Report: Amazon Drivers Speak Out Against Working Conditions

A number of Amazon delivery drivers recently spoke to CNBC about the realities of working for the e-commerce giant. Drivers running stop signs and buckling their seatbelts behind them are just two common tricks used to keep up with Jeff Bezos’ merciless efficiency algorithm.

In a recent article titled “Pee bottles, constant monitoring and blowing through stop signs: Amazon DSP drivers describe the job,” Amazon delivery drivers described what it is like to work for the company, or one of its delivery partners, to CNBC.

Ahead of Prime Day, one of Amazon’s biggest sales of the year, CNBC spoke to a number of Amazon’s drivers most of which work for more than 2,000 independent delivery partners that Amazon hires to fulfill its delivery needs. CNBC reports:

“People are running through stop signs, running through yellow lights. Everybody I knew was buckling their seatbelt behind their backs because the time it took just to buckle your seatbelt, unbuckle your seatbelt every time was enough time to get you behind schedule,” said Adrienne Williams, who drove for an Amazon DSP from November 2019 to July 2020.

A 2019 ProPublica report found that Amazon’s contract drivers were involved in more than 60 serious crashes since 2015, at least 10 of which were fatal. In court, Amazon has repeatedly said it’s not responsible for the actions of its contractors.

“Amazon fights tooth and nail to maintain the status quo that these are contractors. They’re not employees, because if they are employees, then you’ve got to pay the benefits. You’ve got to pick up their expenses for uniforms, trucks, what have you. And then Amazon’s cost structure changes. And if Amazon’s cost structure changes, so will yours,” said Mark Solomon, who tracks Amazon for logistics analyst FreightWaves.

Breitbart News recently reported that Amazon added AI-enabled cameras to some vans earlier this year, with four lenses watching the road, both sides of the vehicle, and the driver. Many drivers were unhappy about this, with one telling CNBC: “I just don’t feel like I should be watched eight to 10 hours out of the day.”

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