Responding to concerns raised by Colorado Motor Carriers Assn. and others, the Colorado Department of Transportation will be using a new liquid de-icer product this winter.

Although the product will still be a magnesium chloride-based product, CDOT's specifications for the product require that the product be no more corrosive on aluminum and stainless steel than sodium chloride, which has been used in the past for de-icing roads. To accomplish this objective, the producer of the de-icer has modified the anticorrosion agent in the de-icer. CMCA and others have vociferously expressed concerns over the magnesium chloride de-icer that had been used over the last several years, which proved significantly more corrosive than salt and sand.
CDOT has also indicated that it will embark on a very extensive program for testing the new de-icer product to ensure that it meets the corrosion specifications. The department has also agreed to provide CMCA with samples of the product for its own ongoing testing.
In addition to changing the formula for the de-icer, CDOT plans to reduce the timeframe for pre-icing roadways. This practice involves applying the de-icer prior to a storm to ensure that ice and snow does not adhere to the road. In the past, CDOT maintenance crews might apply the liquid de-icer up to 48 hours before a projected storm. This situation meant that trucks drove through the liquid de-icer in its pure form for almost two days, which aggravated corrosion problems. CDOT is now planning on applying the de-icer in a much shorter timeframe prior to a storm. Further, CDOT indicated that the application of the de-icer will be more uniform because of improved application trucks.
To address this ongoing issue, CMCA has established a working group of its members consisting of a cross section of trucking companies, trailer and truck dealers and other interested parties along with CDOT. The working group will develop some protocols to test the new product and will also work toward solutions from both CDOT's part and from the trucking industry.