Snow May Be in Air, But Cooling Off Sanit Cabs on USA's Mind

The Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association has not yet reached a deal with the Sanitation Department to cool off the environmentally-friendly diesel garbage trucks, which registered temperatures north of 100 degrees last summer.

HARRY NESPOLI: Thinking two seasons ahead.

Weighing Insulation

USA President Harry Nespoli promised then to have a deal hammered out before beach weather returned. He recently indicated the city was exploring the possibility of double-insulating the cabs, which become hot because the engines are located beneath them. "If the cost is right, they'll adjust by putting in insulation," Mr. Nespoli said. "If the cost is not right, they might use air-conditioning."

At a recent press conference at a Manhattan garage, Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty said the new trucks that are acquired by the department have been retrofitted to keep temperatures down, while some of the trucks have been outfitted with air conditioners. The new generation of trucks, he said, does not have this problem. "Most of the time it is not that bad, because you are in and out of the truck; it's just when you are on a long run on the truck," Mr. Doherty told reporters.

'Can't Work at 110'

Mr. Nespoli said the union was on track to get the situation fixed by the spring, in advance of his promise. "They are not denying the problem," he said. "The problem is there and everybody knows it. You can't work in 110-degree heat all summer."

Joanna D. Underwood, president of the non-profit Energy Vision, said DSNY has long been viewed as forward-thinking about the environment, but those decisions have sometimes come at a price. The Sanitation Department was one of the first fleets in the country to use natural gas in its trucks. "As is the way of pioneers who get out in front, the technology didn't work very well," she said. "They really got burned on those first-generation trucks."

Ms. Underwood said departments across the country monitor what the Sanitation Department has done and later follow its lead. The energy advocate predicted hybrid natural gas trucks, which don't have the same overheating cab issue, would replace the diesel trucks before long because they are not only environmentally-friendly but also cost-effective, too.