Can I Operate My Snow Plow for Family and Friends?

With winter just around the corner in New England, you can expect to wake up to icy snow covered streets any day now. And with snow covered roads and driveways comes the need for plows!

If you drive a pickup and are planning to add a plow to your vehicle, you may be wondering how to insure your new piece of equipment. At Berry Insurance, we’re used to helping snow plow operators navigate insurance coverage for their vehicle and equipment just in time for winter. 

So, before the first flurry of flakes fall, let's review how slow plows can be covered by insurance and what policy type you’ll need if you plan to plow streets and driveways for friends and family. 

How are snow plows covered by insurance? 

First, we should cover how to insure snow plows.

The type of insurance coverage you’ll need to acquire for your snow plow will depend on your insurance carrier’s own policies as well as the services you plan to provide. With auto insurance, personal and business use of vehicles can be an important distinction to insurers - especially with large specialized equipment like snow plows. 

Most standard personal auto insurance policies allow coverage for snow plows by adding the plow onto the policy valued as a customized piece of equipment.  Doing this provides coverage for the plow itself, meaning it will be covered if damaged. 

However, damages caused by the plow or your plowing operations may not be insured for liability from the policy, as most personal auto insurance carriers exclude snow plowing operations. 

So, can I use my snow plow for family, friends, or neighbors? 

While your plow will be covered if it’s valued as a customized piece of equipment on your policy, any damages you potentially cause while plowing for someone else may not be fully covered. 

Whether or not liability from your personal auto insurance policy extends to you in this situation will depend on the situation and your specific auto insurance carrier. 

So, yes you can operate your snow plow for others, but be aware you may not receive coverage if an accident or damages occur because of your plowing operations - for example, if you accidentally damage a neighbor's driveway or parked vehicle while operating your plow. 

In order to guarantee liability insurance extends to your plowing operations, you would instead need to acquire a snow plow or general liability policy. 

What is snow plow insurance? 

Snow plow insurance is essentially a general liability policy with an additional endorsement. This policy will cover you for any bodily injury or property damage caused by your plowing.

General liability insurance is a type of business insurance policy that covers claims made against your business (in this case, you/your plow) from someone who experienced bodily injury or property damage. 

Since most snow plow operators end up working with local towns or contractors to plow roads and parking lots, having this additional policy can be crucial for all operators. 

If you decide to perform contracting operations with your plow, you may already be provided a general liability policy. However, unless it specifically endorses your snow plow operations, you may not automatically receive coverage - making it necessary to have your own policy in place with the snow plow endorsement.

When obtaining snow plow and general liability insurance, insurance providers will likely ask you questions about your intended operations and perceived risks. To learn more about snow plow insurance coverage, what information you’ll need to provide, and how it will affect the cost of your policy, read this guide: Do I Need Snow Plow Insurance?

How much does it cost to insure snow plows? 

The cost of insuring your plow will depend on your insurance carrier and what options are available for your specific operations. 

General liability policies vary in price depending on numerous factors, including your intended plowing operations, location, and more. When writing general liability policies for snow plowing we typically see them costing a few thousand dollars. 

In some cases, insurance carriers allow business ratings onto personal auto insurance policies. While this will depend on the business operations being performed, adding a business rating on your policy will likely increase your premium due to the added risk of plowing operations. 

Protecting plows

Before attaching your snow plow to your pickup, it’s important to ensure you’ll be fully covered while on those icy roads. Now that you know more about how insurance companies view plowing operations, and the risk involved with snow plowing others driveways or walkways, you can work with your trusted insurance agent to obtain the right policy for you. 

After pulling out your plow for the winter, you may be using certain vehicles less with all the ice and snow on the road. If you’re storing away seasonal vehicles, you may be interested in learning different ways to lower your premium while the vehicles aren’t being utilized. For more information on your insurance options on stored seasonal vehicles, read this article: How to Lower Insurance Premium on Your Stored Summer Vehicles.