Summer Forecast for 2023… Extreme Heat and Humidity for Millions

This week's safety bulletin prepares you and your drivers for the hot months ahead! Make sure your driver and their CMV are ready for the heat! Read the full safety bulletin here and subscribe to receive future bulletins directly to your inbox.

June 21^st is the first day of summer, and it is forecasted to be hot!

Heat and your truck

To safely operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV), drivers need to understand how heat affects the operation of a CMV. Drivers need to keep an eye on coolant levels and tires.

Engine Coolant

Approximately eight years ago, the OEM truck manufacturers introduced extended life coolant (ELC) into the industry! The engine's operating temperature has increased by 10 to 15 degrees with each EPA change. It is estimated that 50% of all engine failures are associated with an overheating engine condition.

With today’s emission systems, an engine running low on coolant risks damaging the emission components such as exhaust gas recirculation or EGR.

The benefit of using ELC is that you can improve the engine's heat transfer rate by 12 to 13 percent over conventional anti-freeze.

Diesel Exhaust Fluid DEF

The quality sensor in the DEF tank is affected by extreme heat. Keeping the DEF tank full as possible to keep the sensor cool. 

During the pre-post trip inspection, drivers should:

1. Ensure that the coolant level is within range of the marking on the side of the coolant reservoir.
2. If the coolant level is low, contact your Idealease service provider immediately for direction. ELC coolant should be red/orange and free of dirt, debris, rust, and other contaminants. Do NOT ELC with mixed conventional anti-freeze!
3. If a dash light comes on with an overheating warning when operating a CMV, immediately pull the unit into a safe parking place and contact your Idealease service provider for directions. Operating the unit in an overheating situation can severely damage the engine.

Tires

During the summer, when the ambient temperatures can get well over 100° F, and some road temperatures can reach almost 200° F, the heat problems caused by underinflation are more extreme. Tires that run under-inflated will be more prone to failure in these temperatures. Taken all together, hot summer temperatures, under-inflated tires, heavy loads, and traveling at high speeds (not that this ever happens), and you have a recipe for tire disaster…. that’s precisely why you see more alligators on the highway in the summer season.

What can drivers do to minimize tire-related issues during the summertime months?

1. Tire pressures need to be checked more frequently in the summer.
2. Tire pressures must be checked when the tire is “cold” and not after operation. Pressures can increase during operation when “hot” by as much as 15%, giving you a false reading.
3. Inspect tires for punctures and damage during pre-post trip inspections and stops. Tire punctures tend to increase during the summer because the tread rubber becomes hotter and “softer” and is a magnet for nails and road debris.
4. Immediately report tire conditions that need attention to your Idealease service provider.

Protecting Your Employees from the Heat

What are you doing to protect your employees from Heat Stroke and exhaustion?

These conditions are created when our body cannot regulate our heat production at a safe level. First, we need to make all your employees aware of the signs and symptoms of these conditions:

1. Fatigue, weakness, fainting
2. Nausea and vomiting
3. Headache
4. Dizziness
5. Muscle cramps
6. Irritability
7. Sweating (absence or presence)
8. Paleness

The physical condition of your employees can further escalate these conditions. Employees at a greater risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke are those with Heart disease, Skin diseases, Extensive burns, Endocrine disorders (hyperthyroidism, diabetes, etc.), High blood pressure, Overweight, Depression, Insomnia, and Fever. Over-the-counter drugs can also contribute to a greater risk for these conditions.

ALL HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES ARE PREVENTABLE!

What can you do to prevent them?

• Use Common Sense!
• Limit your exposure to direct sunlight as much as possible.
• Drink more fluids (non-alcoholic); do not drink fluids that contain caffeine or large amounts of sugar. Sports drinks are good as they replace electrolytes and salt in your body. Avoid extremely cold fluids, as these can cause stomach cramps. Drink often throughout the day, 4-6 ounces at a time. WATER IS GOOD!
• Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing that does not create a safety hazard for your work environment. If outdoors, wear a hat to reduce direct exposure to the sun.
• Ensure your employees wear sunglasses that provide UV protection and are impact resistant.
• Avoid hot foods and heavy meals. They add heat to your body.
• Drivers on routes should pack a cooler with water for the day. Also, keep an umbrella in the truck operating in extreme conditions (desolate, desert, etc.). This will allow you to move to an area with breeze and remain protected from the sun.
• If exposure to the sun is inevitable, apply generous amounts of sunscreen with a high SPF rating to the exposed skin.
• Make sure your truck is in excellent condition. A good pre-trip inspection is crucial in extreme heat conditions to prevent breakdowns. Otherwise, you may find yourself and your unit on the side of the road exposed to the intense heat.

Operation Safe Driver Week

Operation Safe Driver Week is a safe-driving awareness and outreach initiative aimed at improving the driving behaviors of passenger vehicle drivers and commercial motor vehicle drivers through educational and traffic enforcement strategies and interactions with law enforcement.

The next Operation Safe Driver Week is scheduled for July 9-15 2023

Throughout Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement personnel will look for commercial and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in risky driving. Identified unsafe drivers will be pulled over and issued a citation or warning.

Data shows that traffic stops and interactions with law enforcement help reduce problematic driving behaviors. By contacting drivers during Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement personnel aim to make our roadways safer by targeting high-risk driving behaviors.

• Speeding has been a factor in over a quarter of crash deaths since 2008. (Source)
• Speeding of any kind was the most frequent driver-related crash factor for drivers of commercial motor vehicles and passenger vehicles. (Source)
• Speeding was a factor in 26% of all traffic fatalities in 2018, killing 9,378 people or an average of more than 25 people daily. (Source)
• Distracted driving claimed 3,142 lives in 2019. (Source)
• Of the 22,215 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2019, 47% were not wearing seat belts. Seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat belts in 2017 alone. (Source)
• Every day, about 28 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 52 minutes. In 2019, 10,142 people lost their lives due to drunk driving.

Registration is now open online for the 2023 Idealease/NPTC Safety Seminars!

Data Utilization in Transportation Safety

Idealease and the National Private Truck Council NPTC will again host safety seminars in 2023. This year's one-day seminar will focus on data available from trucks today about safety, basic safety and compliance, regulation changes, and CSA. The seminars will be provided to all Idealease customers, potential customers, and NPTC members at no charge. The seminar provides essential information applicable to both novice and experienced transportation professionals. Seminars currently available for registration have their venues secured. If you cannot register for the seminar in your area, check back, as registration availability will be added as the venues are secured. This information will be updated weekly in this bulletin. To register for an upcoming seminar in 2023, click on the following link:

http://www.idealease.com/safety-seminar-registration

FALL SEMINARS (Sept-Oct)

*The Idealease Safety Bulletin is provided for Idealease locations and their customers and is not to be construed as a complete or exhaustive source of compliance or safety information. The Idealease Safety Bulletin is advisory in nature and does not warrant, guarantee, or otherwise certify compliance with laws, regulations, requirements, or guidelines of any local, state, or Federal agency and/or governing body, or industry standards.