Reading the Clear Roads Product Experience Table: Four Ways It Can Mislead

Scenario: you are comparing blades and find a large table of state agency feedback. Direct answer: treat it as a collection of short experience reports, not a laboratory comparison. The Clear Roads Product Experience Feedback document for 2006 to 2021 lists blades and plows by product, with a row per state test and written comments. Read the quantity, the season and the comments before looking at the averages.

What the table contains

What the table contains

For each product, the document lists tests by state, with columns for quantity tested, season tested, instructions, ease of installation, vendor support, durability, whether the product addressed the problem and overall satisfaction, followed by an average line and the state’s comments.

Four ways it can mislead

Four ways it can mislead

1. Small tests

Some rows cover a handful of units. One Minnesota entry, for example, lists four units tested in a single season. A small test cannot show how a product behaves across a fleet.

2. Different conditions

The same product can score differently in different tests. In the BlockBuster blades table, one Utah row (13 units, 2017-18) is rated 3 overall, and another Utah row (52 units, 2012-14) is rated 5. The comments for the latter describe a test on a ten-year-old concrete pavement with the same driver and truck.

3. Comments carry the detail

An Iowa comment records that two trucks went through a winter without changing blades when they would normally use two or three sets. Another Iowa comment describes the blades as heavy and difficult to install. Both can be true, and the score alone hides it.

4. Averages mix different tests

Averaging scores across states, seasons and quantities blurs differences. Look at the rows behind the average.

A way to use it

A way to use it

1. Pick the products you are considering.
2. Read every row and comment, not just the average.
3. Note quantity, season and surface.
4. List the concerns that appear more than once, such as weight or installation.
5. Turn those concerns into questions for the supplier and for your own trial.

Questions to take to a supplier

A product experience table summarises other people’s conditions. Four questions turn it into a decision for your own site.

1. Is the current product the same design as the one that was tested? Designs change quietly, and an older result may not carry over.
2. What conditions were the tested units used in, and how do they compare with ours? Pavement type, joint density and salt use change wear more than the edge does.
3. What is the weight, and what does that mean for installation by our crew? Ask for the piece weight and the handling method, not just the total.
4. Can we trial a small number before a full order? A trial on one route beats a season-long commitment.

Boundary: The document reports agency feedback, not controlled test results; ratings are subjective and conditions differ between rows.