Summer Heat in the trucks! etc...

[hoser]

Wait wait wait... some Toronto FX Express package cars have A/C in them, and I know all Las Vegas FX package cars have A/C. It's just common sense; like putting a heater in a package car to be used in Minnesota or Michigan.

From what I gather, all UPS package cars in high heat areas--new or old--don't have AC in the driver's compartment? Christ!

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!

Well, you should always leave the bulk closed while away, it's not a DHS issue, it's a "the cheap coke head stealing your boxes" issue. But they say that leaving both front doors open with the bulk door closed is dangerous?

 

[upsman415]

UPS will do nothing util we drop dead inside the package car.

 

[705red]

UPS will do nothing util we drop dead inside the package car.

You hit it on the head! Why should we wait for one of our fellow workers to pass away from it. If the second rate companies like fedex and dhl can put a/c in their vehicles, why cant we as the industry leader show that our employees safety comes first! Ups only reacts when something negative happens, so lets create some negative attention over the a/c ventalation issue by filing complaints with the union and osha, it beats the alternative of going to a funeral for one of our friends!

 

[Cole]

Excellent point 705!

Our non union competition has AC, and there's no reason a company with the stature UPS has cannot come up with reasonable ventilation for the trucks. As far as the road crew scenerio, they can deal with their own issues, we have a union, and it's high noon at the OK Coral. Time to move into the 21st century. Perhaps some of us are so institutionalized we just "deal with it", but I think it's time to make them get real about cooling our offices off, as their's are. We have a climatic conditions committee, and you know who foots the bill, and we've seen nothing to alleviate the heat, accept a tiny fan. Even alot of customers are appalled when they ask if we have any air or ventilation in our trucks and we tell them the truth! NO!

That was understandable while we were building the reputation at and for UPS, now that we are established as the best of the best, it's time to get real about dealing with the heat inside the trucks.

 

[govols019]

Not only can I "deal with it", I also don't want A/C. I don't even have A/C in my personal vehicle.

You want A/C that bad then go work for FedEx.

 

[GuyinBrown]

As much as I'd love an air conditioned package car, I have to agree that it really isn't practical with all the stops we do. I'd just be happy if they came up with a way to vent the package compartment a little better.

Red... I've delivered on 100+ degree days and I've also helped to put a roof on a house in the summer. We may have a fiberglass roof over our heads, but we don't have tar and asphalt reflecting it right back up at us. Having done both, I'll take my job over a roofer's any day.

And hoser, we were given a pcm a while back ( maybe last year? I don't remember exactly ) by our center manager claiming that it was indeed a DHS issue.

IMO there are bigger battles to be fought than the issue of a/c in the vehicles....

 

[705red]

As much as I'd love an air conditioned package car, I have to agree that it really isn't practical with all the stops we do. I'd just be happy if they came up with a way to vent the package compartment a little better.

Red... I've delivered on 100+ degree days and I've also helped to put a roof on a house in the summer. We may have a fiberglass roof over our heads, but we don't have tar and asphalt reflecting it right back up at us. Having done both, I'll take my job over a roofer's any day.

And hoser, we were given a pcm a while back ( maybe last year? I don't remember exactly ) by our center manager claiming that it was indeed a DHS issue.

IMO there are bigger battles to be fought than the issue of a/c in the vehicles....

Guy i agree there could be bigger battles to fight, but when it comes to safety right now this is the biggest battle. As you can see if you read all the posts i was for just dealing with it, until recently. I see the rookies dropping from the heat, i even got some bad head aches from it last week, now im not saying that we would benefit from a/c in the cab but we could at least cool down the back of the truck. If fedex and dhl can put a/c in their vehicles and we keep profiting over 4 billion a year, i think ups can afford to do the same. I do drink lots of fluids but after 10,11, 12 hours of this heat fluids cant do it alone! Ups needs to stop busting out the routes in this heat and forcing us to work in these unsafe conditions, i know everyone here wont agree and that im fine with, but if we dont win this and someone dies from heat, i dont want to be the one to say i saw it coming.

 

[govols019]

Ups needs to stop busting out the routes in this heat

Now that I completely agree with.

 

[area43]

Guy i agree there could be bigger battles to fight, but when it comes to safety right now this is the biggest battle. As you can see if you read all the posts i was for just dealing with it, until recently. I see the rookies dropping from the heat, i even got some bad head aches from it last week, now im not saying that we would benefit from a/c in the cab but we could at least cool down the back of the truck. If fedex and dhl can put a/c in their vehicles and we keep profiting over 4 billion a year, i think ups can afford to do the same. I do drink lots of fluids but after 10,11, 12 hours of this heat fluids cant do it alone! Ups needs to stop busting out the routes in this heat and forcing us to work in these unsafe conditions, i know everyone here wont agree and that im fine with, but if we dont win this and someone dies from heat, i dont want to be the one to say i saw it coming.

