Anyone with the equipment to plow snow could make some serious money this winter.
It was tough to find snowplow drivers last winter, and this year is no different. Towns around Massachusetts are offering high hourly rates for drivers with a commercial license.
Watertown is paying up to $200 for plow drivers with a commercial license, and the rates increase to $310 for those with specialized equipment. Worcester and Lowell are paying up to $155 an hour, and Sandwich is offering up to $135. Chelmsford is paying up to $110, and even MassDOT is looking for drivers, though offering a lower rate of $31.25, NBC10 Boston reported.
Last year, the shortage of snowplow drivers was predicted to impact storm response. Boston.com reported in December that state Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said “some major roads may have only one lane open for travel” during the heaviest periods of snowfall. At the time, it was largely due to work absences from COVID-19 infection and quarantine but this winter it seems a little more complicated.
www.boston.com/news/weather/2021/11/08/snow-plow-driver-shortage-massachusetts-high-rates/