Skilled blader learns 'to read his truck'

Minnesota's Mr. Snow Plow is clearing streets in Eden Prairie this winter.

In competition with about 150 people, street maintenance worker Mike Schmidt won the October snowplow rodeo in St. Cloud sponsored by the Minnesota Public Works Association. He has finished first twice and taken second once since 2001.

At 35, Schmidt is a 10-year veteran of Eden Prairie's plow force. With all that practice, he smoked the back-up drills, showed good control on corners, cleared the obstacle course in the snowplow competition and scored well with the judges for speed and agility.

In more everyday terms, his skill with a plow blade means mailboxes generally are safe on his routes. He has hit only a couple over the years.

"The hardest part is making sure you know where your wing is," Schmidt said. That's the arm of the plow that extends beyond the body of the truck.

"You don't want to be over in somebody's yard tearing up sod or knocking their mailbox over. You learn to read your truck. I try to ride right in the gutter of the concrete curb.''

But even this skilled blader can't deliver what homeowners want most: a driveway that stays clear when the plow passes. Residents repeatedly ask if he can close a gate or make a move that will keep the plow wake from spilling their way.

Schmidt says there's no way: "It has to go somewhere."

Homeowners can, however, minimize the plow drop by removing snow from the street ahead of the driveway so that when the plow comes through it has less snow to push into the opening, he said.

If it's any consolation, Schmidt said, after putting in 12 hours behind the plow, he still has to go home to deal with the white wave in his driveway, too.

With an old-fashioned winter plowing season under way thus far, Schmidt expects a lot of 3 a.m. wakeup calls and late shifts. If he could order it, he'd ask for one snowfall a week.

"It's the back-to-back, day-to-day stuff that gets wearing on you.''

He's glad to have the job, though. He came from a construction background, and after seeing what the housing market is doing, he says, ''This is a good solid place to be.''

Schmidt thinks Eden Prairie is off to a good start with its new ordinance requiring residents to pitch in with snow removal. He noticed a few walkways that weren't shoveled during the first snow, but most residents cooperated. He likes the new plan and thinks it will help the city crews get trails cleared in a timely manner.

New snow removal technology and chemicals interest Schmidt. This winter, he is one of two drivers spreading straight salt, leaving out the sand, to study how well it melts and how much easier it is to clean up in the spring.

The best part of the job for Schmidt is early in the morning, when he is alone with the snow. He doesn't enjoy traffic or inattentive drivers or people who try to get in front of him. "It would be smarter to get behind me, where it's plowed,'' he said.

He hasn't hit anyone in his decade of plowing, and no one has crashed into him. But he does have a hairy story to tell, one that shows even snowplows are not immune to the elements.

It was four years ago, on the steep Eden Prairie Road hill that drops down to Hwy. 212. Schmidt remembers:

"I started working my way down the hill and caught an icy spot and the truck got sideways and started going backwards.'' He had visions of sliding into a semi on 212. But the truck stopped at the bottom of the hill.

"I kind of shook it off and turned around and kept going,'' Schmidt said.

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711