No, that doesn’t sound right. That sounds like sarcasm. 
You are correct! It is absolutely not too early to think about winter maintenance. It is anyone’s guess when we will see the first winter storm, but the public (correctly) expects us to be prepared for it when it comes our way. If we come up short in the first storm because we put off preparations, that unforced error will cost us in less than complimentary feedback from the public and elected officials.
Is it still a little warm to be thinking about winter weather? No, it is not. In a normal year, it wouldn’t be. This year, with the supply chain interruptions we have seen, do you really want to wait another month to order cutting edges or salt or a hydraulic cylinder?
Hopefully, you’ve already begun taking inventory of consumables (salt, sand, cutting edges) and spare parts, but if not, it is important to carve out some time now. The next step is to get those things ordered and, again, because of the supply chain challenges, track those orders closer than you have in the past.
Do you rely on contractors to assist with your snow and ice removal? If so, are those contracts in place or well on their way?
Have you located your snow plows, spreaders, and other equipment, inspected it for damage or wear, hooked it up to verify everything goes up and down and side to side the way it’s supposed to? Have you calibrated your spreaders? Are your vehicles in good mechanical condition for the coming fight?
Another unusual curve ball some agencies are seeing this year is related to labor shortages or experience shortages. COVID-19 may leave you short handed for a storm or two and you should be thinking about how you will deal with that. You may have lost personnel to early retirements, downsizing, or other measures earlier in the pandemic and hiring freezes or unemployment policies may be interfering with replacing them now. Even if you are at a full contingent of personnel, look around and ask yourself how many of your current crew has experience with snow. Or ice. Or big storms. Or a series of relentless small ones.
Have you prepared the public and elected officials for what levels of service they can expect, particularly if your equipment or manpower has changed substantially from last year?
Is training needed for your crews? Delaware Technical Community College has a pair of new snowplow simulators at their Middletown Training Center that can be very effective for preparing new plow operators and sharpening skills for the more seasoned members of the crew.
We hope to offer our full-day winter maintenance training this fall, so keep an eye out for that. In the event that falls through because of venue issues, recordings of our 3-module winter maintenance training can be found on the Delaware T2/LTAP YouTube Channel.
If the first big storm comes October 20th, we’ll all be pretty surprised. But if the first one comes in late November and your agency’s performance is poor because of delayed action, the public may wonder if this is your first rodeo.
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