TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Soon UPS drivers will finally get some relief from the heat.
For the first time ever, the delivery company is adding air conditioning to its fleet.
UPS announced it has reached an agreement with the Teamsters Union to address heat safety.
Starting next year, all new trucks will come equipped with AC. Older trucks without air conditioning will get fans installed.
UPS has come under scrutiny for not having AC in its vehicles, despite drivers suffering from heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses.
Here's a timeline of a series of incidents last year that got the Teamsters Union to focus heavily on addressing this problem.
- June 25, 2022: 24-year-old UPS driver dies from heat stroke.
- July 15, 2022: UPS driver collapses on camera in Arizona in 110+ degree heat.
- Aug. 23, 2022: UPS truck crashes into a restaurant after driver passes out.
Nearly five years ago a change.org petition was created to demand the installation of AC in trucks. That petition got over a million signatures, but UPS rejected the demands.
As for this summer, it's still not clear when the fans will be installed in the company's current fleet of vehicles, so drivers might have to endure another hot summer.
When the new vehicles do arrive, UPS says they'll go to the hottest locations first, which should include Arizona.
