Amazon drivers lazy or incompetent?

Posted by uh_huh_yep_okay@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 43 comments

About 3 months ago I began a hostling job after 30 years over the road and while I knew the (non-company) amazon drivers were mediocre at best on the highway, i seriously can not tell if they're really full blown incompetent or just lazy. At my new job we load many different carriers trailers. Amazon is the only one that consistently parks in the wrong place and never slides their tandems. And when I say never, I truly mean in the 98-99% range. The amazon company drivers are not a problem, but the owner-ops seem absolutely retarded (apologies if that word offends anyone). I just wonder if after what l've observed in my short time here and all my years over the road, does Amazon purposely hire only absolute morons or do they do something to them that turns them that stupid. 1 or 2 occasionally I could understand, but 98-99% of them? I know this seems like a rant, but part of me is genuinely curious how can they all be that ignorant? It's not that hard, drop your empties on the left and slide your tandems. Period, done, that's all. Nothing special. Doesn't need to be blown out spotless clean on the inside or anything, yet this is too much for them to handle. That's all I got, rants over. Comments welcome. Feel free to call me l'm an a-hole and tell me why I'm wrong

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scruffaluffaguss@reddit

Tell the guard shack not to hand out BOLs for drop and hooks unless they slide the tandems on arrival.

LawyerApprehensive50@reddit

I'm a new driver. Is it common practice too set your tandems in a particular way when you leave an empty trailer?

ManxMammoth@reddit

Sometimes security will make you put tandems to the rear before entering the yard. If they don't, just look at the other trailers around and see where their tandems are.

musicalmadness1@reddit

From someone who learned at 8 yr old to drive a semi and after 10 yrs military got my cdl in 2021. Like others commented. Yes some places require it for loading/unloading. They will tell you as well, if they don't it never hurts to stop and ask them.

I go to a few places that during pickup you have to roll tandems back because by the time they finish loading your weight will be almost 80k and your trailer will barely be dock height (looking at you coca cola with 41,360lbs.)

DeepthinkerCC@reddit

Some yard will tell you. A lot require the tandems to be slid to the back. It's a safety issue when it gets to the dock. Better support for forklifts when the enter the trailer.

FossMan21@reddit

This is true some places want it done. I’ve been to one place where it was required/mandatory if you didn’t the height of the trailer wouldn’t line up with the dock height.

Cool thanks for the info

Naw_im_sayin@reddit

Can someone fill me in on Amazon company drivers? What do they get paid? Do they drive Amazon branded trucks?

What’s a 3PL?

salaamcreddit@reddit

Amazon has their own employees on the tom team that do yard moves and sometimes go on the road in Amazon branded day cabs. Then there are other drivers, Amazon freight partners, who drive Amazon branded trucks but are not Amazon employees. Both types of drivers get paid by the hour/day instead of mile. Amazon Tom team employees make more, but there are fewer openings than AFP depending on the region. 3PL is third party logistics, and they drive whatever trucks they have and find loads on the Amazon load board.

I’ve seen CDL job listings for $23 per hour—is that where people drive the Amazon branded day cabs?

That's about what the AFP companies pay in Florida. They'll usually identify themselves as AFP. If so, then yes. Most of the 3pl will list daily rates from what I've seen. https://afpjobs.amazon.com/ will let you know if they're in your location.

Blegheggeghegty@reddit

3PL-third party labor. Or contractors.

Puzzleheaded_Pea_753@reddit

I've seen their job listings recently for $18/hr. The local McDonald's starts at $22/hr. They are so underpaid that they can't afford a fuck to give.

jgremlin_@reddit

The amazon company drivers are not a problem, but the owner-ops seem absolutely retarded

You've just answered your own question. Owner-ops are not retarded, they're owner-ops. In my experience most owner-ops are owner-ops because they want to be able to make their own rules about what they will and will not do. And things like sliding tandems or chocking wheels, or doing any kind of pre-trip inspection tend to end up on their will not do list.

Most of the time, they don't get fired if they don't do any of that stuff, they don't lose work if they don't do any of that stuff, and since they make the same money whether they do that stuff or not, why should they do it?

throwra_sd2ba40858@reddit

Amazon contractors are the new swift. Worst mfs on the road

Waisted-Desert@reddit

Amazon pays decent (not great, but decent overall) and their only real requirement is that a carrier be more than 6 months old. Then they roll the dice and take a chance. So any Billy Bob and contract with them. Make enough to add another truck and put any warm body with a CDL in the driver's seat. Then add more and more trucks. As long as they keep a certain on-time percentage then they can keep booking loads.

N661US@reddit

When I worked for NFI we dealt with a fair share amount of Amazon trailers in our yard and yeah the amount of times I’d see them lost on the opposite side of the yard from where they were told to go was insane haha. Couldn’t listen to basic instructions at all. And I swear every time the tractor hooked to it was super clapped out

dualqconboy@reddit

"Couldn't listen to basic instructions" may some of the times be likely due to that because they don't even understand one bit of english at all.

gooba1@reddit

I REALLY want to agree with you but the last few white guys we've hired can't listen for shit either

Ok_Internet_5058@reddit

Does that get escalated? Like when I go to the rail yard, they tell me a spot but also tell me just to drop anywhere in that area. Does anything go on the record that the driver dropped their trailer on the wrong side of the yard?

ID_Poobaru@reddit

I’m an Amazon yard dog, and we get a lot of the dumb as rocks flip flop gang 3P drivers. They’re absolute idiots and I hate dealing with them. Nothing good ever comes from dealing with them.

