Category Archives: Summer Maintenance

Beating the Florida Heat: A Summer Survival Guide for Your Refuse Fleet and the Drivers Behind the Wheel

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Posted in Summer Maintenance

When the asphalt hits 140°F and the humidity won’t quit, refuse truck summer maintenance becomes the difference between a fleet that finishes the season and one that’s stranded on the side of I-4. Every component on your truck and every driver inside the cab is working overtime — and the trucks that finish strong are the ones that got ready before the heat showed up.

refuse truck driver overheating on Florida summer route

1) Start with the cooling system – every body style depends on it

Whether you’re running a roll-off, front loader, side loader, or rear loader, the cooling system is your first line of defense. Before the heat peaks, do this on every chassis:

  • Pressure-test the radiator cap and check for weeping at the neck
  • Inspect all coolant hoses for cracks, soft spots, swelling, or chafing
  • Pull a coolant sample, check the freeze point AND nitrite/SCA level
  • Clean the radiator, charge air cooler, transmission cooler, A/C condenser back-flush with low-pressure water and a fin comb
  • Verify the engine fan clutch is engaging properly. A lazy fan in July is a guaranteed roadside event


2) Hydraulics: the heart of every refuse body

Florida ambient temps stack on top of already hot hydraulic cycles. Don’t skip these steps:

  • Pull an oil analysis sample, look for water and dirt contamination, which spike in humid climates
  • Verify viscosity grade, petroleum-based oils often need a seasonal change for hot weather
  • Inspect every hose for chafing common failure points: branches, light poles on tight turns, overloaded containers
  • Check and replace tank breathers a clogged breather pulls humid Florida air straight into your reservoir
  • Don’t overfill OR underfill the reservoir both cause heat problems
  • Tighten the tank cap. Sounds basic, costs fleets thousands every summer
  • Grease pins and bushings on schedule dry pins under heat load wear out fast
  • Be careful pressure washing, water forced past ram seals contaminates your whole system
~250 hrs
Engine oil 		~500 hrs
Automatic transmission		~600 hrs
Rear differentials		~1,000 hrs
Antifreeze & hydraulic oil

3) Body-specific summer tips

🔩 Roll-offs
Watch hoist cylinder seals a small drip in May becomes a stranded truck in August. Inspect cables and sheaves weekly. Keep sub-frame pivot points well greased.		⚙️ Front loaders
Check arm cylinders and packer cycle for sluggish operation a sign of heat-thinned oil or a tired pump. UV destroys tarp systems; inspect them now.		🦾 Side loaders
Focus on grabber hoses, rotation actuator, and limit switches. Verify cooling fans on electronics enclosures sensors don’t love 140°F cab roofs.		🚛 Rear loaders
Inspect packer cylinder rods for pitting. Check the tailgate seal and prop nobody should be under a tailgate held up by hydraulics alone, ever.

4) Refuse Truck Summer Maintenance: The Rest of the Truck

  • Tires: Hot pavement plus heavy loads equals blowouts. Check pressures cold, every morning.
  • Belts and rubber: Replace anything questionable now, not in August.
  • Brakes: Inspect pads, drums, slack adjusters, and S-cams. Stop-and-go refuse work plus heat fades brakes fast.
  • Batteries: Heat kills batteries even faster than cold. Load-test every battery at the start of summer.
  • A/C system: This is a safety item now. Charge it, replace cabin air filters, confirm vent temps are pulling 40°F or below.

5) Don’t forget the driver they’re part of the fleet

Heat illness is real, it’s preventable, and it’s on us as owners to protect against it.

Train every June on heat rash, cramps, exhaustion, and stroke symptoms.Acclimatize new hires ~20% exposure day one, +20% each day per OSHA/NIOSH guidance.Hydration: 40 oz insulated bottle, electrolytes in the yard fridge, ~1 cup every 20 minutes.
Rest breaks: 15 min every 2 hours once temps hit the threshold good practice regardless of law.Start earlier so the hottest hours aren’t spent on the heaviest stops.Stock the cabs: cooling towels, electrolyte packets, sunscreen, cold packs.
Dispatch check-ins on extreme-heat days a quick call can catch exhaustion before it becomes stroke.Heat stroke = 911. Confusion, hot dry skin, no sweating, rapid pulse. Get them cool immediately.

Florida summers will find every weak spot on your truck and every shortcut in your safety program. A few hours of preventive work in May and June saves you days of downtime, thousands in repairs, and most importantly protects the men and women who keep your routes running.

If you want one of our service techs to walk through a summer-readiness inspection on your fleet, give us a call. We’d rather see you in our shop in May than on the side of I-4 in August.

— Richard Kemner
Founder, RDK Truck Sales · Six Florida locations · One commitment: keeping your fleet running.