It is important to always keep a close eye out for the weather forecast on the day you are trucking.
When you’re out on the road, there are two machines you must care for: your truck, and your body. Staying cool during the summer months of trucking is incredibly important for your health and sanity. It’s always important that you prepare for hot temperatures, as you may find yourself in the middle of the heat before you know it. Extreme heat and exhaustion can put truckers in seriously dangerous situations. Thankfully, we have some ways to beat the heat and stay cool while trucking.
1. Maximize Your Air Conditioning
Nothing is worse than having an ineffective air conditioning unit while trucking. Take a look at your antifreeze concentration levels once the heat starts to set in. If your antifreeze levels are off, that will prevent the system from effectively keeping you cool and may even lead to total system failure. Likewise, washing off your air conditioning condenser and radiator will help increase efficiencies. Just do so with care so you do not do any damage to the fan blades.
2. Tire Checks Before Trucking
During hotter months, that heat can actually cause your tires to break down quicker. Likewise, you may end up experiencing tires fluctuating wildly in terms of their pressure. If either of these problems is ignored, you may find yourself with a tire blowout while trucking, leaving you stranded out in the heat. The best way to stay cool is to stop your truck from breaking down and leaving you in the hot sun so do a proper inspection before heading out.
3. Hydrate Yourself While Trucking
Staying hydrated is always a health necessity but it becomes even more important during the summer. All that heat can slowly lead to you being dehydrated, which in turn makes you feel sluggish, exhausted, even nauseous—all conditions that can impact your driving. Keep a large case of water in your truck with you and some healthy snacks like fruit.
4. Sun Protection Before and During Trucking
Hot enough summer days will start to get to you after long days on the road. Many people often develop what’s called “Trucker’s Arm,” where their left arm becomes sunburnt from hanging it out of the window. Of course, that’s not the only part of you that can get sunburnt, so it’s a great idea to wear sun protection at all times.
5. Check the Weather
Always keep your eye on the weather so you know what conditions you’re driving in. Sometimes excessive heat is a good enough reason to pull over for a bit and take some time off in an air conditioned building.
6. Check Your Brakes
As we mentioned, the worst thing that can happen is for your truck to break down and then you end up stranded in the sun. Do some routine brake maintenance this summer and keep everything functioning as it should be.
Baltimore Freightliner-Western Star for all Your Trucking Needs!
Whether you are looking to upgrade your fleet to tow trucks or simply interested in the latest trucking technology, you can rely on Baltimore Freightliner-Western Star. We have provided top-notch service for the trucking industry for 30 years and would love to assist you in buying a new top-of-the-line truck, finding the specialty parts you need, or repairing your truck. Give us a call toll-free at 800-832-7278 or locally at 410-685-4474, or contact us online. To find out more about what we are up to, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Tags: truck driver tips, truck safety, trucking