Sleeping in a sauna – we need to talk about heat in truck cabs at night

It's being said more often these days that 'British heat' hits different. There's something stiflingly unpleasant about times when the temperature climbs high in the 20s and beyond. It's not only that you're potentially clad head to toe in heavy duty and often totally over the top PPE instead of a pair of speedos and flip flops like on holiday somewhere it's normally hot.

It really does feel intense when it gets hot in the UK.

Heavy traffic can lead to tired drivers who need to get a good sleep

Heatwaves are often in the news these days, deservedly so or otherwise. The news media can get excited about record breaking temperatures, weather forecasters start colouring in maps in scarlet, maroon and purple for dramatic effect and folk that were there WILL tell you about the summer of '76. Not long ago we didn't have any air con in trucks at all.

That's an air con pod, that is

Well now, we do and as specifications on trucks have steadily improved (at increased cost) surely it's time for night-time air con/parking air con/air con pods to become part of standard specification on your standard issue tractor unit that anyone's likely to be sleeping in.

It's handy for tipper guys too, sitting waiting to unload tar on a hot day with no need to have the engine running.

Some trucks have parking air con integrated - this Scania has a parking fan but no parking air con

There are two main types of system, a separate air con pod which usually fits in where the sunroof goes and is a self-contained unit, or an integrated system built into the truck which allows the air con to operate without the engine being switched on. It's surprisingly cheap in some cases - a DAF can be fitted from the factory for just over GBP2000 and a Volvo GBP2800 as a couple of quick examples.

An updated version of a factory fit air con system on a Range-T High 2024

Some will say, "ah but we hardly need it, you'll only use that a few times a year" but anyone who has had or currently benefits from parking air con will tell you otherwise. We're in an era of Health and Safety overload and most people will not know just how hot a truck cab can be at the end of a day.

Pulling into a truckstop at 6pm during a heatwave you not only have the heat from the sun but the accumulated heat from all the trucks gradually dissipating. Sitting in the cab, you're right on top of the engine.

If you're parked on your own you can run the engine at night but it's not viable in 'stops n services

The heat in some of these situations is bordering on sheer violence. You can run the engine for a while to let the cab cool, but you can't keep starting your lorry all evening if you're in a truckstop.

Many trucks have shutdown timers as quick as 30 seconds as well, to avoid idling but you can over-ride them if you know how - it's by no means a suitable solution anyway having a 13-litre 500bhp air con unit.

Heat from groups of trucks parked together at night can be incredible

When temperatures peak it's a real a health risk, lying there in a boiling cab at night with risk of dehydration and a steadily increasing lack of sleep as days wear on. Manufacturers should start adding it to standard spec, and buyers and salesmen should be less prone to wanting to delete it to trim prices (with new trucks costing so much, everything is under scrutiny). The heat is no joke, and the shattering, mind-bending exhaustion of simply not being able to escape it for 11 hours before having to take to the road for up to 10 the following day certainly is no joke.

Comfy, spacious, cozy in the winter.

Now they need to be cool in summer

We've seen fridges become standard, microwaves, heated leather seats, climate control, cruise control that's cleverer than you are - all sorts of tech has become part of almost every truck.

It's now time to keep drivers cool at night, it's just as important as keeping them warm in the winter with a night heater.