In addition, the wet salt has less tendency to bounce or be blown off the road by traffic. Applications of 6-10 gallons per cubic yard of salt are recommended. Calcium chloride has the added advantage of producing extra melting due to its effectiveness. Using salt brine to pre-wet is becoming more common because of its lower cost. Liquid CMA and magnesium chloride are also used.
Some agencies spray the salt as it is loaded into the truck.
However, the application is more uniform if truck-mounted equipment is used to spray the salt as it leaves the spreader. This also eliminates the problem of handling pre-wetted salt that is not immediately used. Savings from losing less salt to bouncing and traffic action can more than pay for pre- wetting. However, these benefits only result with lower application rates. It involves applying ice control chemicals before or at the very beginning of the storm.