Humidity

Last summer. Whitchita falls Texas. 110 actual temp not heat index. Running a dry van for a little outfit in town, a/c in the truck and the bunk couldn't keep up. Get outside and it's like walking into an oven. Zero humidity but #### it was ####ing hot. Bout like make you suffocate it was so hot walking across that loves parking lot.

 

All this everyone fixing the AC and I drove trucks that don't even have it to fix
I guess all the horses finally died to pull the carts into town so they had to buy trucks and that new fangled ac is just a problem waiting to happen lol

 

Never (intentionally) in a big truck, but I've owned plenty of cars without AC and drove one pickup all winter (Illinois) without heat.

 

I drove lots of trucks that didn't come with ac, but they is old. I doubt a guy could buy one now without it.
I don't have ac in my log truck, but usually only run it in the winter. I have driven several trucks up here for other people with no air, but they came with them.
My old western star is a 79 and it came with one, it's long gone but It had it when new.

 

I worked for an outfit that did drop and hook at Atlas Tubes. They paid a kid something like $30 bucks each to tarp the loads starting around midnight. 8-12 trailers a night? I think he was doing better than the drivers!

 

I moved to Houston, TX six years ago and I can tell even the locals will tell you it's not worth screwing around outside in the middle of the day this time of year. The thing you have to keep in mind is that in this part of the country the "harsh season" is the summer vs the winter AND that harsh season literally lasts from April to October! The worst part of it is mid-July to September, so pretty much right now.

That being said, if you gotta be outside there are a couple of things you can do to mitigate the impact:
1. Stay hydrated ( obviously ). But something to keep in mind is to try to keep some calories and electrolytes in your body. A good strategy is to alternate back and forth between water and something like Gatorade. Just drinking water is good of course but if you sweat a lot over a long enough time it can lead to an unusual condition called water intoxication which happens when your electrolytes get out of balance b/c all of the salts have been leaving your body through sweat. A sign this is happening to you is when you start to get a headache and/or your feet and hands start to swell. This is also a sign of dehydration and it's time to take a break!

2. Drinking Gatorade will give your body some much needed calories to keep working as well. Intense heat really saps your energy so putting some calories back in your body will help you keep going. Personally drinking only Gatorade tends to be sweet for me which is why I alternate back and forth between that and water. Or you may want to dilute the Gatorade down by adding more water.

3. Get a white or light colored long sleeve sports shirt if you're going to be in direct sunlight. These shirts are designed to be sweated through and help keep you cool through evaporation. If you're not someone who sweats a lot then soak the shirt in cool water before putting it on and keep doing that periodically. Seriously, it's like wearing your own air conditioner AND it will keep the sun off your bare skin which has multiple benefits not the least of which is avoiding sunburn and possible melanoma!

4. Wear sunscreen! If you don't have the long sleeve shirt wear the sunscreen. Yeah, it's gooey and actually retains body heat, but it's better than skin cancer!

5. Skip the ball cap! Since most of your body heat radiates out through your head wearing a hat just keeps the heat in on your skull. I usually just opt for a bandana soaked in cool water and sunglasses. Of course if you skip the hat you'll need to put some sunscreen on yer noggin and the back of your neck!

6. Don't be ashamed to take lots of breaks in the shade or someplace where there's AC! Yes this stretches out your work but so will ending up in the ER with dehydration or a worse yet a heat stroke!

 

Yes, it sucks. I was out in Phoenix, which is obviously hot, but it's a dry heat. That does make a big difference. Except it was monsoon time so it was 94 F before sunrise and humid as a wet dish towel. I'd much rather be 110 in El Pase than 95 in Nashville.

 

Try wearing a rubber suit to unload HazMat. "Walk toward the light".

 

I woke up in Butte, MT in August. 42 F and no humidity. It did warm up but I can take 65 F, I'm strong that way.

 

thats a myth that you lose most heat through your head