How much, if anything, do you tip somebody who plows your driveway?
What about the rule that you do not tip anybody who owns the business doing the work?
We don’t tip our plow guy. He’s just a guy who does it on the side, so I guess he’s the “owner.”
We tried to tip him once, and the confusion it spawned made us realize we were the only people who had ever even tried.
No tip, unless the guy is ‘‘taking care of you’’ somehow (e.g., spending time moving the snow as you request… working around your boat, landscaping. etc.) If you are supervising, directing, etc… tip him/her.
If they just plow and roll, pay the rate. If the owner? Never tip the owner.
I’ve never heard of a plow truck driver getting tips.
Tip if it was free plowing. Otherwise in normal circumstances no. Giving you a special plow out maybe. I’m sure the nice customers will get the service first in emergencies.
I agree with this. Plowing is not a typical “tip” situation, I think of it like landscaping (probably because I used to do both). Would you tip the guy who cuts your grass? As a guy who cut grass, I can say, no. 
I also think that in most cases, tricky situations should be accounted for in the initial bid- if the plowing was bid on the spot and these tricky spots were known, there is no need for a tip. If there is a standing per-inch fee agreement and the situation is the same as when the bid was set up, no need for a tip.
In Philster’s example, if you have a boat in your driveway that was not there when the job was bid, it’s fair to pay someone a little more for that extra time/effort that they were not expecting and may throw off their schedule.
I’ve never heard of anyone tipping a plow driver. They’re usually in and out as fast as possible so they can get on to the next driveway, in any case.
Of course I live in Upstate New York, where we’ve had as much snow as Baltimore and a foot more than Washington and everybody thinks we’re having a light winter. Plowing is the norm.
I can maybe see that a different social situation holds in more southerly cities where the snow is coming in paralyzing storms and emergency plowing not on regular contracts is necessary. If somebody is going out of their way to get you done on a special basis, then a tip may be helpful.
As happens all too often, the information in the OP isn’t anywhere near enough to give a proper answer. A pet peeve of mine.
Tipping also referred to as greasing the wheels.
We were snowed in until yesterday. Over two feet of snow, drifting, a very long lane/driveway. A couple of people turned down the job. I called a guy who I have bought top soil, mulch, and gravel from. I didn’t even know if he plowed until yesterday. He was happy to do it. We were overjoyed (seriously).
In the past we’ve paid $100 to $150. He asked for $40. I gave him $60. I also have been telling the story to everyone who will listen, drumming up business for him.
That would make for bad plowing… Seriously, as a former plow guy, in these industries the kind of uncertainty that is created by tipping is not worth the benefit. Pay your guys well, bid a fair price, and accept no tips- people will come back.
In apocalypic scenarios like the east coast is going through, these are less “tips” than “bribes”. In a normal scenario, this is not a tipping situation.
Sorry to have annoyed you. What information did I leave out? I don’t want a quote for plowing my driveway, any more than I want help figuring out the tip for the restaurant the other night. What I wanted to know was whether it was typically a part of the situation, as it is in a restaurant, or not part of the situation, as for example getting one’s teeth cleaned. Both are somewhat personal and it’s plausible they could be tipping situations, but whether they are or not seems to be determined by custom, and I didn’t know the custom for snow plowing of driveways. I hear, the custom is no tip, which is what I was asking.
Thanks to all. If there is any special trouble or any favor asked, I will tip, but otherwise no.
We’ve brought out cookies, or some other quick treat to the plow guy on occasion, and helped him out when he got stuck in the edge of the ditch.
I’d never tip though, I’m paying enough for the service. I don’t tip mailmen either though.