Sure your trucks have been maintenanced and stocked full of salt and shovels, but are you protected against possible liabilities? Sometimes when preparing for the new season, you forget your snow plowing business needs to be prepared for the unexpected. Do you know what it takes prepared?
For one, you should have contracts. Actually, you need contracts. Contracts verify what you will and will not be doing for the customer and sets clear guidelines for both parties. Your contracts should include things such as pricing for services, what type of work and services you provide and any inspection responsibility. Having a typed out contract, whether it be on a piece of paper or via email gives you some standing in case a disagreement arises when it comes time to pay.
You also should have contracts for your subcontractors. Since these aren’t year round employees, you want to be sure they understand what is required of them and how they will be paid. Just like the customer contracts for customers, you will want to include your pricing, the work to be done, and any inspection responsibilities. Contracts protect you against liabilities. As the saying goes, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Next, make sure you have your insurance coverage in place. If you are hiring subcontractors, be sure you have their proof of insurance. We always think “oh, what are the odds of this or that happening?” but why take the risk? You never know when a truck could lose control on the road or a worker might slip and fall. You will want to update all of you workers’ compensation as well.
Finally, have a way to document your work. We always suggest field service software, but paper will work as well. Your guys out in the field need a place to record all of their data so you have it when it comes time to bill. Besides the obvious dates and times of services and equipment or materials used, you should also have some place techs can make notes. You never know what could happen out in the field or what situations will arise. If they have a place to record happenings out in the field, you have the data to provide customers in case a dispute occurs.
Don’t procrastinate. We can’t stress this enough. Prepare your snow plowing business well before the season starts so you are not rushing at the last minute. When you rush, it is easier to forget things and leaving out a certain claim or requirements could really screw up your business if there ever happens to be an issue. Take the time to prepare against liabilities, or you could end up like one of those rare horror stories we think will never happen to us.