Lake-effect hit hard in Duluth at 6 a.m., and the side streets were glare ice; I got through by dropping to 2nd on hills, turning off cruise, and using -35°F washer fluid with a telescoping brush to keep glass clear. I keep a folding shovel, a small jug of sand, and strap-on boot cleats in the cab — what winter tools or tricks are you relying on to stay upright and on-time when it’s -10°F?
I keep a dollar-store squeeze ketchup bottle filled with pet-safe ice melt and blast steps/porches in seconds — faster than scooping from a bag… Below about -15°F or on fresh concrete I skip melt and carry poultry grit for traction instead. It’s a pocket “ketchup bottle of melt” that turns a rink into sandpaper.
Had the same ‘glare ice’ at 6 a.m. — my cheap fix is a 3-foot strip of horse-stall mat as a reusable traction pad; jam it under the drive tire and it grabs when sand just polishes the surface. Keep it inside so it stays flexible, and if it’s below -15°F I’ll dust a handful of clay litter for that first bite. Beats digging when you’re nose-up on a side street.