Without AC in trucks, delivery drivers push through extremely hot days: 'Give us some water'
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Mike Dewan has been a UPS driver for the last 18 years. He is also the Shop Steward for the local Teamsters union and says conditions can be dangerous for those working right now.
Delivery drivers are picking up heavy packages and then dropping them off at homes without any real reprieve from the hot, humid weather.
"All of them right now are without AC," said Dewan.
He believes there aren't any delivery trucks in the Triangle right now that have air conditioning. This made Dwan want to be part of efforts to push for change.
Last summer, the Teamsters fought hard to get AC installed in trucks and threatened to strike.
"It can be dangerous . . . if you're not mindful," said Dewan. "I've never passed out. I think I've gotten close a couple of times in my career."
In 2022, an Arizona delivery driver collapsed as the temperatures hit the triple digits.
UPS agreed last year to install AC units in delivery trucks, but would not offer ABC11 a timeline when we inquired specifically on our region.
The company said in a statement:
Last year, UPS and the Teamsters agreed to additional measures as part of our overall efforts to help keep our employees safe while working in the heat. We are on plan or ahead of schedule on all our contractual commitments and have hundreds of vehicles with AC operating on the roads today.
The agreement with the Teamsters included equipping all new vehicles purchased after January 1, 2024, with AC and making modifications to our existing package cars to improve airflow, temperature and comfort for our drivers. We have and will continue to purchase and deploy new vehicles with AC as quickly as possible. We have also equipped the vast majority of our vehicles with heat shields and enhanced air intakes to better cool and ventilate the cargo area.
UPS additionally said, "We're investing more than $409 million annually on safety training in the U.S., and we've spent the past 18 months enhancing our heat safety training, outfitting workers with specialized cooling gear, and adding equipment to our vehicles and facilities that helps protect our people from the heat.
Amazon says that "every vehicle bearing the Amazon brand is air-conditioned" and if it's not working, the vehicle is taken out of service immediately.
While UPS drivers in the Triangle wait on a change, Dewan is hoping to bring awareness to the challenges they're facing and how customers can deliver a dose of kindness themselves.
"If you see a UPS driver or an Amazon driver or a mailman or whatever, if you got a bottle of the water for us and give us some water," he said. "Especially at the end of the day, we start running low."
Dewan believes all trucks should be retrofitted with 'heat shields' by next summer, which could block some of the heat from coming into the vehicles.
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