Amazon driver: ‘We’re forced to risk our lives if package is being stolen’
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – An Amazon driver who regularly has routes in Indianapolis says she chose to speak out after her co-worker was held at gunpoint while delivering his packages in the city on New Year’s Eve.
She says instead of receiving support from the company, he was terminated because his “packages did not get delivered.”
“That was the point where I questioned like, what am I doing because I’m not a police officer,” she says. “I’m not a first responder. I’m not out there putting my life at risk. You know, like, I’m delivering packages.”
I-Team 8 chose to conceal the driver’s identity out of safety concerns for her job.
She says after her co-worker was mugged, the following text message went out to her entire delivery station:
“We’ve been having a lot of DNR (did not recieve) lately. It is imperative that you make sure packages aren’t stolen or lost,” the message reads in part.
She says she responded to it demanding answers on why the expectation was on drivers to put themselves in danager.
“I responded because that’s not okay. [I wrote] “Wait, so we’re supposed to take a package from someone if we think they are stealing it? [Corporate said,] ‘Yes, it is our job to ensure the customer receives their package.’ [I said] “So we are supposed to put our lives in danger to deliver a package? They can reorder a package. I can’t reorder my life.”
Amazon corporate wrote back citing “Amazon DA requirements.”
I-Team 8 sent the messages to an Amazon spokesperson who responded with this statement:
“We’re committed to the safety of drivers and the communities where we deliver, and we work with Delivery Service Partners (DSPs) to provide a great experience for their drivers, regularly audit them to ensure they comply with applicable laws and our standards, and take action if they are not doing so.”
The driver tells I-Team 8 the daily pressure for drivers are overwhelming.
She explained they often have an average of 200-400 deliveries a day, and are given two minutes per household to drop a package off. She showed I-Team this picture of a scoreboard where the drivers are ranked after their routes.
“It’s all on a scorecard. So your delivery completion rate, your DNR, your delivery time, and then what time you finish each day,” she says. “The two big factors that put you at the very bottom of the list, which is next to be fired, are DNR and your delivery speed.’
She says she had seen at least 15 people terminated for low rankings since working for Amazon.
Amazon says, “the vast majority of drivers finish their routes on time and in fact over half of drivers finish their route 30 minutes or more early. If a driver ends up needing more time to complete a route, we work closely with Delivery Service Partners to ensure they receive assistance…Routes are typically planned to last no more than 9 hours, and all routes include time for two 15-minute rest breaks and one 30-minute meal break. If routes are not completed within the planned time, undelivered packages are rescheduled for delivery the following day.”
“I called my mother that same night and I was like, do I need to go back?,” the driver says. “That was the day where I started contemplating, maybe I should quit.”
The driver tells Minor she still works for Amazon while she looks for other jobs because she currently needs the money.