Delivery drivers face continuing heat risks with Trump's OSHA pick
David Keeling is a former executive at UPS and also worked at Amazon


Delivering packages has long been a treacherous job during heat waves, with summer temperatures especially dangerous for delivery drivers. Now there is new concern that federal protections against hot delivery trucks could be stripped by President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
David Keeling, a former executive at delivery powerhouses UPS and Amazon, has been tapped by Trump to run OSHA. If confirmed, many delivery drivers are wary of what it could mean for the trucks' sweltering conditions.
Why are delivery trucks so dangerous in hot weather?
All delivery trucks can get hot in soaring temperatures, though Amazon has said its vehicles are air-conditioned. The majority of UPS trucks, on the other hand, do not have air conditioning. Temperatures "inside the trucks, both the cab and especially the cargo space where drivers need to go to fetch and drop off packages, can regularly get well over 120 degrees [Fahrenheit]," said CNN.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Under a 2023 labor contract with the Teamsters union, UPS "committed to deliver at least 28,000 new or replacement sprinter vans and package cars with in-cab air conditioning," said the supply chain news outlet FreightWaves, and pledged that all trucks purchased after Jan. 1, 2024, would have air conditioning. But the Teamsters "estimates that UPS has delivered only 10% of the required air-conditioned vehicles."
How could Trump's OSHA nominee exacerbate this?
Keeling was a health and safety executive at both UPS and Amazon and is the man "some workers blame for the inaction" of heat safety initiatives, said The New York Times. There are currently no nationwide standards for delivery truck safety, but Keeling would be "taking helm at the agency just as it considers the first federal rule designed to protect as many as 36 million workers from extreme heat."
This rule, drafted by the former Biden administration, is "aimed at requiring access to water, shade, breaks and training," said The Guardian. But even as some labor unions are pushing to get the rule passed, delivery corporations "have pushed to gut the rules, and there are concerns among safety advocates and some workers that Keeling could help them do so."
Delivery drivers who worked at UPS during Keeling's tenure "say they struggled to get the company to take measures to address dangerous heat conditions," said the Times. During Keeling's three years at UPS, OSHA records "show that about 50 UPS workers were 'seriously injured' by heat exposure and required hospitalization," said The New Republic. And Keeling's time at Amazon "coincided with heightened criticism over worker deaths and injuries under extreme heat," said the Times, though Amazon claims to have received only three heat-related OSHA citations since 2019.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Beyond Keeling, current executives representing both UPS and Amazon have "lobbied against federal heat rules," said the Times. OSHA's heat safety standard "should be performance-oriented" rather than indiscriminate, because "our drivers and package handlers are world-class industrial athletes," UPS' Global Head of Health and Safety Cormac Gilligan wrote to the agency in a letter.
It seems drivers are concerned that the scorching heat will continue if Keeling is confirmed at OSHA. Said Seth Pacic, a UPS delivery driver in Dallas, Texas, to The Guardian: Any "meaningful policy to combat heat injuries will be put on hold while he holds the position."
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
August 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include FEMA's new scheme, Gavin Newsom's antics, and a clue in the Epstein files
-
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon's risky mission
Talking Point Iran-backed militia has brought 'nothing but war, division and misery', but rooting them out for good is a daunting and dangerous task
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogs
The Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Black women are being pushed out of the workforce en masse
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Employment data shows hundreds of thousands of Black women have left the labor market over the past few months. What's behind this mass exodus?
-
Trump BLS nominee floats ending key jobs report
Speed Read On Fox News, E.J. Antoni suggested scrapping the closely watched monthly jobs report
-
Trump picks conservative BLS critic to lead BLS
speed read He has nominated the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics
-
What's a pocket rescission and can Trump use one?
The Explainer The White House may try to use an obscure and prohibited trick to halt more spending
-
The push for a progressive mayor has arrived in Seattle
The Explainer Two liberals will face off in this November's election
-
New White House guidance means federal employees could be hearing more religious talk at work
The Explainer Employees can now try to persuade co-workers that their religion is 'correct'
-
'This is a humanitarian, developmental and moral emergency'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day