Scorpionvenom1@reddit

Amazon yard dog here too. 3p drivers suck. AFPs are a mixed bag but usually not too bad. Owner ops though? Mostly just bad. Get the occasional good one but im fairly certain its just people who want freight heading a certain direction and nothing else is around

DukeReaper@reddit

Pennies on the dollar gives you shitty drivers.

grimnir_music@reddit

Don’t call them owner ops. They are outside carriers. They are indentured servants working for pennies

easymachtdas@reddit

This, so much this. The only ones making money are driving 5k mi a week and still barely get 1600 a week. I know someone that drove for a chicago based subcontractor. About as outlaw as ive ever heard of

Tank52086@reddit

Yes

I've dealt with them at some places I picked up to deliver to the distribution centers. I would pull in with load get my door go to it foreign dude sitting there. I tell him (not mean at all just like a heads up) that they may want to check door I'm supposed to have that one for live unload. They suddenly look and realize they supposed to be like 15 doors away, and wonder why they weren't being unloaded.

I've had one almost take me out in the yard. Was pulling out of dock to close doors and dude cuts around building almost hitting another truck and slams brakes stopping a foot from my push bars. Like wtf dumbass.

Had a case of where I was in the yard just got dock back in dude backs in next to me takes a garbage bag, attempts to throw it under my truck. I told him take it to the dumpster (which btw was on the other side of his fucking truck.) He refuse and closed door had his window open. I told him two more times then grabbed my gloves as my light turned green, and they unlocked my trailer. They locked his to unload and he went inside.

Well I grabbed the trash bag and launched it into his open window, got back in and pulled out. He had walked inside and by the time he was coming out I was driving out the gate. I know he was fucking pissed, but hey I did tell him three times before he went inside to throw it in the dumpster.

North-Profit-1211@reddit

On the highway I always stay out of Amazon trailers way

TheDrivingForce1650@reddit

You're not wrong. Amazon o/o remind me of the earlier stages of Walmart when they were mostly o/o. They let crappy drivers pull their freight until they were practically forced to hire their own. They grew too big too fast and had to do it that way. Amazon's actual drivers aren't bad, just like Walmart drivers. Once they get their fleet up hopefully it'll change.

dz1n3@reddit

That's the thing. They don't want to. They don't have the taxes, workman's comp ins, insurance, liability. Any of that. That's why 99% of their dsp is contractors. Saves them from tons of liability. Saves their dot number. Amazon would have lost their dot number already with all the bone head stuff the 3pl drivers do. I see a Amazon trailer, I know they don't have experience. I'd rather cruise next to a mega (swift, englund, prime) training truck than them. It's designed that way.

Amazon had a fleet. Some sleepers, but mostly daycabs. I rarely see a amazon labeled sleeper anymore. But daycabs all the time. I don't think amazon willing to put a full fleet in since they pay truck stops to let them take half the lot with there trailers(looking at you TA.) And can pay the foreign drivers pennies to run there stuff.

Islanderwithwings@reddit

Amazon is full of H1B Visa drivers. Everytime I talk about the flip flop drivers, it's these guys. Everytime I pass an Amazon truck, I always see their left foot on the dash.

I almost had an accident in Rt 17 West, New York. A couple months ago. I think it was an owner op Amazon driver. Mofo was on the right shoulder but his fat @ss opened the door and he was literally standing in the middle of the right lane. I couldn't get over into the left lane, had to brake so hard that my load shifted. From Catskills all the way to Binghamton, this is literally Jewville. Lots of Jews going 100mph and sometimes the left lane is 2 miles deep. This is a dangerous stretch of road in the mornings. Not enough police to pull over the bad drivers.

I can't tell which one is worse in the Northeast. Amazon drivers or Container drivers.

I know that area. And fuck those idiots. Why the fuck would he step out into lane. Like you have a passenger side door.

AnomalousSquid@reddit

The people that own the trucks and drive the trucks are often not the same individuals. The fact that they actually make it from A to B never ceases to amaze me, as I share the road with these idiots. 40 mph middle lane of 81 south outside Harrisburg PA in the fog, with only parking lights lit… and that’s just one example.

TSP0912@reddit

True. Wow.

Bbqandjams75@reddit

I saw an Amazon driver attack a the guy at the flying J who be dumping the trash cans by the fuel station..reason being the guy asked him to move his truck cause that island was closed

Raezzordaze@reddit

As a yard jockey who works for a company that have mostly leased O/Os running their freight, my experience isn't quite that bad but is definitely similar. We have a decent number of drivers who are pretty professional, a bunch that are just rolling miles but get the job done, then a small but not insignificant group that are just lazy garbage.

I would think that the adversity and challenges of owning your own truck and running your own business would weed out those types, but I guess not?

Yes they are lazy. I'm a company driver and at times deal with the same. If they don't get penalized they won't change. Let Amazon tell them they can't get anymore loads, or start charging them and it will change. No consequences, no worries.

Linfords_lunchbox@reddit

Pay peanuts, get monkeys 🐒

Old-Wolf-1024@reddit

Precisely……ya get what ya pay for

LadyTrucker23@reddit

My son works at a 3PL that handles Amazon, and he can’t find enough words to describe how terrible their owner ops are. He’s told me about waiting 20 minutes or more for them to back in, only to have to go to their truck and retell them their specific rules for loading and unloading. He’s also told me that the majority are immigrants and don’t know enough English to understand what they’re being told.

Ali_Naghiyev@reddit

You are not wrong.

Academic-Ad7504@reddit

Answer both. Never worked for Amazon but I’ve dealt with their drivers lazy and lack skills.