Dive summary:

• After the 2010-11 winter, contractors who use plowing as part of their business plan were very happy, and some went shopping for more equipment whether they needed it or not.
• When winter largely forgot to come in 2011-12, they found out they had confused cash flow in one season with profit in the longer term.
• If you plan to have plowing be a way to use your equipment in the construction off-season, treat it like a regular business line for your company: develop a budget and make a backup plan to cope with unpredictable changes.

From the article:

Whether you run one truck or numerous pieces of equipment, you need to have a strategic plan for this portion of your operations. ...