The town of Pittsford, Vt., had experienced some challenges when it came to applying salt on their icy winter roadways. Issues like clumping and caking often left operators chipping away at blocks of salt that would develop in the hopper and truck bodies. While necessary, these tasks often proved dangerous and costly.
“Cleaning the trucks could be difficult and expensive when it comes to time and labor,” said Shawn Erickson, highway foreman for the town. “The clumping could also be challenging for applications as well.”
Erickson and the town of Pittsford continued working with the salt challenges until they were introduced to an enhanced deicer. When their supplier discontinued a molasses-based deicer, they replaced it with a pre-wetted salt product.
“We tried it out, and really liked the results,” Erikson said. “We’ve also noticed it’s helping us save on costs and labor.”
Produced by Cargill Deicing Technology, the deicer is called ClearLane enhanced deicer. It’s pre-wetted salt that’s enhanced with chemical and eco-friendlier additives. The additives help clear roads by providing a faster reaction time, longer residual effects and serve as a corrosion inhibitor.
“The deicer has definitely helped us save on time and labor, and it’s not rusting out our equipment,” Erickson said. “Cleaning the trucks and applying the product is easier because it doesn’t clump or grow white fungus on our trucks like the salt can do sometimes.”
As well as less clumping and easier cleanout, Erickson and his team also have noticed they’re saving time, money and labor by applying less of the product when compared to their salt usage.
“We’ve definitely cut down on our usage,” he said. “We’re able to apply the deicer with more control, and it flows much easier out of the truck and into the spinner. Salt would sometimes sift out when the truck would be stopped, and we couldn’t control it, which was such a waste.”
While the deicer has provided solutions for clumping, application and corrosion challenges caused by regular salt, the town of Pittsford hasn’t sacrificed on safety by using the enhanced deicer.
“It works well, especially in colder temperatures,” Erickson said. “Even when it gets down into the teens, we see it activating quickly. It helps keep our roads clear and helps us save on costs and labor, which all helps the town in the long run.”
