The latest “Professional Drivers’ Pay Report 2025” from the Truckers Life Foundation points to a significant demographic challenge in Polish road transport: the workforce is ageing. The largest group of drivers is aged 41–50 (37%), while those over 50 account for 28%. In total, close to two-thirds of drivers on the road are over 40.
Long hours sitting down, chronic stress and irregular meals already put drivers at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Add extreme temperatures, and it becomes a direct health risk for drivers — and a material operational risk for carriers.
What really happens inside a hot cab
Many transport offices underestimate how quickly a closed vehicle parked in the sun heats up. Tests by Germany’s ADAC show that when the outside temperature is 35°C, the cab can reach around 50°C in just 30 minutes. After 90 minutes, it can reach about 60°C. Plastic surfaces such as the steering wheel or dashboard can exceed 70°C, creating a real burn risk.
For drivers — particularly those with many years behind the wheel — working in these conditions places heavy strain on the nervous and cardiovascular systems. The Dutch motoring club ANWB notes that driving with a cab temperature of 35°C affects reaction and performance in a way comparable to driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.5‰. As many as 60% of drivers say summer heat leaves them exhausted.
Overheating can lead to slower reaction times, headaches and sudden blood pressure swings — all of which increase the likelihood of mistakes on the road. For older drivers — and men over 50 make up 28% of the Polish transport workforce — thermal stress combined with existing cardiovascular load increases the risk of fainting, heatstroke and, in the most severe cases, a heart attack while driving.
Air conditioning done right: the six-degree rule and vent positioning
In extreme heat, many drivers instinctively set the air conditioning far below the outside temperature. That can backfire — and not only as a sore throat. A body that is overheated and then hit with very cold air can experience cardiovascular shock.
Guidance from Poland’s Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS) states that to avoid thermal shock, the safe difference between the outdoor temperature and a cooled indoor space should be no more than 6–7°C. Clinical guidance supports a similar approach: Dr Jana Parmová, chief physician at Škoda Medical Centre, recommends keeping the gap to about 5°C.
During a heatwave, blood vessels near the skin widen to help the body release heat. Entering a strongly cooled space triggers a sudden, reflexive constriction of those vessels. Cardiologist Dr Michał Sutkowski explains that for people with known or undiagnosed cardiovascular conditions, such a rapid haemodynamic shift can cause dangerous heart rhythm disturbances — and in extreme cases even sudden cardiac arrest.
To use air conditioning safely, three basic rules help:
- Vent first, don’t shock the body: Dr Jana Parmová advises against blasting the air conditioning at full power immediately after getting into a sun-baked cab. Start by airing the vehicle out — open the doors or lower the windows while moving slowly — to push out trapped hot air, then cool the cab gradually.
- Prepare before you step out: If the cab is kept at around 20°C and outside it is close to 40°C, stepping onto hot asphalt can rapidly widen blood vessels and cause a sudden drop in blood pressure. That can reduce oxygen supply to the brain and lead to weakness or fainting — even on a yard. Around 10–15 minutes before arrival, raise the cab temperature slowly so the body can adjust.
- Aim vents away from the driver: As Dr Jana Parmová stresses, airflow should not be directed straight at the face or chest. A strong stream of cold, dry air dries the eyes and weakens local respiratory defences, increasing the risk of summer throat and larynx inflammation — and even lung infections. Direct airflow towards the windscreen and upward to cool the cab evenly.
Daily breaks and weekend stops: recovery becomes the hardest part
In peak holiday-season heat, it is not only driving that becomes punishing. On long-haul routes, rest itself can turn into a challenge — particularly on summer weekends, when high temperatures overlap with seasonal truck traffic bans.
When I was hauling containers, sleeping at night in summer just wasn’t an option. The holiday restrictions forced it — if you were running across Poland or to Hamburg, nights were for driving. The tachograph has its own rules and limits, and we have to do our working hours. That means trying to sleep during the day, which is basically impossible. Open windows or a sunroof didn’t help, so air conditioning was the only rescue — says Andrzelika Radomska, a driver connected with the Truckers Life Foundation, known online as “Kaszubka za kołem”.
As she recalls, the weekend stop was often the hardest part.
At night you’re fighting fatigue and fighting headaches from overheating in the cab. It’s not comfortable. There’s no good way to avoid heatstroke in a truck sitting in full sun — especially when you’re stuck on a parking lot for the whole weekend. The sun shows no mercy — adds Andrzelika Radomska.
Kasia Żółtek — known online as “Kate Truckdriverka” — describes an even tougher reality for drivers who rest mainly during the day and work nights:
My job is set up so that I usually take breaks during the day, not at night. I remember a few stops when the cab became an oven. No wind, a small fan couldn’t cope, and open windows only added noise. Sleep was out of the question — maybe I managed to close my eyes for a moment. When I set off again, it was torture. I was falling asleep at the wheel, which meant I had to pull into a parking area and take at least an hour-long nap. After another situation like that, I slept with the engine running and the air conditioning on — because how is a driver supposed to work without recovery after a full night shift?
This is where EU Regulation 561/2006 (as amended by the Mobility Package) collides with real-world conditions. Article 8(8) explicitly bans taking the regular 45-hour weekly rest in the vehicle cab. The rule places a clear obligation on the carrier to cover accommodation costs in a suitable place with sanitary facilities (for example, a hotel or motel). Yet in practice, compliance remains patchy.
I’ve never seen management pay for a hotel for me or any of my friends. And in Germany there’s a ban on taking the weekend rest in the cab. Still, nobody follows it, because it’s a sick rule that doesn’t really work in practice. We keep our belongings in the cab, and the regulation tells you to go find a hotel or motel. The cab is our home during the week, but suddenly it can’t be during the weekend — sums up Andrzelika Radomska.
