How do I judge a plowing route’s driving time between sites?
Map every site on the route and drive it in real winter conditions, timing each leg. Compare travel time with plowing time to see how much of a shift is spent moving. Dense, well-ordered routes tend to earn more per hour and wear out trucks less than scattered ones.
A plowing route can look profitable on paper and feel wasteful on the road. Ask the seller for a list of sites with addresses, then plot them on a map and look at clusters, gaps and backtracking. A route with a few long, empty drives between jobs costs fuel, wear and time.
Test it in practice. Ride along during a storm if possible, because travel on a snowy night is slower than on a dry afternoon. Time each leg and note delays like traffic, rail crossings or bridges. Ask drivers how they decide the order of sites and whether it changes by storm. Check how the route is set. Is it optimized, or did it grow site by site as contracts came in? Ask whether clients expect clearing by a set time, because tight deadlines make long drives risky. Think about the flexibility of the route. If a distant client leaves, does the rest still work? If you added nearby sites, would it improve? Your accountant can help weigh fuel and labour against income per route.
Finally, check how the equipment holds up on those roads.
Key takeaways
- Map sites and look for clusters, gaps and backtracking.
- Ride a real storm run and time each leg.
- Ask whether client deadlines make long drives between sites risky.
- Ask whether client clearing deadlines make long drives between sites risky, and what happens to the route if a distant client leaves.
Related reading
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Due diligence
Succession
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentAfter buying a business, what is the next step?
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