I’d only shovel while it was actively snowing if I absolutely needed to get my vehicle on to the road. So long as you don’t wait for longer than a day or so, which can mean the snow will have time to harden, it ain’t going anywhere. In fact, for a few lighter snowfalls that did settle on to the driveway, the wind blew it away before I had a chance to shovel.
Plastic is good for most things but with something heavier you can get under the crust for a more thorough clearing.