Drivers ‘trapped’ by ‘horrendous’ work conditions
A DELIVERY driver who distributes Amazon parcels has described finding bottles and bags of urine in his van when he starts work because staff have no time for loo breaks. The driver says he never takes a break otherwise he won’t be able to finish his round.
The driver, who works for one of Amazon’s delivery partners in Wales called AM Logistics, said that the working conditions were “horrendous” but he felt trapped because he didn’t have enough experience to get a job elsewhere.
In the UK, Amazon is the largest private parcel courier, sending out around 15% of the estimated 5.4 billion packages in 2021. The American multinational technology company relies on a network of thousands of drivers across the UK and works with delivery service providers. The workers are selfemployed, independent contractors that engage with the delivery service providers.
According to the delivery driver, the pressure to complete their route of deliveries has left many workers in difficult situations.
In response, Amazon said it “continues to innovate in order to improve the experience” for delivery drivers.
Delivery service provider AM Logistics said it had established “data-driven processes” to ensure all drivers are set the appropriate workloads and take the required breaks every day.
Speaking to the Post, the delivery driver said he joined the delivery driver service after being furloughed in their previous job. “At the beginning, it was okay because it was summertime,” he said. “But literally, it’s getting worse and worse because they are putting so much onto us – the quantity, the stops, the amount of parcels, and the conditions of the vans.”
Delivery drivers distributing Amazon parcels follow work instructions on their app. The work app provides the drivers with information such as route calculations. According to Amazon, the route calculations include the time to load the van in the morning and debrief at the end of the day. But the delivery driver that spoke to us said the route calculation causes added pressure to the workforce, so much so that it affects their working conditions.
He said: “A year ago, it would be around 140 stops and around 230 parcels. But now, we are doing minimum of 180-184 stops with 300 parcels. I run everyday – you physically can’t stop. If you do, you fall behind – the managers are onto the phone with you asking you why you’re behind or why the van has been parked up for three to four minutes.
“I’ll walk to the van in the morning and there are bottles or bags of urine there. You can’t stop and you can never take a break, even though the app prompts you to take a half hour break after three hours of work. I can honestly say, most of the drivers don’t take a break because they don’t have the time to take it. This is why they are urinating in vans. I can only speak for myself but I will try and limit how much I drink because I don’t have time to find restrooms.
“It’s horrendous – I don’t understand how a company so wealthy can get away with it.”
He added: “After nine hours, the app will kick you off and sometimes if a person or customer hasn’t been in I will have to reattempt to send the parcels in my own time. If I take parcels back to the depot, they won’t let me work the next day and I won’t get paid for that next day.
“I know one person, who had nine reattempts to deliver a parcel at the end of their shift, the app had kicked them off and they couldn’t find the addresses. They were on standby for two days and as a result lost two days’ worth of wages.”
Earning £90 per day, the driver said they felt “trapped” in the job due to work instability. “I’m not an educated person, I feel that I can’t get a decent paid job.
“Due to Covid, I feel it’s quite risky to go back into the trade I previously worked. I feel quite trapped and it’s difficult.
“I still need to provide for my family – I still need to bring that money home. Amazon will never run out of money and so if I do my route, keep my mouth shut – there’ll be money there for me at the end of the day and there will be work for me the next day.”
In response, a spokesperson for Amazon said: “We’re hugely proud of the Amazon delivery service partner drivers who do such great work across the country, getting customers what they want, when they want, wherever they are. We are committed to ensuring drivers are fairly compensated and treated with respect, and this is reflected by the positive feedback we receive from drivers every day.
“We continue to innovate in order to improve the experience for our delivery service partners and our customers. Drivers also have a number of ways to share their suggestions and experiences, including escalating any challenges to Amazon through a 24/7 hotline.”
A spokesperson for AM Logistics said: “Alongside our partner Amazon, we have established data-driven processes to ensure all drivers are set the appropriate workloads and take the required breaks each and every day.
“We work directly with our contractors and provide additional help and support to ensure they meet the required demands within their allocated shifts.”