I am an Amazon Delivery Driver. Have done it for over 6 months including Prime Day and the Holiday Season. Ask me anything that comes to mind about an usual day, experiences and incidents, work conditions, best and worst of the job.

Do they train you to drive those panel vans like a gang of cartel hitmen is hot on your tail, or does it come naturally?

Once you get in there, something just takes over you, and you can't control your foot. It's pedal to the metal, all the time!

In all seriousness, I see people driving like maniacs all the time, and from what I've heard, some companies pay you for a 10 hour day, even if you get done early, and I'd imagine that's why most people drive like that

The majority of companies pay you per hour though, so I take my time and drive safely, since I'm in no rush, and that's how it should be with most people, but common sense isn't that common unfortunately. I see co-workers speeding among other things, not sure why, but I'm not a manager so I'm not asking them why either 🤷🏻‍♂️

Surprised they don’t have monitors in there trucks and vans like insurance company’s do to reward “safe drivers”

They do have monitors, but safe driving isn't rewarded and I have never seen anyone get in trouble for a low score either.

Depends on the company, some DSPs ignore the scores while others terminate employees that can’t/won’t improve.

This exactly. I'm sure if there was a reward for safe driving, or at least the fear of getting fired, more people would do it

I have never gotten how same day shipping works. How does it work?

BTW thank you for doing this AMA

It's available in some areas only, not everywhere yet. If it's available where you live, it should show up as one of the delivery options. Even if available, it may only be for certain products, not all.

You're welcome. Day off and no errands, figured I'd do one of these to answer people's questions directly, so they don't get the corporate scripted answer.

Where do you poop?

Usually McDonald's haha, but I just look for the closest business. They do give you two 15 minute breaks, where I try to use the bathroom if I need to. I definitely try to only eat snacks until I'm close to being done, so if I need to poop, I can do it once I'm done with work, that way the breaks are actually rest breaks, which you definitely need.

Same thing goes for water. I try to only drink what I really need, to avoid multiple bathroom trips. Some of the guys definitely have used bottles though, that's not uncommon unfortunately

By this do you mean that if you have to pee (or poop) and have used your two fifteen minute breaks they dock you in some way?

It sounds as though the lifestyle you have to lead during work hours is terrible for your body, no? Do you mind sharing how much you make per hour to work under those conditions?

And would you rather have a job where you are treated as a person instead of a delivery vehicle (you may have no real choice at the moment I understand, but I mean in general).

Not really... Again, you're expected to maintain a certain pace (20 stops per hour) but I haven't seen it strictly enforced. Some routes just are too spaced out for it, so I think it's more of a guideline, as long as you're close to it, you're fine, they know what each route is like, some harder than others.

If you're working at a good pace, an extra 15 minutes if you really have to go somewhere for an extra trip to the bathroom, isn't gonna throw your time off enough where they would care. They can see the time you drop off each package tho, so you want to avoid taking an extra break, or it might count as part of an unpaid 30 minutes lunch break, and extend your day too.

I wouldn't say it's terrible, but it's definitely not ideal. I'd like more water than I let myself drink while working, but I'm not really close to dehydration either, it's definitely less than ideal tho. Some people pee in bottles for that reason, they don't wanna give up the water when they want it.

They pay $15 an hour in most states where there's no state minimum wage, and more in places like CA for example ($18-20 I believe).

I mean, I think everyone wants a little bit better pay, especially when dealing with a company like Amazon, but it's ok part time. If I worked 4 or more days a week, full time, I would definitely be struggling tho since their benefits are horrible and pay is subpar.

20 stops in an hour?? I'm a freight truck driver and if I get 3 in an hour I am smoking

Routes are pretty close together. A lot of times it's a 1 minute drive to the next house. As long as their driveways aren't ridiculously long, you can average a stop every 3 minutes.

Sounds like y’all need to unionize

I wish.

They pay around 25 an hour with good benefits in the redwoods

I'm not sure where that is, but that sounds dope for the drivers there

I'm an Amazon customer and Amazon is punishing me because several packages that require signatures have been left unattended, and have been stolen from in front of my door before I got home. Amazon has canceled my account because the drivers aren't getting signatures as required and I'm being punished.

It's impossible for a driver to mark a package delivered unless they're forging your signature. Or you may be selecting the wrong option, and not actually be requiring a signature.