I agree, I believe UPS managment has lost touch on the heat issue. A good leader should lead by example. Turn off all A/C in all the offices. Then lets see who will cry "uncle" first.

 

[Cole]

Not only can I "deal with it", I also don't want A/C. I don't even have A/C in my personal vehicle.

And Tie wanted to see proof of brain damage!

I'll stay w/ UPS and continue to make issues out of things I deem unsafe and plain ridiculous. It's all about costs/bonuses!

I am primarily talking about good ventilation for the backs of the trucks, and a better fan than we have now in the cab. Also we pay the union and that pay includes this bogus climatic conditions committee, and I for one want to see them earning their keep.

I have roofed houses a bit, and done this job, and both are tough no doubt. Not much fun hauling bundles of shingles up to the roof, but I wasn't paying a union to look out for my interests while I was doing it.

This job is more fast paced and is no cake walk. I could think of other unpleasant hot jobs, but my concerns are w/fellow UPS brethren, who do consider this a big issue. I remember yrs ago we kept asking about fans before there was language in the contract, and the union ba, would always ask a certain driver what he thought, and he alsways said he had no need for a fan, so finally I said, well everybody but John Doe, wants one, so get us one, and leave his truck w/out.

On some days if there is a good breeze/wind it's tolerable, but on those scorchers, w/ no breeze it's really rough, and it's not just the rookies I worry about it's also our senior drivers, and w/current pension ages, there will be drivers at 60 + yrs old out there.

Just something else to think about

Oh and Go vold, I was just joking w/ you about the brain damage. My younger brother who I call "heat miser" wont run the ac, where he lives in Va, as he hates it to be cold, and he runs a golf shop there, and he tells me in the summer the folks come in and ask if "something is wrong with the ac/ and of course he tells them no, he just doesn't need it now!"

Why?! Because he's Mr. Heat Miser, and right now I will dedicate the following clip to you.

Snow miser is first then heat miser. lol

Snow Miser - Heat Miser

 

[govols019]

Oh, you could hang meat in my house during the Summer.

I'd just rather have a new truck with power steering and a lower step than I would A/C. We're not in the truck enough to warrant A/C.

 

[pkgdriver]

Oh, you could hang meat in my house during the Summer.

I'd just rather have a new truck with power steering and a lower step than I would A/C. We're not in the truck enough to warrant A/C.

Very much agreed from down in Florida

 

[area43]

My fellow teamsters, look at the cat in my avatar. Thats how I en look after 10, 11 hours in that en hot ups truck. Notice the towel around the cats neck. lmao

 

[local804]

cole
that video is a damn classic
brings back old memories

 

[local804]

My fellow teamsters, look at the cat in my avatar. Thats how I en look after 10, 11 hours in that en hot ups truck. Notice the towel around the cats neck. lmao

Area
That cat is pretty cute though. Pleany of drivers/loaders have been removed from the buildings and the trucks due to heat exhaustion. One preloader from Long Island actually got taken away in an ambulance in June. I agree that the tempature in the trucks are way out of control and NO ONE is going to do anything till some one dies. Then all of a sudden it will be a safety issue. The safety commitee isnt the complete name. Its the Health and Safety commitee, they just forget the health part.

 

[local804]

Cole, Lets not forget about the over 9/5 commitee also

 

[Pollocknbrown]

cole, what is that video from, i've seen it before however, im not old enough to remember the name (not even 20) .....thanks.

 

[Cole]

I believe it's from "The Year Without a Santa Clause".

Yea "The 9.5 committee". Another joke! I tell people who have filed several grievances regarding excessive ot, to write on the grievance that they request it go to the 9.5 committee. Perhaps we should be requesting minutes etc...for that committee as well.

Check out the video in my sig too. LOL

 

[NJ12hrday]

in jersey this yr we had some 98+ days with the beautiful feeling of also 90-95% humidity. hey at least it feels like a/c for a second when you come back out of the pkg compartment. there are van ventilation fans out there for about 50 bucks. its sucks the hot air out of the rear of vehicle. i know there are lots of pkg. cars, but wouldn't the production benefit make it worth it for them to do it. it would be another world on those hot days. i guess thats why i'm just a stupid driver

 

[Big Babooba]

Unfortunately you get to a point of diminishing returns. For example, how much is air conditioning going to help? Everytime you open a door the cool air is gone.

I guess you could go a different direction with this. Insulate the roof and put a different type of lighting in the compartment that won't take up too much juice to run but I still think that would probably be too expensive. 705red gave some great examples of how our drivers cope with the elements.

The same thing can be said about the winter. Open the door and there goes your heat. We carry scrapers to keep the windows clear and use deicer to keep the stepwells ice free.