To Drive or not to Drive? Amazon Flex Driver VS. Amazon Warehouse Worker

In the United States, more than 250,000 people are employed by Amazon, but that doesn’t include the thousands who drive for Amazon Flex as independent contractors. 24-year old Rutgers senior Rimond Siddique drove full time for Flex for more than a year after dissatisfaction with a food delivery service.

“It’s an ok job, I wouldn’t say it’s great though,” said Siddique.

While warehouse and Flex drivers both work for Amazon, there are key differences.

One of the major differences is employee surveillance, according to Fareeda Mabry, the lead organizer for the Communications Worker Association District One. Mabry went undercover for two weeks in hopes of being able to unionize workers at an Amazon warehouse in Plainsboro, New Jersey.

“In terms of the managers, they love to micromanage you,” Mabry explained. “When you do go to speak up, they shut you down. A very foot-on-your-neck environment. They want you to utilize every minute of your time.”

Mabry reported that for her ten-hour shift, 6:30 pm — 5: 30 am, she was allowed two 15-minute breaks and one 30-minute break, the standard for a typical eight-hour shift, even though she was working an 11-hour shift.

”The managers give you a look and make you feel uncomfortable going to the bathroom, not on your scheduled break time,” she said.

Amazon Flex appears to allow drivers to have more autonomy than those who work in the warehouse. For instance, drivers can pick when they want to work. This flexibility appeals to Siddique’s schedule as a full-time student and an independent contractor for driving services including Flex, Uber and Lyft.

“I work as my own boss, I get my own hours, I don’t have to report to anybody,” he said.

The hiring processes for both Amazon positions require less than the average employee interview. According to Mabry, she filled out an application online and sat through two orientations. She was hired after she passed a drug test and a background check.

For Siddique, he downloaded the app, provided his driver’s license information, passed a background check and watched a few training videos. He was on the road delivering in less than three days.

As an Amazon Flex driver, Siddique delivers groceries from Whole Foods and delivers packages he picks up from the warehouse in Elizabeth. Siddique finds the most challenging part of driving for Amazon Flex is the wear and tear on his car and the unpaid tolls. To get to the warehouse in Elizabeth, he drives 25 miles from his home in New Brunswick and has to pay a toll. Picking up from the warehouse is called a logistic delivery.

“With logistics deliveries, it’s about 25–30 stops and it’s constantly stop and go. Your brakes take much more damage,” he said. It’s less fuel efficient as well cause you’re constantly stopping and going.”

According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the average American drives 13,474 miles each year. Siddique estimated he drove more than 60,000 miles within the past year driving for Flex full time and Lyft part-time.

As for compensation, the Amazon Flex website advertises a base pay of $18–25 an hour but prices can be lower based on a slow day or surge to $25–30 an hour when the day gets busier, according to Siddique.

Mabry was paid $12.25 an hour. She said she was unhappy with the pay but what made it worse was how she was treated during her shift.

Mabry recounted one day when she was nearing the end of her shift.

“My fingertips were burning and when I stopped to stretch, my boss says to me ‘you have seven minutes left of your shift you can unpack a few more boxes,’” she said.

Whereas Siddique saw the effects of driving for Amazon on his car, Mabry felt the job take a toll on her body.