Writing that you want to sign for it in the instructions for example, or that you want it "Delivered to a person" isn't marking it as "Recipient Required". That's what you want to make sure you choose. If you do that, the app makes sure there's a signature being done in order to mark the package delivered.

If you are sure you chose Recipient Required, then tell Amazon to look at the signature for the package and they'll see it doesn't match yours.

I agree, this does not seem possible.

All I know is when I place the order, during checkout it said a signature is required upon delivery, you could expand that message and it would State the item will not be left and will be returned. There was no option for me to select whether I wanted a signature required or not oh, I'm using the app and not the website maybe that's the reason I didn't have the option? The driver took a picture a free item left at my door, even though signature was required according to Amazon. This is also happened several times where I stay home the entire day to give a signature and the driver just leaves the package and I've wasted my entire day at home.

I'd have Amazon assist you in placing your next order to make sure the signature required part is being marked appropriately.

You can call customer service and they should confirm that if the order is marked as Recipient Required, there's no option to mark it as left in the Front Porch, and take a picture. Your order has to be showing on the driver's app as no signature required, otherwise taking the picture wouldn't even be an option.

Is there anything good that Amazon gives you?

Absolutely nothing. The only decent thing I've gotten is a pretty decent rain jacket as part of the uniform, but no discounts or any other perks. To my knowledge, only warehouse workers get those.

Why do only warehouse workers get those perks?

Most deliveries are done by what Amazon calls DSP, Delivery Service Partners. Third parties that have a a contract to do work for Amazon. Most drivers aren't directly employed by Amazon, so no Amazon benefits.... Almost no benefits at all actually. Amazon isn't known for good benefits tho... Even for warehouse workers, or Whole Foods, they're usually on the news for all the wrong reasons.

Well this just sounds like employees with extra steps

Employees with no benefits is more like it.

Do you at least get free prime

No free prime.

As porch pirates become more of an issue, what happens if you notice someone following you or stealing the packages you just delivered?

I'd definitely call the cops if I saw someone stealing packages.

Once the package is delivered my attention is usually ahead of me on the road, and the next stop, so I may not notice it personally. I try to put the packages out of sight if possible. A big flower pot, pillars, chairs... If you don't have anything in your porch tho, I don't go around your house. I imagine if the owner, or a neighbor sees me carefully looking for something behind the house, it would look suspicious, so I try to avoid it.

even a box out front with instructions to deliver into is better than nothing, porch pirates are criminals of convenience, if they can't see a package, they won't cross your property line to inspect.

this is what we do.

Yes I strongly recommend a box for your packages for absolutely everyone.

I've tried asking this question before on a previous ama, but I don't think they thought I was serious...

Can I tip you guys? Amazon is way too convenient, but I don't like how you guys are treated or compensated. If I left a note and some cash, would you notice and take it?

Thanks for the thought.

As far as I know, there's no rule against tips. Best way I'd recommend you do it, is leave some specific notes of where you'd like the package to be left, and then leave the note and cash right there. You don't necessarily have to write in the app or order instructions that you're tipping, make sure they just do as you ask as far as a delivery spot, and they'll get rewarded. I think that's fair too, keeps the driver accountable.

Personally, I'd definitely take it. I could use it.

Thank you for the response. On that note, how likely is it that I'll get the same delivery person day after day? Do you do the same route most of the time?

Most of the time yes. However, no one works 7 days a week. Anything more than 5 a week is SUPER rare. Most people do 4 days, so there's always that chance it may be someone different. On top of that, they sometimes change the routes randomly too.

Best thing would be to do it when you're home I'd say, so you can make sure your package is being placed down, not tossed, and reward the driver for doing their job properly.

So you're saying it's a bad habit to get packages delivered to where I keep my coin collection?

Not if you're trying to share it.

If we are a household that gets multiple stops per week, what’s the best way to show our appreciation without slowing you down?

First of all thanks for the thought. I mean, for me personally, nothing beats a good old fashioned tip. The majority of drivers do this full time to pay all their bills, and the pay we get isn't great.

