It may be unseasonably warm right now...but folks with the Missouri Department of Transportation are already gearing up for the winter driving season.

MODOT has already stockpiled its normal winter salt and cinder supply.

North Area Engineer Jennifer Hinson from Palmyra says its not the big snows that deplete salt supplies.

She says it's the regular, small snows and ice storms that can really use up rock salt and other ice melt chemicals.

But so far MODOT is preparing for this as a normal year.

Last year you might recall MODOT used a sticky beet juice chemical on highways in Clark and Lewis Counties to help the salt stick to the highway longer.

Hinson says they'll be testing it again this year to see if it saves MODOT money in salt expenses.

But regardless of the warm weather we have now, MODOT crews know winter is just around the corner.

What are you doing to prepare for winter?

Hinson said, "Right now we're preparing our snow and ice equipment and looking at our truck spreaders so everything is ready if a storm happens we're ready to go."

Hinson wants to remind folks to leave 100 feet between their vehicles and snow trucks.

That will help keep your car safe and help snow truck drivers see you.