Scorching temperatures are making delivery a dangerous job — and it's only getting worse

• Record temperatures across the country are increasing the physical strain of delivery work.
• Even outside the hottest US states, heat that delivery workers aren't used to can be dangerous.
• Several delivery driver deaths have triggered changes. Experts are still asking if they're enough.

One hundred and twenty-four degrees in Portland, 107 degrees in Yosemite National Park,  88 degrees in Vermont — in April — Climate change may be a slowly creeping threat at a global level, but locally it's bearing out in big jumps. 

And when it is uncomfortably, unseasonably, intolerably hot, those jumps inspire the thought: "Wouldn't it be nice to skip the store and have that delivered?" 

But for the workers making those deliveries, work is getting more dangerous with every degree. 

Dangerous heat is no longer only a concern of specific regions. There's no simple fix to the risk it presents. The true toll of heat stress isn't known. And some of the best strategies to fight dangerous heat push against profits. 

"This is one of the most brutal jobs out there day in and day out," a FedEx contractor in the South said. "You can't just go out there and deliver 150 to 200 boxes on a whim. The next day you can't move. It takes time to acclimate." The contractor asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak with the media.

When recruiting new drivers, they have a routine intended to scare applicants away. 

"We're pretty brutal about it. If they stay after the brutal parts, we'll tell them about the good parts," they said. 

Traditionally the cons have been territorial dogs, prickly customers, and the heavy weight of the packages. But now, the stress and outright danger of heat is at the top of the list. 

"The Pacific Northwest heatwave in 2021 pretty much showed that everywhere is vulnerable," Jeff Goodell, author of "The Heat Will Kill You First," told Insider.

Extreme heat threatens some 15 million people who power the "sweat economy," according to Goodell. That's delivery drivers and everyone else whose jobs keep them outside at least some of the time — like farm and construction workers — as well as the millions more who work inside in poorly ventilated and barely temperature-controlled buildings like many warehouses. 

In recent years, delivery drivers reporting heat-related illnesses were second only to construction workers, according to OSHA statistics reported by E&E News. And when it comes to delivery, companies have come to the realization that this major threat requires concerted attention. 

Heat deaths often stay hidden

An ice chest, 15 bottles of water, and two towels: that's the daily checklist for a nearly 20-year-veteran UPS driver in Northern California, he told Insider. His first introduction to heat exhaustion in July 2017 changed his perspective forever. 

"I started feeling so weak that I was slumped over on the steering wheel. I was walking to a stop with a 10-pound package and it felt like 50," he said on condition of anonymity. He staggered and then vomited. He didn't call an ambulance, but in hindsight, he says he probably should have. The temperature was 106. 

In the years since. the town where he's based hit a record 116 degrees. But heat can be dangerous even if it doesn't break records. 

The 2022 death of 24-year-old Esteban Chavez, a UPS driver in Southern California, made national headlines. On the day he died, the high in Pasadena, California, was 97 degrees, according to AccuWeather. 

Chavez wasn't the first UPS driver to die on the job on a hot day. He wasn't even the only delivery driver to die that month.

But his death came less than a year before the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents UPS workers, began re-negotiating its contract with UPS. The tragedy galvanized the union to make heat a top priority in ongoing contract negotiations — and it became an early win in fraught negotiations that resulted in a last-minute deal Tuesday. 

The manner of death was described as "natural causes," by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. Goodell said many similar coroners reports can be expected as temperatures continue to reach extremes. 

Labor Department statistics show between 32 and 56 worker deaths resulting from heat exposure each year between 2017 and 2021. Goodell said the low numbers are not surprising since authorities aren't always tuned into the role heat can play in causing the problems they diagnose and many heat deaths aren't marked as such. 

"As our bodies heat up, our hearts are pumping faster and faster, trying to get blood to the surface of the skin to cool off. And that puts a tremendous strain on the heart,' he said. "In fact, most heat deaths are from some kind of cardiac failure."

A UPS spokesperson told Insider via email that following the death of Chavez, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health of California investigated UPS's heat training and programs and no citation was issued.

Companies are changing but there's no simple fix

UPS has agreed to equip all newly-purchased vans with air conditioning and install fans in all cabs. It will also install heat shields to keep the floors of the vans cooler and add an air intake system to funnel the cooler air from the cab into the cargo bay.

And though air conditioning is a start, it's not the final answer to the problem. With just minutes between stops and hot air rushing in every time the door opens, "the vehicle is really no refuge from the heat," one Amazon delivery contractor operating in New York City told Insider. 

Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and the Postal Service all have mandatory heat-safety training for drivers that encompass how to stay cool and how to spot the signs of heat-related stress. Most said they have ice machines in all facilities. 

UPS has brought in new company-issued gear — cooling sleeves and hats that when wet, stay 30 degrees cooler than body temperature for roughly 45 minutes. Amazon provides drivers with coolers, tumblers, electrolyte powder, cooling bandanas, and sunscreen.

"The big problem is that outdoor workers, whether it's at FedEx or the agricultural workers that I talked about, in my book, whether it's the guys who are working on the asphalt crews here in Texas, they fear that if they take breaks and retreat to the shade, in the middle of the day when it's really hot, they're gonna get fired," Goodell said. 

Heat protection is at odds with efficiency

Water, ice, towels, and air conditioning help, but the one thing that's hard to provide is flexibility. 

"The driver calls and says 'I'm overheated and the manager says take 30 minutes. But the system says 'Hey whats wrong — you stopped for 30 min?," the Amazon contractor said on the condition of anonymity since they are not authorized to speak to the press. 

Over time they learned to overstaff the day following any time the temperature is forecast to be over 89 degrees. In New York City, humidity is likely to make it feel much hotter and a predictable percentage of drivers will call out sick the following day, he said. 

An Amazon spokesperson told Insider that last year the company worked with its delivery contractors to adjust routes so drivers can take additional breaks — adding up to two hours of break time on some routes. 

"How often and how long breaks are needed is an important part of the conversations our drivers are encouraged to have with their managers," a UPS spokesperson said. A FedEx spokesperson said drivers are encouraged to take breaks when needed. 

Shade and water breaks can be life-saving in the summer. But labor laws largely aren't caught up with climate science.

Some states mandate shade and water breaks for outdoor workers — most don't. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed a bill that effectively eliminated mandatory water breaks for construction workers. 

What may be required in the long run is the one thing that most logistics companies — especially those delivering online orders expected in a just a few days — could struggle to do. They may have to slow down. 

"The simple fact is too much exposure to high temperatures is a health risk and a mortality risk," said Goodell. "And you can certainly imagine that delivery personnel can operate in high temperatures if they're well-equipped. But there's a limit and it's simple physics."