I'd say having a snacks or drinks is a good alternative too. If you do snacks or drinks, just keep them out of the sun light so they don't go bad :)

During the holidays my family puts out a little basket of snacks and drinks and such for delivery drivers to take if they please. Glad to know you appreciate that kind of stuff:)

Definitely do, only thing that can be better is like I mentioned, get them out of the sunlight. If I see sunlight hitting a plastic bottle, that's gonna be a no for me there, maybe even a can, I'm sure that's not the best either.

The gesture is definitely appreciated tho, and we tend to remember those houses.

How do you get into gated communities that don’t have workers at the gate?

If the gate opens with a code, usually people leave that code when they order, which we can see in our app, and we just go in the same as a resident would.

If it's switch operated though, all we can do is call and text the customer and tell them the situation. They can meet us at the gate or we can bring the package back to the warehouse and it's usually redelivered later, by a Flex dricer, or the following day.

Best anyone can do is make sure to leave the code on the instructions while ordering, or make sure if you're expecting a package, to be on standby to answer a call or text, otherwise you're not getting your package that day.

This makes me wonder if there is some delivery driver database somewhere that people share entry codes to gated communities. Sounds like a great resource for burglars.

Doubtful that any of it would come from Amazon. The information is on the app, readily accessible. This is a job where we don't want to waste time with anything we can avoid, so writing down the access code, or going somewhere else to post it, is just unnecessary.

If it's on the app to let me in, that's all I care about. Could someone get this job just to get access codes? Maybe, though that's probably unlikely. If you want to meet me at the gate because you're worried though, even better, makes the delivery easier for me. 😊

Do you meet many dogs?

YES! As a huge dog lover it's mostly a plus. So many pups.... at least a few daily to play with. Sometimes, they're not very friendly and we are not supposed to defend ourselves with blades, mace or anything of the sort, so in a few bad encounters, from Chihuahuas to Rottweilers, all you can do is toss the package as a distraction and run.

I just got a visual of a Chihuahua running after a (21st-century) mailman, and I hate myself for laughing so hard at it.

In all seriousness, though, are they really that bad? They seem too... tiny. To do any major damage, anyway.

And in even more seriousness, thank you for what you do. I always grapple with whether or not to renew my Prime membership because I know how hard Amazon’s workers and contractors (especially the delivery drivers) get shafted.

Happy Bday!

I mean, in a normal situation, I'd pick it up by it's neck like their mothers do, and just chuck it away from me, but I can't do that while on the job. If it does bite me, I can smack it to get it away, but at that point damage has been done. If you're asking if Chihuahuas are bad, yeah they're the most vicious dogs out there. Seriously, I think it's the breed that's most likely to attack a stranger. Luckily you can get them away from you easily if you need to, but if I got bit I'd still have to stop my shift, go to Urgent Care to get the bite looked at, rabies you know.... It could happen. I'd lose money on the work lost and the doctor visit... I'd rather not.

I mean, you should keep it. It has its benefits. Some of the packages come through other carriers. Also if you order small things, it goes in the plastic water resistant packaging, instead of the yellow paper one, so if you don't have a covered area, that's a must. Also take advantage of their streaming services. They have music and video. A lot of people don't know they could save on their Spotify and Apple Music.

Has there ever been a time a package was so unnaturally heavy for it's size that you wondered what was in It?

And have you ever encountered a parcel that was so poorly packaged, you actually handled it like your firstborn child?

Edit: typos

Oh yeah, happens all the time. Sometimes I feel things that feel like maybe laundry soap in there, you can feel the liquid moving. People will order multiple and the boxes, while pretty decent against rain, are not very sturdy, so they can rip. Also in transport and sorting, those boxes usually get damaged, from dents to actual product damage. Def don't recommend ordering anything like that if you can avoid it.

Dog food is always tricky. Amazon usually packs it in a box that's significantly bigger, so that bag shifts as you carry it sometimes, and throws your balance off. A box just over a foot can sometimes weigh 40lbs, but the labels do tell us the package weight and it's mostly right so if you pay attention to that you can avoid the worst. I can speak pretty confidently in saying that no driver likes to deliver dog food tho, easily our least favorite.

Thanks for the insight. I'm sorry to be a person who orders dog food. Just know it helps me out so much to just flip it into my doorway because I have a shoulder injury and it is hard for me to pick it up at the store, so I very much appreciate you putting up with dog food deliveries!

