Summer Heat in the trucks! etc...
- Thread starter Cole
- Start date
705red
Browncafe Steward
Cach do you remember how hot that was? On friday my cab was 108 all day long, 123 in the back of the package car.
This was years ago,I remember one driver told me that when running his stops toward the end of his rural route that he would take all the deliveries he had left on the shelf and slide them up towards the front of the truck. He then would open the back roll up door and the bulk head door(these were the gas pkg cars). Side note, we have the diesel trucks now and my pkg car has the swing out doors, WHO s bright idea was that!!!!! Bulk stop/ dock deliveries, duhhhhh!!!!! Thats another topic in itself. Well back to the driver, that opened the back and bulkhead doors. He then would go down the road, being out in the country he didnt worry about getting caught. This is how he would finish his days in the hot summer.
Cole
Well-Known Member
Well you could get in serious trouble riding w/those doors open, so I strongly recommend against it. File multitudes of grievances and send certified return receipt requested to the IBT, and push the Climatic Condtions peeps to get off the Golf Course and get a system to cool off our trucks! ASAP
wornoutupser
Well-Known Member
Mittam,
I am in the middle of Florida.
The best way to handle the heat to sort is to pull under a tree and open the doors. Of course, the company now says that we cant do that because it violates Homeland Security and someone could stash an unauthorized package in the vehicle. We are supposed to sort the entire car before 12:00 to check for loaded NXDAS on the shelf yet die in the heat because of this!
I am in the middle of Florida.
The best way to handle the heat to sort is to pull under a tree and open the doors. Of course, the company now says that we cant do that because it violates Homeland Security and someone could stash an unauthorized package in the vehicle. We are supposed to sort the entire car before 12:00 to check for loaded NXDAS on the shelf yet die in the heat because of this!
1989
Well-Known Member
You can leave your doors open while in the vehicle...You just can't leave your doors open while away from your vehicle.
Let's see it's 1978 in Chicago summer. Hot and humid, no shorts, long pants only, heavy cotton shirts, baseball caps without mesh, and UPS drivers survived. I don't think feeder drivers had air conditioning back then.
Most of us choose to live where we do, we know the climatic conditions and adjust accordingly in our personal lives, we need to do the same at work.
As often as package car drivers go in and out of the vehicles, I'm guessing the bursts of air conditioning at most deliveries and pick ups may provide some relief.
Aspenleaf and others have a great thread on how to stay cool in the summer. Now those are the best solutions.
Most of us choose to live where we do, we know the climatic conditions and adjust accordingly in our personal lives, we need to do the same at work.
As often as package car drivers go in and out of the vehicles, I'm guessing the bursts of air conditioning at most deliveries and pick ups may provide some relief.
Aspenleaf and others have a great thread on how to stay cool in the summer. Now those are the best solutions.
705red
Browncafe Steward
Chan, i think what the fellows are trying to say, its been getting hotter every summer and we get more deliveries on a daily basis. On really hot days should the company be busting out routes or should they have our best interests at heart and put in those routes. Its been 9 yeaars where im at since an employeee died of heat stroke while unloading a trailer. Right after wards fans where put in gatorade was made in 5 gallon coolers for everyone, now 9 years later again the fans are broken, no gatorade for the employees. Ups has forgetten about that poor kid who lost his life way to early, but its a shame that it will take this same scenario before something else is done.
In 1978 didnt you get 2 lunches, 1 for you and 1 for your horse? With all due respest how many deliveries were made daily back then 30ish?
Cole
Well-Known Member
Let's see, also the company was not as profitable, and pkg weight limit was what? 50 lbs? Add another hundred today, and throw in a few more $billion dollars. Attitudes like that are why we need to take action on this, because some people are way out of touch. Also I assure you there are alot of places that get much hotter than Chicago year round!
705 - drove out of Bedford Park - cover/swing driver.
Anywhere from 300 pieces delivered/300 picked up.
All those nice industrial areas back then.
If I had a horse back then, Mr. ED would have been my choice. You know, someone to talk to all day while delivering and picking up.
Anywhere from 300 pieces delivered/300 picked up.
All those nice industrial areas back then.
If I had a horse back then, Mr. ED would have been my choice. You know, someone to talk to all day while delivering and picking up.
And wintertime is not a day at the beach either.
DS
Fenderbender
It may be hotter in other places than Chicago,but add the humidity,the
smog and the fumes and at bulk stops you actually have to stop to
catch your breath.Heck I`m in Toronto and it gets over 120 in the
back of my car.We had one shipper a few years ago that sent out
little worms that were good for your garden.The poor little bastards
were squeezing themslves out of any untaped corner they could find
and oozing along the shelves of my truck only to become stuck like
overcooked bacon.
I try to think of it like its a day at the gym,but I`m getting paid for it!
smog and the fumes and at bulk stops you actually have to stop to
catch your breath.Heck I`m in Toronto and it gets over 120 in the
back of my car.We had one shipper a few years ago that sent out
little worms that were good for your garden.The poor little bastards
were squeezing themslves out of any untaped corner they could find
and oozing along the shelves of my truck only to become stuck like
overcooked bacon.
I try to think of it like its a day at the gym,but I`m getting paid for it!
Cole
Well-Known Member
Granted you have winter, and we rarely see any snow etc...but there's no exscuse in a company with this stature having such bogus equiptment on the road, that in many cases is probably as bad as trucks crossing our borders. They can and should come up with a ventilation system in the trucks, and we as union members should demand that our "climatic conditions commitee does it's job, or get rid of those playing around with our monies!
705red
Browncafe Steward
Cole i think you might be onto something here. Its been real hot here lately and i have been watching drivers drop from the heat, headaches, vomiting, fatigued. Maybe when/if osha ever looked into this i bet you the dispatches were alot lower, and it was probably many years ago. I bet you if osha would look into it now changes would have to be made! My hottest day was 109 in the cab and 123 in the back of the truck, thats way to hot to work at the pace we must work at. I think its about time that we the drivers start to DEMAND better ventalation and or air conditioning. Lets all start calling osha in our areas and filing complaints, but first we should set up a date where we stand out and have petitions signed by all of our drivers and file a group complaint across the country that way ups can not single any of us out. Lets plan on doing this within the next week or two. I will take the lead on this and you can pm or email me and i will get you the osha number in your area. Lets not forget lets send copies of the petitions to osha, and the union. When its all said and done hope fully we can say that we changed this practice by uniting through this brown cafe website. Im ready for a rumble, are you ready to rumble my fellow upsers? LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!
705red
Browncafe Steward
Your right, and all those jobs are not done out of a brown truck with a fiber glass roof with no breeze. The point is every year its hot and every year we work harder in borderline hazardous heat conditions, i for one will not sit back until some one dies from it before attempting to prevent that from happening. You have a choice you can take proactive stance and fight with us or we can play ups's game and take more of a reactionary stance and wait for the worst to happen.
pkgdriver
Well-Known Member
Similar threads
