Hate When the Plow Dumps Snow in Your Driveway? Here’s How to Prevent It

It took a while for winter to roar and begin dumping snow on the ground. With storm after storm every few days in February, winter has made up for what was lacking in December and January.

The roads haven't been too bad, but I've shoveled my driveway at least twice a week after each storm drops more and more snow. The snowfall amounts are small for the most part except for the 9-10 inches that southern Maine got recently. It's also been light and fluffy so it was easy to move.

What is NOT easy to move is the snow that the town snowplows push into your driveway's entrance. It's usually wet and heavy and no one wants to go back out and shovel again. It's not the plow driver's fault, however, and there is a way you can prevent it from happening.

The Second Shovel

You're inside drying off and warming up after clearing the driveway when you hear the rumble of the plow and you know all that work at the end of the driveway is about to be wiped out. There's a solution.

The Maine DOT posts this graphic on its Facebook page every winter, showing how you can prevent the "second shovel." That's a great term for what it is.

The theory is that after clearing the snow at the end of your driveway, clear the snow that is to the left of the driveway as you face the road. Clearing that snow creates a space for the plow to put more snow.

READ MORE: Recent Snowfall Brings Skiing and Snow Shoeing Back to Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook

I tried this a few winters back and it kind of works. However, I found that if the plow truck makes a lot of passes in a heavy storm, that space to the left fills right back up again and you go to clear it once more.

Give it a try and let us know how well it worked.