I get that. I try to think that's usually the case when I have to go to the third floor with a heavy box. Helps me not get grumpy. I know there are people who just sit at home ordering deliveries when they're perfectly capable, but I get that there are people who simply can't do it themselves. I try to think more of the latter and assume I'm helping out.

what about weights? I am thinking about ordering weights for a home gym but I have been reluctant because that seems like a ridiculously heavy thing for a delivery person to handle.

It'll probably get split into multiple boxes, or it'll come by UPS or maybe USPS. We don't do boxes over 50lbs, again unless they were to split it

Well if it's any consolation, in all my years buying from Amazon, I've never ordered Dog Food. And with this knowledge (probably also being applicable to ANY delivery service like FedEx, UPS, USPS, ETC...) I'll be extra sure to..... Not.... Ever

I can imagine you would get some weird packages being specifically Amazon, seeing as Amazon also has their entire grocery service. I'm sure you've delivered alot of Pizza Rolls 🍕 and Hot Pockets 👌

Personally the only Liquids I've ever ordered was a large amount of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol. Otherwise I thought it was made clear that most liquids were prohibited for mailing transit, at least via commercial like UPS.

My last question is about Amazon's Packaging Tape Especially during the holiday season, they had their themed Christmas tape and all. I order alot of things and usually keep most boxes for repurposing, so I find myself removing Amazon Tape alot, and it was my first time encountering tape that had Strings or Fibers in it to increase it's strength

Do 100% of your parcels have this tape? Or do some (probably returns) have regular tape, and if so; do you recognize any significant stability in the boxes that have this reinforced tape?

God, I sound like an Email requesting feedback from a buyer

The tape may not rip, but you've probably noticed the adhesive on it, is absolutely crap. Sometimes the tape is whole, but slides off to the side, into the box, or comes undone from the sides.

Amazon Warehouse items are returns/refurb and usually have worse packaging, box and tape.

Can you imagine doing this long term? I view such a job as very stressful

I wouldn't describe it as stressful, though that's based on one's personality. It's not extremely demanding, some people feel the need to rush or run, but you're not required to. It does require a lot of walking, and getting in and out of a van, so it falls somewhere between a "good exercise" and "tiring".

I like the aspect of having a goal to be met, but not having anyone constantly checking on you (personally and up close at least, they do monitor your route progress remotely) and the freedom of playing my music, podcast or any audio of choice throughout the day. I'm learning another language and according to my roomate, making good progress by listening to audio exercises it while on my route.

Financially, based on my goals, I don't see me doing this long term as my primary job. It does pay decent as supplemental income tho. Anywhere between 50% higher to about double minimum wage (in my case) depending on what state you do it in.

Whats the craziest thing that happened to you during work?

Craziest is a tie between very nice lady in her 40-50s who answered the door in a robe and offered me some wine. I had to decline, I can't drive if you give me some wine ma'am. Not to be outdone, a bearded gentleman, not wearing a robe, also greeted me at the door once. Wasn't even polite enough to offer a beverage.

Scariest was probably a Rottweiler, loose in the backyard who noticed me after I approached the side porch where the person requested the delivery to be dropped off at. Per training instructions, package was tossed one way and I ran the opposite direction.

Not wearing a robe, we call that being naked!

Tried to save you from the image that I have burned in my head forever.

Have you been encouraged by Amazon to do this AMA or are you receiving any benefit or perk from them?

I wish! Like I mentioned before, Amazon barely gives us anything in the form of benefits, and sometimes nothing at all (perks).

To be completely fair, they did have some giveaways during the holiday season, but it was literally $10-20 prizes that were part of a drawing for hundreds of people. They had one or two good prizes out of 2 weeks, the rest were like "oh cool thanks, guess I'll give this to my little brother/cousin" type of gifts.

In general though, Amazon won't give you much of anything. Also, like all drivers I know of, we aren't Amazon employees. We all work for companies that Amazon trains and makes a contract with, to do their deliveries. If you do a search for "Amazon Delivery Partner" you'll see what I mean.

Are you required to ring the doorbell or notify the people inside that a package has arrived?

I’ve seen drivers throw a package to my porch, I’ve been inside waiting for a package only to have it delivered without me knowing, and I’ve watched other companies attach the “signature pickup we missed you” sticker without trying to knock or ring the bell. I’m always curious what the expectation is.

