Amazon workers will be punished for not speeding

[Master Disaster]

13 hours ago, Zusafek said:

Yes.  I'm not Amazon. But I do haul for Amazon.  My own trucks have cameras on them as well.  They data log and report unsafe driving habits to me.  Now I don't record audio nor do I record the inside of the cab area.  I only record out the windshield and down both sides of the truck.  When a driver has a critical event, it sends a message to me and data locks the cameras for review.  For example, a driver takes a turn to fast.  It will alert me of a rollover event.  I can then review all footage and speak to the driver.  

 

The system that Amazon is supposedly implementing is similar to my own.  Though without inspecting it with my own eyes, I can not verify what they are exactly doing.  But any drivers dumb enough to not practice safe and legal driving habits can take care of their own fines and possible loss of license. Hence why my contract with Amazon is ending at the end of the month.  My drivers are worth more than what they can offer.

 

And on a side note, I'm a private owner of 175 trucks and 900 trailers. In the process of getting another 50 trucks next year. 

I mean, genuine congrats on being so successful in your business but the point still stands, you're not Amazon.

 

Governments are MUCH more willing to bend the rules and turn a blind eye when the business has as much money to throw around as Amazon do.

 

I imagine a sensible estimate for you're entire business as an ongoing venture would be in the tens of millions of dollars tops, that's not even pocket change for Amazon. I'm sure that when you say you're drivers doing their jobs badly effects you you're 100% not lying, the unfortunate reality of capitalism is that is not true for everyone.

[HerrKaLeu]

3 hours ago, Bramimond said:

Not too sure about that. I also remember being overtaken by a truck while being a passenger in a car that was going over the speed limit by a decent amount. If there are systems like that in place, they clearly do not do much. 

what do you define as truck? Not talking about pickup trucks. Real trucks. and what do you mean by speeding? Did you ever drive yourself there? 

I have many hours of annoying "Elefant races" of semi trucks. But never ever saw one significantly faster than 80 kmh. that governor really is enforced. 

[12345678]

On 9/21/2021 at 10:34 AM, tikker said:

It's about time for knowingly endangering employees lawsuit... Another point added to the list of why I dislike Amazon.

Right, looking at side mirrors sure is unsafe driving. To give them some benefit of the doubt I hope this is to train their AI and that these are mistakes they'll rectify. Sadly I doubt it. Next year we'll have Bladerunner 2049 like checkups after each day.

 besides if they do shit, it's likely that who is going to be strongly persecuted is the driver

 

for such giants law doesn't really apply... just a fine and then whatever, nothing happened

[12345678]

4 hours ago, James Evens said:

Amazon news are always fascinating. On the one side you have highly paid good jobs and on the other up to date slavery.

good pr practices

look at how good we are, support us, buy from us, we throw a bunch of money on institution that nobody has ever heard of, minimal wage (but with conditions that don't make news), we show "futoristic" crap to get public finding, we are green by planting some plants or worthless fan

[Bramimond]

3 hours ago, HerrKaLeu said:

what do you define as truck? Not talking about pickup trucks. Real trucks. and what do you mean by speeding? Did you ever drive yourself there? 

I have many hours of annoying "Elefant races" of semi trucks. But never ever saw one significantly faster than 80 kmh. that governor really is enforced. 

Well, a truck. Or the German word LKW. By speeding I mean going a good 20km/h over the limit. I rarely drive myself. But I was overtaken by a truck myself, too. I wasn't speeding, though. The limit was 60km/h which I didn't cross. But the truck did. 

 

The only annoying thing for me is trucks passing each other, though.  Since that slows everything down. A law preventing them from doing that would be more beneficial than limiting them to 80km/h. 

[whispous]

7 hours ago, James Evens said:

Amazon news are always fascinating. On the one side you have highly paid good jobs and on the other up to date slavery.

 

What is in your opinion the worst? A telephone booth within there warehouses so the worker Amazon previously destroyed can meditate?

