Solar Powered Vent Fans 

Although different parts of the country mean different weather patterns, the hot sun beating down on a metal roof means the same thing all over the world—a sweltering cab. Though you can use fans, air conditioning, or an open window to decrease the heat while you’re driving, there is still good reason to keep the cab cool while you’re not inside. First of all, who wants to be so uncomfortable that they can’t breathe upon entering a sauna that has been baking in the hot sun for several hours? Second of all, keeping a cool cab is necessary for the equipment that you store in it. Whether you have electronic tools of the trade or personal items like DVDs and CDs in your cab, a cool cab is often necessary to keep these items from becoming ruined.

According to anythingtrucker.com, vehicles under direct sunlight can quickly become as hot as 160 degrees on 85-degree days. Getting into a vehicle that is that hot or hotter, as days in the summer heat up to well beyond 85-degrees, is not only uncomfortable, but hazardous to your health, according to the site. Even the most innocent looking piece of metal can cause severe burns when allowed to conduct sunlight and heat for several hours at a time.

For just under $40, you can have that cool cab all the time with the Solar Powered Auto vent 2 Cooling Fan. When mounted in the window of your cab, this fan works to cool the cab even when you’re away. Drawing energy from the same sun that turns your cab into an unpleasant oven, the fan continues to operate when the engine is off and when you are gone, keeping the cab cool for reentry and for your personal belongings. By using the fan, you can breathe easier—literally. The fan circulates the air inside the vehicle with cooler, fresher air from outside the cab. Though the fan is designed to work while you’re out of the vehicle, a 12-volt battery power adaptor allows the fan to work while you’re driving in conjunction with an open window. Because running the air conditioner lowers your fuel economy, this fan can be a great way to increase the number of miles you’re getting to the gallon, especially if it is used on its solar power setting.

Fans are available for commercial trucks in addition to personal vehicles, which can be just as uncomfortable and dangerous to enter on a hot day. For truckers who want to avoid the risks of a stifling cab on a summers day, in addition to those who want to protect expensive belongings often left in cabs like CDs, Laptops, and cell phones, investing in a fan like the Auto Vent 2 is one way to help beat the heat.