Also, are amazon drivers taught not to use mailboxes to deliver? My mailperson gets so pissed if a driver puts a package in the mailbox, because that’s a violation of usps rules.

According to the new hire training, yes you're supposed to knock/ring bell, wait 30 before dropping it off and taking a picture of it. In the same training however, Amazon tells us they want 20 stops per hour. It's impossible to do both, and Amazon is very strict about packages getting delivered. Since you get notifications through the app, website and email about the delivery, the bell ringing and waiting is usually the part where we cut corners, since we have to do it somewhere

Let's say it takes 1 minute to drive to the next stop, 1 minute to park your van, go around it, find the package, close and lock the door. Then 1 minute to walk up the driveway, place the package down, take a picture, walk back to your van, put on seatbelt and drive. That's the 3 minutes you're allowed if you're expected to do 20 stops in an hour. If we were to wait at the door an extra 30 seconds, over the course of a day where you have 160-180 stops, that would add about an 1.5hrs to the route. It would or you way under the 20 stops an hour mark.

All I have time to do is place your package in a place hidden as best as possible and ring the bell. I never wait to see if anyone is home, that time is just not there. Unfortunately there are drivers that for whatever reason, will only put your package in the top step. I'm not sure why they can't take 2 seconds to put it in a better place tho, if I had to guess it's just that mentality to save time, some people take it to unnecessary extremes.

We are taught to not use mailboxes. Again, probably just someone trying to save time, but that's a big no no because it can turn into a huge fine. I've never done that, even when customers write a note to leave it in there.

I'm probably late but is it normal to deliver packages on a porch or in front of a house? Or do the purchasers give permission for that?

Really curious because here in The Netherlands and Europe for the most part it's not even allowed to leave packages outside unless the package receiver gives permission or has a special drop off place (a box or locker for packages specifically).

When ordering the customer can choose where they'd like the package from the following options: Front Door/Porch, Rear Door/Porch (even though Amazon tells us to not go in people's backyard), leave with a receptionist, Another Safe Location, or a Locked Mailroom (for Apartments).

They can also choose that they need a signature, but if that's the case, we can't leave the package for them unless they're home to sign.

When ordering, if the customer chooses no signature, that's assumed as permission given for it to be left somewhere in their house property area.

Do you take any precautionary measures for porch pirates? Is there anything a customer can do better to prevent thefts other than just being there?

I try to hide the packages whenever possible. I look at your house as I approach it, and try to put it somewhere where it's not visible from the street.

Having a big flower pot can help. There's also these plastic boxes that look like a plastic seat/bench, and putting packages in there always works, especially if your front door area isn't covered.

Some drivers will put packages on the top step because they're in a rush... I don't understand why they do that, but like I mentioned in another reply, I get paid by the hour, so I don't mind taking a couple extra steps and putting it closer to the door, behind an object, if one is there.

How do you feel about delivering into garages or front doors if the person has Key?

We are not allowed per Amazon, unfortunately. We Even if your garage is open, I can't put anything inside.

Also, can't put anything inside a mailbox... A lot of people ask for that.

best and worst of the job.

What's the best part of the job? Thanks.

There's a couple of pros

• Most companies that do this kind of work always need help, so days are flexible. You can do it full time or part time. It pays pretty decent for a part time job.
• Tying in with what I mentioned above, the pay as a part time job is pretty good. I don't believe any state pays less than $15/hr. Some areas in states like CA and others, will pay more due to cost of living.
• Keeps me active. When I'm having a bad day, I think of it as getting paid to exercise, and that mentality usually gets me through.
• You get to see different parts of town and neighborhoods you'd probably never see otherwise

Cons:

• Constant driving: Driving is one of the most dangerous things you can do for a job, and being that it's a bigger vehicle can make that even worse.

• Being outside: Vitamin D from the sun would fall under a pro, but dealing with elements is mostly a negative. Rain, cold weather, super hot weather... No matter what youre exposed to it.

• Pay: While its good for a part time job, it's not the type of job that lets your afford a good living. It pays more than most retail, but that's about the extent of it.

• Long hours: While the scheduling can be flexible for your work days, the hours in the day are long. They'll mostly be 10-12+ shifts. Very few companies have shorter shifts than that. So when you work, you can count on a pretty substantial work load.

