Roads clear at drive time? Thank the snowplow guy and his alarm clock

By Holly Anderson

March 18, 2004 | BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Rick Edman leaned over to hit the alarm clock on his night stand. 4:30 a.m. Time for work.

First, he puts on a pair of red thermal bottoms that cling tight to his waist.

A matching thermal top is 3 inches shy of reaching the bottoms. He then puts on another layer of thermal underwear. At last, he can put on his ladybug red snow suit. He tops the ensemble off with a coco brown scarf, a hat that covers the ears and a pair of Gore-Tex mittens. Edman looks like Randy, from A Christmas Story, in the snowsuit his mother dressed him in.

Edman is a snow plow driver for a company in Salt Lake. He works for Edman Brothers LLC, which is a family-owned and operated company. His grandfather founded the business in 1967. He has been part of the team for five years and hopes to take over the business one day to be just like his grandpa.

"My grandpa started this business all on his own. He served in the military and dedicated his life to America but money was tight in the family. He was fascinated by machinery and decided to start up a snowplow business."

Edman said he loves working with his family but his biggest concern when he is out on the roads is for his own safety.

"I am usually the only one out on the roads at 5 a.m. so I don't worry about hitting anyone, but I am scared that I might spin out and crash."

One problem that snowplow employees have is when cars park on main roads, which makes it hard for them to do the best possible job. With their high-tech equipment they are able to scoop the two back tires of the car and roll it out of the street.

"Many times I have pushed cars that are on the street after a storm onto their lawn. I scoop the tires of the car up with the plow blade and roll it back. Man, it just ticks me off 'cause people know that they shouldn't do that," Edman said.

Edman said that it's hard to keep up with the snow.

"If there is even an inch and it's still snowing I will go out just to stay on top."

Emand recalled his worst snowstorm experience.

"The actual storm lasted for 12 hours. I woke up at 5 a.m. and finished at 5 p.m. I covered eight areas of Salt Lake and plowed each one five times. By the time I was done with one round there was at least a couple inches of new snow. It was crazy."

In the summer, Edman works in the office part time.

"There's no need for us guys in the summer but we still have lots to do. We set up new clients and fix and repair old machinery. There is always some sort of preparation that needs to be done."

As of last summer Edman switched roles from secretary doing paperwork to a mechanic work on the trucks and plows.

"I am just one of those people who like to figure out little details. In high school my two favorite subjects were math and auto mechanics. I guess this job was meant for me. It is just one step closer for me to become more like my gramps, my idol," he said.

Wade Laycock, of Salt Lake City, just celebrated his 18-year anniversary as a snowplow operator for the state of Utah. He started working in Provo canyon and soon advanced to a shed manager in Salt Lake.

Laycock said a shed is just a field name for a station, like a fire station or a police station. The shed, or Station 227, is the office location and where they store the trucks. He said the area you cover and the station you report to depends on where you live. Station 227 covers from 90 South to the point of the mountain where Utah County begins. They also cover Bangeter Highway, Redwood Road, State Street and 1006 South.

In the summer, Laycock said there is plenty of highway maintenance to take care of from the winter damages. They use the trucks to haul asphalt to fill in the potholes caused from the plows.

"We repair a lot of signs and fences. When people spin off the roads and highways usually a fence or sign and it gets destroyed. We are so busy in the winter plowing the roads that we just don't have the time to make those little repairs. So it turns into a summer job," Laycock said.

Laycock loves his job both in the summer and the winter. In the summer he gets to work in the canyons, which he thinks are the most beautiful places. In the winter, he's out on the roads in the storms.

"The summers are great because it is so pretty in Utah and I love working outside. On the other hand, I love the winters because it is an adrenalin rush to know the fear and danger of this job," he said.

Laycock said his scariest experience in his 18 years of working was about 10 years ago when he was plowing up by Sundance ski resort.

"The storm started late Saturday and carried into Sunday morning. I was on my way up the canyon to rescue a friend of mine when an avalanche crashed down the mountain and a snow drift about 6 feet deep was inches from my car.

There was nothing I could do. I just froze," he said. "It was just bad. There was about 34"-36" of new snow. The snow just wouldn't stop, it just kept coming down. Not only was there tons of snow but there was high winds."

To keep the roads as safe as possible Laycock has 10 full-time employees and five part-time. During Christmas, 12 of the 15 were working 16 hour days starting at 2:30 a.m.

Laycock said they have four forecasters who let the employees know what time they will be heading out each day. The trucks have an anti-ice device that pour out a salt grind and sand so days that it isn't snowing they sand the streets or make repairs on the trucks.

"The state buys all the equipment but we usually do most of the small repairs."

Laycock said one of the most frustrating and irritating things is when cars get right behind and ride the snowplow trucks.

"People are so impatient and even try to pass us. This happens all the time. Here we are trying to help them and they just don't appreciate. It is very frustrating."

Despite the exasperating moments, Laycock sees no other job that is better for him than the one he has right now.

"I love that I am keeping people safe plus at the same time it is exciting.

Everyday is different and I never know what to expect."

The job of a snowplow operator is very much unappreciated and unacknowledged.

Without their skill and willingness to serve our community we would not be able to get around as freely in the winter months.

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