Scenario: a district plows both concrete and asphalt and sees different edge wear. Direct answer: pavement type is one of several factors, and the public state comments suggest it can matter, but they do not give a rule. I draw only on Clear Roads’ published product-experience feedback, which records operator comments and ratings, not controlled tests. Product names are left out.
What states reported
| Agency and period | Comment (paraphrased) |
|---|---|
| Utah DOT (2012-2014) | A heavy test on 10-year-old concrete using the same driver and truck found one system outlasted ten others; cost was high and wider testing was planned for per-hour and life-cycle costs |
| Minnesota DOT (2007-2008) | On one route with 45 miles of very poor concrete with many cross cracks and potholes, a flexible edge lasted 40 hours, versus 85.5 and 108 hours on other routes; operators felt it caught on the concrete and the plow tripped more |
| Illinois DOT (2011-2016) | A flexible blade lasted from 1 to 5 years depending on the surface, blacktop versus concrete |
| Iowa DOT (2016-2017) | One blade type was used on micro surface and concrete with good results and seemed to work well on packed snow |
The comments differ in product, year and method. They suggest that surface condition, not only surface type, affects results.
Planning for mixed routes
Mixed routes need the log split by surface, or the average hides both.
- Log by surface. Record edge hours on concrete and asphalt separately.
- Look at condition. Joints, cracks and potholes matter as much as the material.
- Stock by route type. If one route type wears edges faster, hold more spares for those trucks.
- Trial one change. Try one alternative edge on the roughest route.
Questions for suppliers
Concrete with joints is a different wear problem from asphalt, and a life figure without conditions is not usable.
- What experience do you have on concrete roads with joints? Joint edges strike the blade in a way plain asphalt never does.
- Can you share the conditions behind any life figure? Ask for pavement type, joint spacing and salt use, not just hours.
- Is there a design that handles joints better, and what are its trade-offs? The trade-off is usually cost, weight or a shorter usable edge.
Lesson
Do not budget one life figure for all your routes. Use your own logs split by surface and condition.
How to read hours-before-replacement figures
Hours are only meaningful with the surface, speed, driver and truck stated. The Minnesota note was careful about this: it described the mix of seal coat, micro-surfacing, bituminous and concrete on each route, and it still said that plowing habits and speed were hard to record. Keep the same discipline in your own logs, and record the surface type for every edge change.
Boundary: state comments are operator feedback, not controlled tests; no rule is claimed. Product names are omitted.
Sources and further reading. External references are dated; where a figure is quoted, the link shows where it came from.
Clear Roads Product Experience Feedback 2006-2021: Combined Results, Blades and Plows (Covers state feedback 2006-2021; accessed 2026-10-24) ↗Protecting Concrete From De-Icing Chemicals: What Facility Managers Should Know ↗Our road changes from asphalt to gravel halfway through. How should that affect an edge enquiry? ↗Carbide snow plow blades ↗Raised Pavement Markers vs Plow Edges: A County Planning Scenario ↗
