- Many UPS drivers are working in sweltering conditions in trucks with no fans or A/C this summer.
- Insider spoke to a UPS driver who got heat exhaustion multiple times and even had to go to the ER.
- This is their story, as told to writer Jenny Powers.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a UPS driver. He spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his job, but his employment has been verified by Insider and his story has been corroborated by another UPS employee and via documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Not a day has gone by this summer where someone hasn't turned to me and said, "Is it true you don't have air conditioning in your truck?" I wish I had a different answer than "Yes" for my own sake, but sadly, it's the truth.
It's not an isolated issue either, as the bulk of UPS drivers don't have A/C or even a fan in their vehicles.
As temperatures continued to rise this summer, so did the public outcry regarding our less-than-ideal working conditions. UPS responded by recently issuing a statement claiming they train drivers to work in the heat, but I wouldn't call posting flyers and handouts offering basic tips such as "Stay hydrated" or "Drink more water than usual" as training. I'd call them what they are — obvious reminders.
Some of these tips, which fall under the corporate heading of 'Cool Solutions,' are blatantly contradictory anyway
For example, suggesting we "wear lightweight, light-colored clothing" when our issued uniforms are dark brown doesn't even make sense. It's not as if we have a choice!
I've played sports most of my life, so I know how to stay hydrated. Every day I fill a large cooler with bottles of frozen water and Gatorade, along with Isagenix Hydrate. If I run out during my shift, I always stop to get more. I also keep my driver and passenger roller doors open at all times to take advantage of the breeze and even wear shorts in the winter.
But that's not always enough.
Some afternoons I've been known to march myself into the walk-in beer cooler at the local grocery store and spend about 20 minutes inside, enjoying the arctic air before returning to my route. Now that's a "Cool Solution" if you ask me!
Still, despite all my best efforts, I've suffered from heat exhaustion on 3 separate occasions this summer alone
Ask any UPS driver and they'll tell you "dropping route," which means returning to base before you've made all your drops, is greatly frowned upon by management and doing so without permission could result in being disciplined with job abandonment, sabotage, or insubordination. However, if it's a choice between my health and making the company's numbers for the day, that's a no-brainer right there. I'm choosing me every time.
The first time the heat got to me, I was lugging a very heavy package uphill when I started to get dizzy. Feeling light-headed, I grew concerned about getting back behind the wheel, so I called a supervisor.
Within 20 minutes, he came to get me and bring me back to our facility.
The second time, I wasn't as lucky. After once again experiencing dizziness and lightheadedness, I messaged management and said I needed help as soon as possible and was too sick to finish my route.
I was met with radio silence
Finally, six minutes later, I sent another message letting them know I was going to call 911.
That got their attention.
They responded they were sending help but more than 15 minutes later, help still wasn't on the way.
Finally, close to an hour later, a supervisor arrived to retrieve my truck while another drove me back to the building.
I probably should have gone to the ER, but between the A/C pumping in my supervisor's car and the Gatorade I drank on the way back to the center, I began feeling better — so I didn't go.
The most recent time I felt sick, I didn't bother messaging management
Instead, I stopped in the middle of my route and drove back to the building, where we called 911. I was taken to the local hospital by ambulance.
I was diagnosed with dehydration and the doctor on call recommended light duty and told me not to drive for two days to allow time for me to fully recover. The next day, when I returned to work, one of the supervisors gave me pushback and questioned the doctor's orders about light duty. As if I didn't already feel bad enough!
I wound up calling the company's ethics hotline and filing a complaint against him.
The hotline, which is run by a third party, is supposed to follow through with an investigation based on the claim, but I haven't heard a peep beyond them telling me they received my claim, and that was months ago.
This heat is a major problem for drivers all over the country
The now-viral video capturing the UPS driver collapsing on a customer's porch last month in Arizona has been a real wake-up call in terms of revealing the harsh realities we as drivers face working day in and day out in this oppressive heat.
But that was just the beginning.
Since that incident, a 24-year-old driver died after being found unconscious in his truck, and while it hasn't been confirmed, his family suspects it was heat-related.
It's a pretty sad state of affairs, to say the least, but I guess if any good is to come out of all this, it's that there is finally some light being shed on our unsafe working conditions for the world to see. All of these instances provide lots of ammunition for the union as we prepare to negotiate our next contract, which expires July 31, 2023.
Management says their priority is driver safety, so why are they prioritizing the installation of interior and exterior cameras in our trucks over the installation of A/C or fans? Shouldn't proper ventilation in our trucks top the list?
Instead, we're forced to breathe stale air in routinely unsafe temperatures, especially in the back of our trucks.
It's not uncommon for temperature readings to rise as high as 120 to 130 degrees
I wish the television show "Undercover Boss" would invite UPS management on for an episode so they would be forced to dress up in Browns — what we call our uniforms — and come out here and experience for themselves what we deal with each and every day in this weather.
I took this job six years ago for the benefits and the pension, which are terrific and allow me to support myself, my wife, and my kids. That's what keeps me here.
Our medical benefits are so robust that when we go to the emergency room I don't have to pay a dime, but the way things are going this summer, I'm seeing the inside of doctor's offices and emergency rooms more than I'd like to lately, whether it's covered or not.
Frankly, I think UPS should forget about asking customers, "What can Brown do for you?" and instead try asking its drivers the same question.
In a statement to Insider, Matthew O'Connor, director of media relations at UPS, said: The health and safety of our employees is our highest priority. In preparing for this summer's heat wave, we instituted several new steps to support employee safety and comfort on the job, including increasing the heat-related PPE we provide. As part of this effort to support our drivers, we are providing additional water, ice, electrolyte replacement beverages and fruits with high water content. Along with this, we launched the following action plans as summer started: distributing 260,000 new uniforms with wicking dry-fit shirts and performance fabric shorts, making more than 125,000 cooling towels available, and accelerating the installation of fans in UPS vehicles across the country.
UPS trains employees to work safely throughout the year, focusing on the importance of proper rest, hydration, nutrition, and other good health practices. We have meetings with our employees all year round, and when warranted remind them of forecasted temperatures, signs and symptoms of heat illness, and to be aware of their own health conditions. We also send reminders to our employees throughout the day to stay hydrated and to take their rest breaks. Most importantly, if one of our drivers needs immediate assistance due to extreme heat, local UPS personnel respond by coming to their location to help them safely return to their delivery center or arrange for immediate assistance at their location. We never want our employees to continue working to the point that they risk their health or work in an unsafe manner.
We have a dedicated employee-led health and safety team who review work practices and promote health awareness, creating a collaborative approach between front-line employees and management through our Comprehensive Health and Safety Process (CHSP). CHSP members regularly meet at UPS facilities to discuss health and safety and put their ideas into action that raise awareness and provide the resources that help keep their co-workers safe. Their roles also involve mentoring employees on hydration, wellness and safe work methods. All these efforts and collaboration are designed to ensure that every UPS employee makes the most important stop daily, which is when they safely arrive home after their workday.