Amazon hires drivers and extends its distribution network for a one-day expedition



[ad_1]

Amazon deliverymen are gearing up for big changes after the announcement by the company to reduce to a day its promise of two-day Prime delivery.

Some drivers, especially Amazon Flex drivers who do their own hours, look forward to the extra work potential.

"I just saw job security!" said Jessica Ferryman, an Amazon Flex pilot based in Chandler, Arizona. "More packages, more work, I agree with that."

Other drivers said they feared being forced to deliver more packages in a shorter period of time.

"I do not know how we're going to do it," a driver based in Richmond, Va., Said Wednesday after transporting a large box of the Amazon brand in a rental van to the front porch. House.

"It's going to be hectic," he said, shaking his head. Unlike part-time Flex drivers, he works full-time to deliver more than 250 Amazon packages per day to a third-party email company. The driver asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

Read more: Amazon delivers parcels in "carnival" tents in a crazy race to catch up with UPS and FedEx

Amazon delivers millions of packages every day to its customers via FedEx, UPS, the US Postal Service, Amazon Flex, and third-party couriers called by Amazon as distribution partners, who manage teams of drivers.

To speed up shipments, Amazon plans to quickly expand its last-mile logistics system, hire hundreds of additional DSPs, and build dozens of new delivery items, the company told Business Insider. Amazon plans to invest $ 800 million in ramping up the shipment in just one day in the second quarter.

"We have always ensured that our partners – from transportation partners to product vendors, to the companies that supply our shipping boxes – were benefiting from Amazon's growth and continued loyalty. our customers, "said a spokeswoman for Amazon.

"The one – day shipments will be the same.We are delighted to add hundreds of new small businesses to the two existing stations as well as dozens of new delivery stations in the coming months, and we will offer more opportunities for independent contractors to become their own boss and create their own calendars by delivering them with Amazon Flex. "

Amazon now has more than 100 delivery points in the US, which hosts packages up to their last trip to customers and their customers.

While the company is working to expand into new cities, it has erected giant tents to serve as delivery stations in areas where it has not yet secured permanent buildings.

An Amazon delivery point in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
KARK

According to Marc Wulfraat, president of logistics consulting company MWPVL International, who will oversee Amazon's distribution network, Marc Wulfraat will likely need to add 250 to 300 additional delivery stations to support day-long delivery to the markets with at least 100,000 inhabitants.

He said he expects to see many more tent stations, called by Amazon, modular delivery stations, which will appear in the United States in the coming months. The construction of the tents only takes a few weeks, allowing Amazon to mobilize quickly in new cities.

Amazon hires drivers in 50 cities and focuses on a day-to-day expedition

As Amazon speeds up its shipping speeds, the company adds thousands of additional full-time drivers.

In April, Amazon released job offers for delivery drivers in approximately 50 cities in the United States. The lists are intended for drivers who would be managed and employed directly by Amazon.

Amazon began employing full-time drivers directly last fall, after a major effort to expand its network of distribution partners.

Read more: Forget the day – to – day expeditions: the same day is the "real battlefield" where Amazon, Walmart and Target face each other.

Amazon will also add many pilots this year as well, with the expansion of its delivery partner network, which recruits and manages pilot teams. Amazon has hired more than 100 delivery service partners since last summer and plans to add many more.

The hiring of new drivers could be a positive sign for the existing ranks of Amazon's full-time drivers as the company speeds up its shipping times.

A rental truck filled with Amazon parcels.
Hayley Peterson / Business Insider

During interviews with Business Insider last year, drivers who delivered packages for Amazon DSPs described an intense work environment where they felt compelled to drive at high speeds, to make stop signs and to urinate in bottles in their truck to meet strict time constraints in terms of delivery.

Switching to a shipping day could put additional pressure on some of these drivers for them to deliver faster or work longer, according to Wulfraat of MWPVL International.

"The closer you are, the more you spend from 48 to 24 hours – the less time you have to optimize the driver's time and activities," he said.

Less optimal routes may require drivers to travel longer distances between stops or stop more often because fewer packages are grouped together.

Read more: Lack of salaries, grueling shifts and urine bottles: disturbing stories from Amazon delivery people can reveal the real human cost of "free delivery"

To further complicate matters, Amazon could see its sales increase – and therefore its parcel volumes – increase, thanks to the new promise of shipping one day.

"The more you ship, the more people buy," Mark Mahaney, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, wrote in a recent research note. "This could be a key growth catalyst for Amazon for a while."

Amazon should be able to maintain package delivery rates without putting additional pressure on existing drivers if it extends packages to a larger number of full-time drivers or if it uses more drivers Flex, said Wulfraat.

For the moment, it remains to be seen how the shift to delivery in a day will impact Amazon deliverymen. But there is one thing we know for sure: Amazon's last-mile delivery system is about to become much bigger.

If you work for Amazon and have a story to share, send an e-mail to [email protected].

[ad_2]

Source link