How to Use Two-Way Radios for Your Snow-Removal Operation

Snow removal is a big job - you need your communication to stand up. We chatted with Brian Knowlton (owner of Flashover Maintenance) about how he uses Midland radios in his snow-removal operation.

BRIAN: We are currently on our way back from working a storm for a cell phone company in northern Maine. We were hours from civilization hauling generators to the towers to get the towers back up and running. Over 2 foot of snow in the mountains that we had to plow through to place the generators. There was no cell service, our only means of communication was our Midland radios. I am very thankful that we made the choice to actually install them and have them for this storm. There were a few times when guys slid off the side of the road I am out in the only way they could get any buddy to come pull them out was with radio communication.

Can you describe your snow-removal business?

We plow snow across the majority of the state of Ohio, northern Kentucky, southern Michigan and part of Indiana. 95% of our customers are commercial properties ranging from small retail locations up to 50+ acre distribution centers. Our equipment starts with snowblowers up to 40,000 pound wheel loaders pushing 20 foot wide snow boxes.

What Midland products do you use in your business?

We use assortment of Midland MicroMobile products. Our shovel crews carry portables with the earbud of their choice. All of the pickup trucks, tractors, skid loaders and wheel loaders have either 15-Watt or 40-Watt radios.

How do you use Midland radios for snow removal?

The radios as I described above in the last situation we were in are very useful when cell service is not available. Even with cell service having multiple men on the same site working, can be a challenge when you want to broadcast a message to the entire crew. What used to require multiple phone calls can now be broadcast to all the members on a site with the push of a button. We travel across multiple states and using the radios during a convoy makes communication of even simple things such as which exit to take, or the need for fuel get to every vehicle at the same time. Safety is a big factor as well. If you need to get a message to somebody immediately, trying to call him on his cell phone and wait for them to answer his lost time. With a radio push a button in your messages going to them immediately.


What have you found most surprising about using Midland radios during the snow removal process?

The biggest surprise I have found using the Midland radios, is how something simple as a communication device can increase your efficiency. When you keep all members of a team that are in multiple vehicles all on the same page efficiency levels rise tremendously.

Will you be using Midland radios in the future?

When we find a product that works and gives us better results than what we expected it is a no-brainer to continue using it. We buy all Ford trucks, boss snow equipment, air lift airbags, auto anything mudflaps and seat covers, and now Midland radios. Every new vehicle that comes into our fleet is outfitted the same. Our mindset is find a product that works and keep using it.