A driver of an A series ERF was found dead in his cab in one of the cold winters of the late 1970’s. The cabs are much better these days, but in freezing temperatures,drivers still need some heat in the cab overnight at certain times.
I wonder how us old uns survived before night heaters came on scene, from this thread we should all be dead 
and while some folks may like to quote the HSE standards on workplaces, they forgot to look up the mobile workers exemptions- and that includes truck drivers
So lets put the myth to rest, there is no legal requirement to provide a night heater- there is nothing in law that says you can refuse a night out if the night heater is not working- until some poor sod freezes to death and their family take the company to court for not providing adequate care ( and wins) there is no case law that insists anything is provided.
Until that happens pack an extra duvet, because as it stands atm - keeping warm is your, not the companies responsibility
peterm:
Wot’s up wiv a sleeping bag.
Nothing wrong with it, for me I find that if the air you’re breathing is cold then you won’t be warm or sleep comfortably & it’s no good for those that suffer with certain medical/respiratory conditions etc…
Some of the old uns slept in lodging houses Rikki and some chose to sleep in the cab, often on a board and a piece of foam in a sleeping bag.
I remember our next door neighbour having rheumatic fever from sleeping in the cab,to try and save money in the late 1950’s. Other drivers off the same firm got beds in a lodging houses and would come out in the morning to find him shaking with cold.
A lot of the old uns as you put it, had served through the war and slept in far worse conditions than sleeping in a lorry, but not many of them got away without having poor health and rheumatism and arthritis from their working conditions.
You ain’t quite in the old un category yet !
My dad(old ■■■■ 
) reckons the boarding houses were worse than sleeping in the cab!!
It may not be law to provide a night heater, but, ffs, it’s the 21st century.
Rikki-UK:
I wonder how us old uns survived before night heaters came on scene, from this thread we should all be deadand while some folks may like to quote the HSE standards on workplaces, they forgot to look up the mobile workers exemptions- and that includes truck drivers
So lets put the myth to rest, there is no legal requirement to provide a night heater- there is nothing in law that says you can refuse a night out if the night heater is not working- until some poor sod freezes to death and their family take the company to court for not providing adequate care ( and wins) there is no case law that insists anything is provided.
Until that happens pack an extra duvet, because as it stands atm - keeping warm is your, not the companies responsibility
So just remember to pack a portable generator which can run on red diesel and an electric fan heater in which case the night heater suppliers will all go out of business. 
I have refused to take a truck out without a night heater once,
That and the fact it was one of the old actrosses the ones that had zero padding on the bunks and seats, with tiptronic gearboxes,
Unfortunately they gave me another actross , with a working night heater
But i have been at the swiss/french border off the A35 in the middle of winter with snow on the ground in a puddle jumper with no night heater, so used the cab heater instead engine left running all night
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
Lusk:
bee chris:
I would run the truck all night if the night heater is not allowed on, I used to work for a firm where my night heater was broken, I asked for it to be fixed and I was told no so I ran the truck all night to keep warm.That is just so wrong in so many ways - I think it is a sad state of affairs if the company can not be bothered to provide the driver with such a basic ‘comfort’. Temporarily forgetting about the driver for one minute, how about the cost associated with running the engine all night not to mention the damage it does to the engine.
so whats happens if you was parked up in the Scottish Highlands near the Cairngorns in a lay by in December and it was say -10 at night. Are you saying that if a company would not fix a problem with the night heater when the driver has told them, probably on many occasions that he should not keep the engine running to keep warm?
If the attitude of the company is like that then they deserve all they get with high fuel costs and shagged engines that could be caused by running the engine all night.
I’m in agreement that to hell with it and that the engine should be run…when you talk about the Highlands you are not talking about the driver just getting cold, the probability of hypothermia is also very likely!!
I disregard anything like this. How are they going to know whether you’re running the night heater or not?
