Father, sons run Jeffersonville snowplow side business

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A snowy day used to mean a slow day at Voignier's Auto Repair in Jeffersonville.

Now, Voignier's owner Tim Harbin and his identical-twin sons, Jake and Josh, may be called to work early in the morning or later in the evening.

The father and sons drive trucks with plows and help clear snowy streets and parking lots, in between working on cars.

They go to wherever people summon them.

On Jan. 5, that was the parking lot surrounded by Dollar General, Jeff's Bakery and Jimmy John's on Highway 62.

Jake, 22, circled the lot in his Chevrolet 2500 pick-up - scraping away a thin layer of snow and slush.

It was his first plow of the day, but the Harbins have taken their trucks all over Clark and Floyd counties - from the River Ridge Commerce Center to Georgetown.

They plow for a lot of businesses, Tim said, but they also clear snow from driveways.

"You name it, we've done it," he said.

Tim started plowing in 2002. His first job was at his home - on a hill in Charlestown.

"I've had two wrecks in the last 10 years and guess where they've been?" he said. "In my driveway."

Eventually Tim started plowing for others, too. Now, he'll have several jobs on a snowy day, and he has the help of his sons.

Jake began plowing snow with Tim two years ago. Josh, a year later.

Jake remembers riding with his dad on jobs as a kid. Now that he's doing it himself, he finds the work enjoyable.

"It's kind of something new every second," he said. "Something different to see. Always something happening."

The things that happen aren't always good, though.

"It's a dangerous gig," Tim said.

Drivers will get too close to the Harbins' trucks or pull out in front of them. There's also the possibility of the trucks sliding into a ditch or getting stuck somewhere. That can be especially bad if the Harbins are plowing an area with no other people around, Tim said.

Plowing is hard work, too.

"It will wear you slap out," Tim said.

It can be fun in the beginning, he said, but after several hours of handling a large truck, it starts to get tiresome.

But the extra money is helpful, and the Harbins sometimes get to aid others by plowing roads for the elderly at no cost.

And they do it together.

Working for family has its ups and downs, Jake said, but there are more ups than downs.

The Harbins might bicker at work, but they'll leave it at the door when they go home.

"Our family's really good about that," Jake said.

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Source: News and Tribune, http://bit.ly/2j0ULBX

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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com