New UPS Trucks Will Finally Have Air Conditioning

Driving for UPS could soon get a lot cooler, as the company announced that they will put air conditioning in UPS vans for the first time ever.

“We have agreed to equip all newly purchased U.S. small package delivery vehicles with air conditioning starting January 1, 2024,” said UPS in a statement. “Where possible, new vehicles will be allocated to the hottest parts of the country first.”

In addition to adding air conditioning, the deal also includes provisions for adding new heat shields and more fans. 

This decision comes in the wake of tensions between the Teamsters union, which represents drivers, and UPS management. There is currently a strike authorization vote underway in the union. 

“The tentative agreement follows a week of intense lobbying by the Teamsters National Negotiating Committee on UPS negotiators to recognize the enormous dangers of heat-related issues facing UPS Teamsters nationwide,” the union tweeted, in response to the deal. 

The lack of air conditioning in UPS vans has long been a source of ire among drivers – one driver even wrote a song about their frustrations. The back of UPS trucks, where packages are stored, can sometimes reach temperatures in excess of 120 degrees, according to NBC News. 

Frustrations regarding the high heat go beyond discomfort. Between 2015 and 2022, 270 UPS and United States Postal Service drivers reported being sick from the heat, with some being hospitalized, according to the New York Times. Last summer, 24-year-old Esteban Chavez Jr. collapsed and died in his truck – a death his family attributed to driving in the 90 degree heat, according to WFLA. 

Teamsters and their supporters took to social media to celebrate the victory. 

“UPS finally agreed to something that should have always existed: Air Conditioning systems in the company’s fleet,” tweeted Luigi Morris, a UPS Warehouse Worker.