Rikki-UK:
I wonder how us old uns survived before night heaters came on scene, from this thread we should all be deadand while some folks may like to quote the HSE standards on workplaces, they forgot to look up the mobile workers exemptions- and that includes truck drivers
So lets put the myth to rest, there is no legal requirement to provide a night heater- there is nothing in law that says you can refuse a night out if the night heater is not working- until some poor sod freezes to death and their family take the company to court for not providing adequate care ( and wins) there is no case law that insists anything is provided.
Until that happens pack an extra duvet, because as it stands atm - keeping warm is your, not the companies responsibility
And I bet if you asked any ‘old un’ back in the day if they wanted a heater they’d have said yes. Law or no law any company that treats people like this isn’t worth working for.
Now that the frosty mornings are here, as a night trunker, when I finish at 3-ish, I leave the night-heater on for the day man, who starts at 5. Keeps the windscreen clear and makes life just a bit more pleasant IMHO. Sod the office…miserable gits!
ThrustMaster:
Now that the frosty mornings are here, as a night trunker, when I finish at 3-ish, I leave the night-heater on for the day man, who starts at 5. Keeps the windscreen clear and makes life just a bit more pleasant IMHO. Sod the office…miserable gits!
That is a great help and I for one would appreciate the gesture.
I took 2 motors out with a broken night heater and they were the worst nights sleep I’d ever had, I kept starting the engine but ours have an auto cut off after 3-4 minutes. 3-4 hour sleep both nights I got so never again. Then next time I got one I refused to take it and got it swapped. I bet they have their heating on at home so I’m having mine on in the cab.
Metal box =freezing cold = night heater on ,
and anyone complains tell them to shove it !
they want to save money tell him/her to turn heating off in office and lights off in office first
Rhythm Thief:
I disregard anything like this. How are they going to know whether you’re running the night heater or not?
If they know how many times you pick your nose & scratch your arse then I’m sure it’s not hard for them to find out, failing that I’m sure someone will just grass you up…
ThrustMaster:
Now that the frosty mornings are here, as a night trunker, when I finish at 3-ish, I leave the night-heater on for the day man, who starts at 5. Keeps the windscreen clear and makes life just a bit more pleasant IMHO. Sod the office…miserable gits!
Mine has a timer I set it for 5am so it’s nice and toasty when I start at 6.
kr79:
ThrustMaster:
Now that the frosty mornings are here, as a night trunker, when I finish at 3-ish, I leave the night-heater on for the day man, who starts at 5. Keeps the windscreen clear and makes life just a bit more pleasant IMHO. Sod the office…miserable gits!Mine has a timer I set it for 5am so it’s nice and toasty when I start at 6.
I imagine this is more likely the case. Peter Merrick has walked into the yard and there is a unit sitting there with the night heater blasting out and the driver is still at home. I wonder if John Kelly is still at Huktra, he was a great bloke to work for.
Good job i have a decent boss who runs a firm that makes more than 2 quid a year profit then.
Rikki-UK:
I wonder how us old uns survived before night heaters came on scene, from this thread we should all be deadand while some folks may like to quote the HSE standards on workplaces, they forgot to look up the mobile workers exemptions- and that includes truck drivers
So lets put the myth to rest, there is no legal requirement to provide a night heater- there is nothing in law that says you can refuse a night out if the night heater is not working- until some poor sod freezes to death and their family take the company to court for not providing adequate care ( and wins) there is no case law that insists anything is provided.
Until that happens pack an extra duvet, because as it stands atm - keeping warm is your, not the companies responsibility
There may be no law to support it, but I wouldn’t night out in it and I’d worry about the consequences later.
At the end of the day, you look after number 1, sod the rest of the world, I’ve always been like that and I’ve had some really good ‘exceptions’ in work places that I’ve fought for and other drivers have just rolled over and then whinged.
1 company even tried to charge us to park at work, and the drivers agreed and signed the form 
switchlogic:
And I was just on the phone to a friend and telling him how Ive grown to hate this industry and how its run. I said take the worst industry you know and multiply it and you’ve got transport. And he works in banking. What other industry considers heating its employees a luxury. Its a joke.
It’s only like it is because we have let it become that way if we stuck up for our selfs like the French it would be a lot better job■■?