Three factors largely explain why the rule is widely ignored:
- Infrastructure gap: Europe still lacks enough secure truck parking directly linked to a network of motels.
- Theft risk and insurance: Drivers are reluctant to leave the vehicle. Parking an unguarded combination with cargo worth hundreds of thousands of euros is a genuine theft risk. After a theft, insurers may refuse payouts, citing gross negligence and leaving property unattended.
- Enforcement blind spot: Under EU Regulation 165/2014, roadside inspectors cannot demand hotel receipts from drivers to verify compliance retroactively. Fines can be issued only if a driver is caught in the cab during the 45-hour rest itself. Knowing this, some carriers shift responsibility onto drivers and avoid accommodation costs.
How carriers can support drivers in hot weather: practical steps
Providing workable summer conditions for drivers is not charity — it is risk management. Fatigue and heat stress increase the likelihood of incidents and disrupt operations. What should transport companies put in place?
- Make parking air conditioning a fleet standard
Trying to cool a cab at rest by leaving the diesel engine idling is restricted in many countries and can be penalised. In Italy, fines range from €223 to €444. In Madrid, the penalty is typically around €100. In Poland, running the engine while stationary in a built-up area can lead to a fine of up to 300 złotys. The UK Highway Code (Article 237) also allows penalties of up to £5,000 for inadequate ventilation if it results in drowsiness and loss of control. Autonomous parking air conditioning (electric or water-based), powered by batteries, avoids these costs and reduces the fuel burn associated with idling. However, older habits remain common:
At a previous company, I asked for parking air conditioning. My boss laughed and said something like: he used to drive and during breaks he just kept the windows wide open, so I could do the same — and buy a small fan for the cab. I left that company quickly. From my perspective, the bigger the company, the better the trucks are equipped with things like this — says “Kaszubka za kołem”.
Kasia Żółtek’s employers take a different approach, treating parking air conditioning as a work tool rather than a perk:
Luckily, my current bosses — I’ve worked for them for over ten years — understood what drivers need. Every new unit they buy comes with parking air conditioning as standard. But I still hear from other drivers who buy fans because they have neither parking air conditioning nor any other way to solve the problem. And after two minutes stopped in the heat without it, home tricks don’t work. Anything plugged into the tractor sockets only runs for a limited time… and eventually drains the battery.
- Audit and intervene at loading and unloading sites
According to Truckers Life Foundation data, 55% of drivers rate their employers’ involvement in improving warehouse service standards negatively. Carriers often do not intervene when drivers stand in full sun in queues with no shade, are denied access to toilets and running water, or are kept in unventilated halls. A practical step is to include welfare conditions in contract discussions with shippers and ensure dispatchers respond firmly to reports of poor treatment. If a driver reports no access to water on a yard, dispatch should intervene immediately and formally with the customer. For older workers, physical loading in temperatures above 32°C is a direct health threat and should be monitored.
- Equip cabs with sun protection and cooling aids
Employers should provide dedicated windscreen sunshades that reflect sunlight and can reduce heat build-up by several degrees. Increasingly common — and widely praised — is also supplying drivers with refreshing sprays, cooling body creams, or professional cooling vests activated with water.
Driver survival basics: hydration and food that help in heat
Even the best equipment will not help if basic physiology is ignored. Once temperatures exceed 30°C, the body cools itself mainly through sweating. During physical effort (for example, handling straps or a tarp) on the hottest days, a person can lose as much as 1–1.5 litres of fluid per hour. Dehydration reduces concentration long before thirst becomes obvious.
Hydration rules for the road:
- Drink by schedule, not by thirst: With age, the thirst signal weakens. Drink small amounts regularly (for example, a glass of water every hour) rather than downing half a litre at once. A simple indicator is urine colour — pale straw suggests good hydration, darker colour is a warning sign.
- Avoid ice-cold drinks: Drinks straight from a freezer may feel relieving, but they can trigger thermal shock in the digestive system. The body then diverts energy to warming the stomach, which can increase sweating, worsen overheating and cause painful cramps. Fluids should be cool, not icy. Medium- or high-mineral water helps replace minerals lost through sweat.
- Replace electrolytes: Drinking only large amounts of very low-mineral water can flush sodium, potassium and magnesium, increasing the risk of hyponatraemia. In intense heat, lightly salt meals and consider tomatoes, bananas or isotonic drinks.
- Choose lighter, carbohydrate-focused meals: Heavy, fatty meat dishes require more energy to digest, which can increase drowsiness. In high temperatures, lighter meals with higher water content and complex carbohydrates tend to work better — cereal with yoghurt, fruit with cottage cheese or buttermilk, wholegrain bread, or chilled soups.
- Don’t create a “steam room” before sleep: Avoid wiping windows or the dashboard with wet wipes right before sleeping. Evaporating water in a closed space raises humidity and creates a sauna-like effect, reducing sweat evaporation. If the cab is hot, a more effective trick is to cool a clean cotton T-shirt in the truck fridge for a few minutes before putting it on.
Why this matters for the business
If a carrier ignores the reality that a driver may be trying to rest in a cab approaching 60°C, or waiting for paperwork in full sun without access to water, retention risks rise quickly. With the sector already facing labour shortages, transport companies can ill afford preventable attrition. Investing in effective parking air conditioning, supporting hydration, and enforcing basic welfare standards at loading sites is not “giving in” to demands.
It is operational pragmatism. In extreme temperatures, protecting experienced drivers from heatstroke, fainting or a heart attack at the wheel is one of the most practical ways to reduce incident risk, protect budgets and keep fleets moving.
