The first real snowfall never waits for you to be ready. It comes on a Tuesday night in November, three weeks earlier than last year, with half the stakes still in the shop.
The contractors who have a calm first storm are not luckier. They did the boring work in October.
Here is the checklist.
The short version
- Now (October): sign contracts, collect the first payment, book site walks.
- Early November: stakes in, routes set, equipment serviced, salt stocked.
- Before the first storm: crews trained on the app, the phone covered, logs ready.
1. Contracts and pricing (September to October)
- [ ] Send renewals to last year's clients first. They are your easiest yes.
- [ ] Re-price for this year: insurance, fuel, salt and wages have all moved. (See how to price snow removal contracts.)
- [ ] Decide your model per client: per push, seasonal, or seasonal with a cap.
- [ ] Put the trigger depth, clearing window, season dates and what is included in writing.
- [ ] Get every contract accepted and signed, not agreed on the phone.
- [ ] Collect the first instalment before the stakes go in.
In crewduo: send the season as a quote the client accepts and signs online, then bill it as a recurring contract in fixed instalments (Crew plan), with a deposit taken on signing.
2. Site walks (October)
- [ ] Walk every commercial site and any new residential ones.
- [ ] Record curbs, drains, steps, slopes, fire hydrants, and where meltwater refreezes.
- [ ] Mark where snow piles go, and where they must not.
- [ ] Photograph everything, before the snow hides it.
- [ ] Note access: gate codes, parking, cars that never move.
In crewduo: the site inspection and hazard map form records the walk with photos, saved on the property record where every operator can see it.
3. Routes and crews (late October)
- [ ] Group properties into routes by area, with commercial lots and the earliest deadlines first.
- [ ] Assign operators and a backup for each route.
- [ ] Decide who is on call for emergencies and ice control.
- [ ] Plan shifts so nobody plows 20 hours straight.
- [ ] Share the routes with every operator, on their phone, not on a printout.
In crewduo: each crew's route on the dispatch map with numbered stops and drive times, and Improve this day to tighten it (Crew plan). Emergency calls can be inserted where they fit.
4. Equipment and materials (early November)
- [ ] Service trucks, plows, blowers and spreaders: hydraulics, cutting edges, lights.
- [ ] Stock salt and sand, and confirm your supplier's storm-season delivery.
- [ ] Stakes in at every property before the ground freezes.
- [ ] Check spare parts: hoses, pins, shear bolts.
- [ ] Fuel plan for storm nights.
5. Records and liability (before the first storm)
- [ ] Confirm your insurance covers this season's work.
- [ ] Set up your service log: arrival and departure time, conditions, what was done, salt used, photos.
- [ ] Show every operator how to fill it in, on the phone, in gloves.
- [ ] Decide who in the office checks logs after each storm.
Why it matters: in Ontario, someone injured by snow or ice on private property generally has to give written notice within 60 days, and the notice can go to the contractor. Good records are your best defence. (More in proof of service for snow contractors.)
In crewduo: the snow and ice service log records time, photos and notes for every visit, and the app keeps working without signal in the middle of a storm.
6. Phones and clients (before the first storm)
- [ ] Decide who answers the phone at 3 a.m. in a storm.
- [ ] Set a voicemail or answering plan for the calls nobody can take.
- [ ] Prepare a storm-day message for clients: "We're out. Commercial first, then residential, all clear by 7 a.m."
- [ ] Make sure clients can see their invoices and pay without calling you.
In crewduo: a business phone line that rings your team, an AI receptionist for the overflow and after-hours calls (it escalates emergencies to whoever is on call), and a client portal where clients see invoices and pay.
7. Money (all season)
- [ ] Instalments scheduled and charged on time.
- [ ] Per-push work invoiced the day after each storm, not at the end of the month.
- [ ] Salt and extras billed per application.
- [ ] Reminders on for anything overdue.
In crewduo: recurring contracts bill the season on schedule (Crew plan), per-push work is invoiced as it is done, and overdue invoices are chased automatically.
And when the snow ends
In April, after the last push and the stakes come out:
- [ ] Final invoices out and collected
- [ ] Damage claims and lawn repairs scheduled
- [ ] Notes on what to change next year
- [ ] No summer work? Put crewduo on a seasonal hold for $15 a month instead of paying for the full plan
See crewduo for snow removal contractors, or book a walkthrough and we will set up your season with you.