Don't give them any ideas

[HerrKaLeu]

2 hours ago, Bramimond said:

Well, a truck. Or the German word LKW. By speeding I mean going a good 20km/h over the limit. I rarely drive myself. But I was overtaken by a truck myself, too. I wasn't speeding, though. The limit was 60km/h which I didn't cross. But the truck did. 

 

The only annoying thing for me is trucks passing each other, though.  Since that slows everything down. A law preventing them from doing that would be more beneficial than limiting them to 80km/h. 

You do know how a speed governor works? It limits the speed to 80 kmh in this case. So, yes, if the speed limit is below 80, you still can go 80 and technically speed. The speed governor isn't some smart device that limits to the speed limit, it limits to a specific speed. Maybe in the future they will be smarter and adjust to actual speed limit. 

 

They are technically not supposed to pass each other in such situations and often there are signs posted. It isn't the lack of a law, it is the lack of enforcement. 

 

[8tg]

On 9/21/2021 at 11:13 AM, Bramimond said:

So as a delivery person or truck driver or whatever, you are expected to speed. 

 

Absolutely not, they ingrain safe driving practices in you from day 1 because commercial drivers aren’t fined the same, and accidents caused are substantially more severe.

If you’re driving an 80,000 pound truck and negligent driving results in you vaporizing a family of 4 in a minivan it’s not just you going to jail and being personally fined tens of thousands of dollars, the company also gets a substantial fine which is not just blended into an operating cost.

Same goes for speeding tickets, while a regular driver may pay 500$ for speeding in a construction zone, a class A driver will almost always pay the maximum fine and their company will be mirrored the same fine.

 

Not only does this fall under similar principles to OSHA workplace guidelines, in that nobody can ever make you do unsafe work, and you have the right to stop what you’re doing to question the safety at any time, but no decent company would ever encourage you to drive unsafe because any mistake would cost them more than your delivery is worth by a lot.

Especially for class A driving, when you’re driving a vehicle capable of destroying most small homes, take out bridge supports, effortlessly wipe most cars off the road, you are the one who is in charge of that vehicle. Nobody else tells you how to drive besides you, because you’re responsible for it. You determine if the conditions make it safe to drive, you determine how fast you go, you determine how your trips go. Not your driver manager, other drivers, or anyone else.

 

t. Still holds a class A CDL

[8tg]

3 hours ago, Bramimond said:

The only annoying thing for me is trucks passing each other, though.  Since that slows everything down.

Usually it’s coordinated between the two drivers, but sometimes it’s done on purpose specifically to break down a left lane that’s moving too fast for anyone to get in or out of it.

Or to keep people from last second passing in a construction zone where a lane is ending, lots of stuff.

I did it all the time, specifically in scenarios where the lane was ending, in which case I would use the radio to try and contact another driver in the lane to my right, or they would contact me, and I’d sit right along the end of their trailer taking 2 lanes up so nobody could do that annoying last second merge bullshit. Of course some cars would build up behind me but then another pair of trucks further back would do the same thing.

 

[Heliian]

12 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

Governments are MUCH more willing to bend the rules and turn a blind eye

I doubt it.  Especially with the patchwork of municipalities across North America.  Along with monetary penalties, a whole shit ton of time is wasted by all the paperwork.

 

You might have seen commercial drivers speeding but where I'm from most companies discourage reckless behaviour and the responsibility lays with the driver.  

[PocketNerd]

On 9/21/2021 at 1:05 AM, Somerandomtechyboi said:

I guess all the poor amazon drivers gotta drive like tofu delivery drivers

<Eurobeat Intensifies>

[Vishera]

Amazon sees their employees as means to make ends meet (money) and nothing more than that,

They treat them like slaves.

*In the warehouse workers stand and walk all day going from aisle to aisle preparing orders - forced to do so within a time limit.

