Keep Well Hydrated

[MrFedEx]

I used to open all the doors and back up about tenth of a mile and push all off that hot air out

Push the packages out while you're at it.

 

[OrioN]

Our old Ford CTV tractors had a real problem with the heaters sticking on and the A/C not working. In other words, the fan blew hot air all the time. We were told that if we touched the heater valves it would be a terminable offense, and they were too cheap to fix the A/C. One driver brought a thermometer and it was 130 degrees in the cab.

So, we'd pull over a few blocks from the ramp, turn off the heater valve, and then stop and turn it back on before coming back to the ramp. It was still over 100 degrees due to engine heat and the 2/55 "A/C" solution.

Insane.

blah, i know of once contractor who snipped off the AC belts (the GMCs ran 2 serpentine belts) so he can save the few precious MPG on the old uhaul boxtrucks

 

[Code 82 Approved]

Our old Ford CTV tractors had a real problem with the heaters sticking on and the A/C not working. In other words, the fan blew hot air all the time. We were told that if we touched the heater valves it would be a terminable offense, and they were too cheap to fix the A/C. One driver brought a thermometer and it was 130 degrees in the cab.

So, we'd pull over a few blocks from the ramp, turn off the heater valve, and then stop and turn it back on before coming back to the ramp. It was still over 100 degrees due to engine heat and the 2/55 "A/C" solution.

Insane.

One of the hottest weeks we ever had since 2012 is this week, but back then I ran a rural route out of a e350 cube once in awhile. About midday, the truck began to overheat as the temps approached 95f, of course this is during pickup time.

So I manned up and drove with the heater on through that mess and the 90 miles back to base. Turns out we had 13 dead birds stuck in the radiator.

 

[OrioN]

13?!?! seriously?

this heat's taking a toll on me this week. i caught myself almost mis~delivering 4 stops to the wrong house because i was starting to lose focus. Sure, i drank 2.5 gallons on the average daily, but i had to take more frequent mini-breaks due to the heat/humidity

engine temps were going above 220 so i have to use the heater to help relieve some of that heat from the engine bay. broken AC didn't help, windows down... and cursing for the rest of the day. Mechanic will probably check/ change / remove the t~stat this weekend

glad some of you have AC in your rigs & next week it's not gonna be better.

 

[Cactus]

13?!?! seriously?

this heat's taking a toll on me this week. i caught myself almost mis~delivering 4 stops to the wrong house because i was starting to lose focus. Sure, i drank 2.5 gallons on the average daily, but i had to take more frequent mini-breaks due to the heat/humidity

engine temps were going above 220 so i have to use the heater to help relieve some of that heat from the engine bay. broken AC didn't help, windows down... and cursing for the rest of the day. Mechanic will probably check/ change / remove the t~stat this weekend

glad some of you have AC in your rigs & next week it's not gonna be better.

Your mechanics work weekends?

It'll snow in July before they allow any of our mechanics to work them. They don't get much if any O/T.

 

[Purplepackage]

Your mechanics work weekends?

It'll snow in July before they allow any of our mechanics to work them. They don't get much if any O/T.

Our mechanic works as little as possible.

Left on Friday and there were 7 or 8 sprinters parked out front for him to look. Talk about a good Monday morning LOL

 

[OrioN]

Your mechanics work weekends?

It'll snow in July before they allow any of our mechanics to work them. They don't get much if any O/T.

it varies on the subcontractor~ my current one is pretty good in trying to keep this old uhaul crate on the road. I want at least a stepvan or a newer transit for my country route, but alas...

so he has 3 mechanics ~ 2 on duty & 1 rotate their weekends off ~ fleet is in the triple digits

pretty good setup so they won't burn out working 7 days in a row

i just got back from dropping it off at the shop: rear brakes, front tires, oil change, engine temp problem, and maybe try to fix the AC system (i won't hold my breath ~ LoL)

 

[Cactus]

We have 2 mechanics. One works days and one works nights, second shift.

Somehow they always manage to do PM's on our vehicles on day shift so we get stuck with a crappy spare with usually no heads up first.

Aggravating.

 

[OrioN]

ugh, that's the only bennie i see in my opco... having your own van and no one else touches it but me. i loathe rental units that doesn't have FedEx logos on them; imagine a customer with a shotgun or other firearm waiting for you delivering after dark... i had DR a bunch of small arms ammunition to a couple of resis already & made a note which of them may be "trigger happy"

i take after soberups and stock up my own "tools of the trade" in a FedEx black tote, including dollar tree "sawdust" dog biscuits

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

We have 2 mechanics. One works days and one works nights, second shift.

Somehow they always manage to do PM's on our vehicles on day shift so we get stuck with a crappy spare with usually no heads up first.

Aggravating.

Same here---2 mechanics----one days and the other nights----all PMI's are done during the day with no notice given to the driver----we get whatever POS is left in the yard, usually with no fuel and full of trash.

 

[MrFedEx]

We have 2 mechanics. One works days and one works nights, second shift.

Somehow they always manage to do PM's on our vehicles on day shift so we get stuck with a crappy spare with usually no heads up first.

Aggravating.

The ramp mechanics mainly work on GSE at my current location. Tractor issues are secondary, and thanks to our insane parts ordering system, a bad headlight is an OOS issue and the tractor sits, or waits for a headlight. They aren't allowed to stock common replacement items. We have gone to Penske and rented trucks because the mechanics don't have a spare common part that fails regularly due to normal usage.

So, if it comes down to a belt loader getting fixed or a Freightliner, the tractor sits until they get around to it. Plus, they aren't really very good, and if it's an emissions issue, it's going back to Freightshaker anyway. Add-in about a week for that.

 

[Code 82 Approved]

The day I moved to Tucson in 04 it was 117f, I seriously don't know how anyone could deliver in that type of inferno. Even if you had brass balls, they'd melt.

 

[OrioN]

if that's dry heat, it'll be bearable... heat + humidity sucks (i pack 2 extra shirt uniforms for the day as well as a sleeve~less shirt when i'm off the clock)

i say powder those munchkins w/ a bit of cornstarch & you're good to go! (i heard talc isn't good for you anymore, but hey, everything causes cancer these days)

 

[SmithBarney]

I used to open all the doors and back up about tenth of a mile and push all off that hot air out

I did it to blow all the dirt out...

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

I did it to blow all the dirt out...

The back sure gets dirty fast.
And some of us don't have AC