snows an inch?

Then the trigger does not trip and nobody comes. Under about 2 inches you can drive on it, and the route runs when it qualifies.

What about the mailbox?

Corners get staked so the truck swings wide. If your mailbox is in a tight spot, tell the office before the storm.

2026 to 2027 season

Routes fill by neighborhood.
Lock yours in now.

Billing starts October 1. Once a neighborhood is at capacity it closes and late signups go on a waitlist.

Get my snow plowing quoteOr call or text (907) 215 7012