Hacker News Reader

Comment by mieseratte | Hacker News Reader

One thing I “look forward” to seeing is safety as these Amazon trucks become more widespread. The ones in my area drive like absolute maniacs. Worst thing I’ve seen UPS and FedEx do is block a bike lane.

View on HN

Many of those Amazon trucks are part of fairly small (compared to Fedex,) mom and pop delivery companies: they don’t have the years of process and training that Fedex has. They are essentially franchises.

Here's a video that explains a bit about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f6CveRk4N0

tl;dw: people think they're going to be "Amazon Business Partners" more like you're another cost center being squeezed as much as possible

The FedEx Ground trucks around here are also franchises, but I'm sure FedEx strictly enforces driver training, etc., since their name is on the side of the truck.

Amazon deliveries here recently transitioned from random guy's car to Amazon-branded vans. Maybe that will help.

The FedEx ground franchisees in W Central Fla are a dangerous menace. My development has a 20mph speed limit routinely flaunted @ 40mph: Without exception (we have speed cameras to prove it). Beyond, bicyclists are no obstacle.

If they were employees and shared liability with FedEx these issues might not exist. But they do exist, and if Amazon can do no worse it'll be a wash for pedestrians and cyclists. At least in this part of Floriduh.

Where I am there are Amazon branded eurovans that do a lot of the deliveries. They seem to drive alright, but tend to park in the middle of the street and block traffic. Also, the people that drive them aren't super sober all the time. I've nearly run over people that just jump out of the side door as I am trying to pass the van that is blocking the street. It's been a few times this has happened. Like, I know this job is not paying top dollar, and hence the drivers are not top notch. But I am more than willing to pay on par with FedEx and the like if that means that there are safer and more sober drivers in my neighborhood.

We have the Amazon-wrapped Sprinter vans in my area. I live on a dead-end and had to wait for these jokers plenty, yesterday one nearly ran a stop sign trying to make a small gap (really just a safety margin) between myself and another car. Thought I was going to be t-boned for sure... thankfully the courier stopped and only blocked the bike lane.

Don't worry though, they have high-viz vests so they're clearly safety conscious.

Wasn't Amazon encouraging some of their warehouse staff to go start doing deliveries with their personal vehicles? Even helping them with their own little 'gig economy' delivery setup insulating Amazon from liability for whatever they might do while still guiding their deliveries via a provided terminal?

In my area the Amazon deliveries come in uhaul vans about 2/3 of the time.

My last one (two days ago) was just a guy in an unmarked sedan.

In my area it is about split 50/50 between grungy old sedans loaded to the roof, and plain white Transit Connect vans. The latter seems to be increasing in popularity.

Here: Amazon Logistics by day, Uber by night. Just a guy in a normal Toyota Prius...

Yeah for my area it's about 70% UHaul, 30% shady looking unmarked van. Yesterday I saw for the first time a van that was actually one of those Amazon Prime vans they show in the photos on their website. It wasn't delivering to me, but I saw it driving in my area.

I am sure it's abysmal. We finally received a settlement for the damage done to our parking deck when an Amazon delivery driver drove into our bright yellow solid steel clearance bar. The driver left before the police showed up. Luckily we got the plate number.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com