Calibration Accuracy of Material Application Equipment

Accurate calibration of material application equipment is the primary means through which a transportation agency can avoid overapplication of salt and other winter maintenance materials to counter snow and ice on roadways. Methods of effective calibration for salt spreaders have been examined extensively and presented in many published reports and manuals. Manufacturers include comprehensive guides with their equipment. Thus, instruction and guidance is widely available. Clear Roads member agencies were interested in learning more about calibration accuracy of equipment over time: the practices and experiences of agencies that could help identify factors that may diminish calibration accuracy of equipment over weeks and months of use in extreme conditions.

Through a literature search and a survey of Clear Roads member departments of transportation (DOTs) and others, this synthesis gathered information about the types of material application equipment that agencies use, schedules and methods of calibration, training protocols, respondents’ perceptions of the accuracy of equipment, and types and qualities of materials.