• Heavy Packages: Sometimes people will order packages over 40lbs, or multiple packages adding up to more than that, that have to be carried up stairs to the 4th floor of a building (I think anything above that will have an elevator) and usually areas with apartment buildings have many, so you may get stuck with a route that has you going up sometimes close to 100 stories in a day carrying big packages.

Does the van have AC? I recently saw some post cooking a steak with the sheer heat in a delivery truck

It does have AC, but if it breaks, a company will most likely not take it out of service, so you'll have to deal with the heat/cold for a while, because when they break down, it takes a long time to get it into the shop and fixed. Not sure how much of that is the company's fault or the service shop's contract with Amazon, as most of the branded vans you see are leased.

Why is amazon doing this? My address is a challenge to deliver to but once you learn it it is easy. By using someone random for every delivery means that someone has to call me for instructions almost every single time I get a package. So f'ing annoying. Anything I can do other than call amazon to explain (which I have done twice)?

There's a lot of turnover, the average work week for a full timer is only 4 days, the schedules change a lot even if drivers don't want them to, so I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't see that changing. :/

I've seen so many people leave within the time I've been here, even if they wanted to keep it the same as much as possible, it would be difficult.

Have you ever noticed someone following behind you, like potential package thieves? If so, how do you react? Do you or would you report them?

Not personally, no. If I did see someone going up and snatching a package I'd definitely report it as a robbery, yeah.

What is the most amount of packages you had to drive? And what is the longest you drove without a break?

Probably around 250-260 in the weeks leading up to, or maybe even the week of Christmas. Between driving to the van lot, to the warehouse, loading the van, doing drop offs, then driving the van back, it was around a 12hr day.

Im assuming you mean a work break, because as far as driving, we get out of the van on average every 2 minutes, so it's never just a ton of continued driving. Probably 7-8 hours. Holiday Season, a lot of packages to get delivered, I didn't take a break from when I first got to the van lot, until after it got dark. Making deliveries in the dark is definitely harder, so I tried to do the most I could during daylight before taking a break.

Do you put the package in peoples screen doors on a rainy day? Or are you more of a wrap it kind of guy?

We are not allowed to open that screen door, some people do, but we are enot supposed to. If it's not shut, Ill slide it in there. I can't turn the handle tho. We do usually have plastic bags to cover it, and we will always look for a covered area if there is one in the front or side of the house. Rear, usually not.

Strongly recommend a plastic box to put packages in, if you don't have a covered area, and order packages often, that way they're not visible from the street too.

How many boobs do you see a day?

Just a pair.

Lighthearted question: Are you a gamer, and did you play Death Stranding?

Yes, tho working 2 jobs lately, I don't have much time for gaming. Never played Death Stranding

Have you got a speeding ticket before?

No and I don't think I ever will. I get paid by the hour so I drive the speed limit all the time, speeding would literally just be cutting my paycheck.

Do the drivers be taking drugs and shit driving high?

It wouldn't surprise me if a few of them smoked and drove, but I haven't seen anyone I'd suspect of anything else. I personally don't, and if you get in an accident they'll definitely drug test you, so I don't recommend it to anyone lol

I rear ended some lady doing 50 on the freeway. I didn't get drug tested. Then again, I work for a shit company and we get away with a lot and get bullshited.

Some companies might get the van fixed themselves, just to get it back on the road quicker than going through Amazon's shop partner.

There is a chance they didn't even report the accident so they could do that, and because of that didn't need to drug test you. They could also be short on drivers and said screw it.

What's the weirdest package you've ever delivered?

We don't know what's inside the packages, for better or for worse so I really don't know.

Why do you guys park in the middle of the street when there’s an ally or curb spot right the-fuck there?

What makes you think I can read people's mind and know why other people might do that?

I can tell you the only time I don't park against the curb is when I'd have to parallel park, and the reason why I don't do it, is because it's a large vehicle, and it would take longer to actually park it, than just go up to someone's door, and right back to the van.

I never block the street where you can't just go around me, and it's much easier and less time consuming for you to do that, than for me to parallel park an 18ft van.

Worst case scenario, it takes about 1 minute for me to go to the door and back to the van. Chances are it's not a life or death situation, if it is you'd probably go around me by hopping the curb, so you can wait the 60 seconds.

Why did you leave your house at the last possible minute? 🤷🏻‍♂️