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;rgonomics experts tell us that a :omfortable working environment s the key to employee productivity. rhat's hard enough to get right n a building, let alone in the 'mobile Mice' truck drivers have to work Ind often sleep in. The good news s that the latest night heaters
ire designed to be Nhisperquiet, and if the prospect of a long, lot summer in the cab foes not appeal, prices or air conditioning in its have dropped dramatically to the point that they are well worth :onsidering. Sharon Clancy looks at Nhat's on the market. Standard cab atmospheric controls have forced-air ventilation and heating, but drivers who get too warm are just as inefficient as those who are too cold. Drowsiness brought on by high cab temperatures can impair judgement and, in the worst case, might result in unsafe driving.
Air conditioning systems cool the ambient air. In a basic manually controlled system, the incoming air is made colder by passing it through the same sort of cooling system that is used to chill refrigerated bodies. The driver uses the ventilation controls to adjust the temperature and speed of the air. With more sophisticated automatic air conditioning units—also called climate con
trol the driver simply programmes in the desired temperature and the heating and air conditioning systems maintain it.
When comparing prices, do check whether what's on offer is manual air conditioning or climate control. Prices range from £600 and while it's generally true that climate control costs more, prices vary between truck manufacturers and depend on whether you have specified a day or sleeper cab and on the trim level.
Strong foothold
The majority of units used on CVs are made by Diavia, Eberspacher, Stoneridge Electronics and Webasto Thermosystems. Eberspacher UK is the agent for Diavia air conditioning systems and has a strong foothold in air conditioning systems used in ambulances and custodial vehicles. US-based Stoneridge Electronics is the new owner of Dundee-based TV! Europe which, alongside its tachograph business, sells cab heaters and a low-cost Brazilian-made roof-mounted air cooler called Climax.
Air conditioning has been standard or optional on top-of therange tractors for many years, but manufacturers believe the appeal is broadening. Iveco, for example, reports that more than 90% of EuroStar tractive units are specified with air conditioning. That take-up falls to ro% on Eu roTech tractors—the fleet workhorse—but is expected to increase now that it is an option on right hand-drive Tector-engined truck:
Daf says air conditioning i more attractive because price have dropped. Eberspacher ail conditioning is standard on th 95XF cab, and a Webasto unit i available as an £890 option o the CF family and on the ne, LF45 and LF55. Volvo also offer Eberspacher air conditioning i manual and automatic version: Where it's not standard, the mar ual system costs from Moo o Globetrotter cabs and £600 o standard F1 cabs, with the ant( matic system priced at f1,180. 0 standard-cabbed models price start at £600.
Webasto claims its Accuspher system is the only one that work with the vehicle engine switche off. It was developed in conjun( tion with DaimlerChrysler, whic has exclusive rights to its use for limited period. The system work with the air-conditioning syster already built into the vehicle. , full charge takes three-and-a-ha hours which, says Webasto, i sufficient for eight hours' coolin