Maine's youngest plow driver takes on any storm that comes his way

When it's too snowy to go to school, most high schoolers are chilling at home watching Netflix or playing Xbox.

That's not the case for 15-year-old Garrison Leeman.

"To have your own contract, I believe I'm the youngest in the state," said Leeman, as we rode around with him while plowing the roads Thursday.

Leeman works as a plow driver for his family business, Justin Leeman & Sons, where he has a 15-mile contract with the town of Palermo. His father Justin has a contract with the town of Montville.

"There's a lot of intersections on it you gotta fight with," said Leeman. "You gotta make sure they're cleared out or people can't get through them. If they can't get through them and they get stuck in them, if it's bad weather or really cold out they could be in an emergency situation and couldn't get any help."

He has a special work license that allows him to drive for work and to and from school.

Leeman, a freshman at Erskine Academy, said his school backs him fully and his peers thinks what he does is really cool.

"All of my teachers work really good with me," said Leeman. "They know what I'm doing and they know what's going on. And my principal works with me, and the whole school is super supportive."

This is Leeman's first year plowing after he spent over 400 hours in the truck with his dad last winter and it's safe to say he's learning fast.

"You just gotta stay after it because or else it will build up and it gets to the point where it's super bad," said Leeman.

"The bad ice storms are the worst because, I like to say, you can't control them."

Leeman has an eye for the future, hoping to take over the family business when the time comes from the man he admires most.

"I always thought it was cool how the roads would just be so bad and he could always stay on the roads because Dad's a crazy good driver," said Leeman. "And I've always grown up and it's like I want to be like him and I want to learn how to do it and do it the best."