UPS to retrofit thousands of delivery trucks in the South with AC
UPS has agreed to expedite its plans to add air conditioning in delivery trucks by retrofitting 5,000 of them with AC by the summer of 2027.
The news comes several months after the Teamsters union called out the Sandy Springs-based company for having acquired just 10% of the 28,000 new vehicles it had promised to purchase by 2028. The union questioned whether the company would be able to meet its deadline.
The 5,000 retrofitted package cars will be sent to the company’s “hottest delivery areas in mostly Southern and Southwest states,” the Teamsters announced in a statement, and count toward the overall 28,000 goal.
During a blistering summer, the union had complained that new trucks with AC had not been allocated to the nation’s warmest regions.
The first 2,000 retrofitted vehicles are set to be ready by June 1, 2026; all 5,000 should be finished by June 1, 2027, the union said.
The retrofit investment is “above and beyond” their original agreement to include air conditioning in all newly purchased vehicles, the company wrote in a statement.
Additionally, the company has agreed to begin a pilot program focused on testing air conditioning in the cargo compartments of 100 package cars.
“The Teamsters Union appreciates UPS’s recognition that our members in Zone 1 need real relief from the heat, and they need it now,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.
Workers who spend their days in the sun or who are otherwise exposed to persistent heat are among those most at risk for heat-related illness or death, experts say, risks exacerbated by a warming planet.
The union and UPS drivers have spent years pushing for in-cab AC.
In 2018, the wife of a driver submitted an online petition to UPS management seeking air conditioning for its delivery trucks after her husband was hospitalized for heat stroke.
“In every region, our drivers also will continue to benefit from improvements we’ve made to our vehicles to reduce temperature and improve air flow‚” UPS said. “Collaboration with the Teamsters has been important as we take these steps for our people.”
About the Author
As a business reporter, Emma Hurt leads coverage of the Atlanta airport, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Norfolk Southern and other travel and logistics companies. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she worked as an editor and Atlanta reporter for Axios, a politics reporter for WABE News and a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