 

Give them the dignity they deserve,

Don't spy on them with cameras,don't put pressure on them with cameras,time limits,etc

and let the warehouse workers sit and rest instead of walking and standing all day.

[GeorgeMKane]

Why does Amazon constantly prove to have little to none or no ethics altogether?

 

If they trained people better, they wouldn't need those cameras that communicate with you and all that. Person in training should be driving with a supervisor for 1-2 weeks, and then they're good. The cameras should only be for loss prevention security.

 

I don't get how Amazon can constantly do the wrong thing, and wonder why their turnover rate is so high. When I was looking for a job earlier this year, I saw "Amazon Fulfillment Center - Now Hiring" not sponsored, on almost every other page, which wasn't surprising to me at all.

[8tg]

5 hours ago, Vishera said:

In the warehouse workers stand and walk all day going from aisle to aisle preparing orders - forced to do so within a time limit.

That’s work.

Thats just work.

 

t. Dock operations supervisor for DHL

i have 18 forklift operators i have do the same thing, move the freight within a time limit, if this was a small parcel facility they wouldn’t need the lifts 

[Whispre]

On 9/21/2021 at 4:40 PM, HerrKaLeu said:

All large trucks have had speed governors for many years. Probably since the 1990s. Maximum speed is 80 km/h (around 50 mph). The overtaking you observe is based on the one governor being a bit off, or on a hill the one truck having more horsepower. So instead of going a steady 80kmh, it could be one truck goes up a hill  with 79 km/h, while the other takes over with 81 km/h. Obviously this takes forever on a 2-lane per direction autobahn. I wouldn't call going 81 speeding when 80 is the limit. They really only can speed if there is a construction site with lower speed limit. So speeding itself is nearly impossible due to the speed governor. Outside the Autobahn, of course, they still can speed when the speed limit is below the governor setting. 

 

 

Not sure where you are, but this is completely not true in the US. Trucks here regularly drive on freeways with speed limits up to 75mph and 80,000 to 100,000lb trucks regularly drive 70-80. Also, there is no law against trucks passing each other either. In some places they cannot use the left hand lane, but if there are 3 lanes they can still (and do regularly) pass each other.

[Zodiark1593]

18 hours ago, GeorgeMKane said:

Why does Amazon constantly prove to have little to none or no ethics altogether?

 

If they trained people better, they wouldn't need those cameras that communicate with you and all that. Person in training should be driving with a supervisor for 1-2 weeks, and then they're good. The cameras should only be for loss prevention security.

 

I don't get how Amazon can constantly do the wrong thing, and wonder why their turnover rate is so high. When I was looking for a job earlier this year, I saw "Amazon Fulfillment Center - Now Hiring" not sponsored, on almost every other page, which wasn't surprising to me at all.

Surprise! Being evil isn’t actually illegal. The quicker you learn that lesson, the faster you can make money. 
 

Though the clickbait thread title makes LTTs own infamous “clickable” titles seem pretty tame. Seems to entice drivers, Amazon has promised bonuses for safety metrics, then devised a way to weasel out of paying said bonus. A bit like those stupid mail-in rebates. At least, this is my impression from the one article. 

[HerrKaLeu]

On 9/23/2021 at 3:24 PM, Whispre said:

Not sure where you are, but this is completely not true in the US. Trucks here regularly drive on freeways with speed limits up to 75mph and 80,000 to 100,000lb trucks regularly drive 70-80. Also, there is no law against trucks passing each other either. In some places they cannot use the left hand lane, but if there are 3 lanes they can still (and do regularly) pass each other.

You quoted my comment from a discussion about trucks in GERMANY. 

[Whispre]

13 hours ago, HerrKaLeu said:

You quoted my comment from a discussion about trucks in GERMANY. 

Hence my comment about "not sure where you are from"... Original story was about a driver in LA and your comment did NOT say you were talking about trucks in "GERMANY"....

 

1. Find the chill pill

2. Swallow it.