Amazon’s ‘dystopian’ tracking system counts delivery drivers’ seat belt clicks, makes them pull over to sip coffee
Amazon delivery drivers are chafing under the company’s Big Brother-like system that checks whether their seat belts are fastened, they’re not sipping coffee while in motion, they make a full stop at stop signs, and they don’t go more than 6 miles per hour above the speed limit.
Amber Girts, a 21-year-old Amazon van driver, posted a viral video on social media describing the “dystopian” surveillance methods used by the e-commerce giant to force its army of delivery people to comply with road safety regulations.
“We’re tracked, right?” Girts says in the now-viral TikTok video.
“That little guy is how we’re tracked,” the driver says, pointing to the four-lens camera affixed to the front windshield.
“It’s probably recording me recording it, but it can’t hear me, so that’s nice,” Girts says as she films the nearly two-minute-long clip.
Girts then goes on to describe the Driveri camera system, which is manufactured by the the AI-driven data firm Netradyne.
“It has one camera facing me, one camera facing forward, and one camera on each side [of the vehicle],” Girts says.
Twitter user Wall Street Silver dubbed the use of tracking cameras as “dystopian.”
A source close to Amazon told The Post that the safety technology “was designed with a driver’s privacy in mind” and that the cameras “can be turned off during breaks.”
“Videos are not a live feed and drivers can dispute any items that they feel are an inaccurate representation of events,” the source said.
Girts, who lives in Hickory, NC, gave a comprehensive rundown of the lengths Amazon goes to monitor its drivers.
“The one camera in front tracks how close we are to other drivers and if we stop at stop signs,” Girts explains.
“If we don’t stop at a stop sign — like, fully stop — then we get a violation for that,” Girts says.
The driver continues: “It tracks our speed so we cannot go more than 6mph over the speed limit or we get a speeding violation.”
Girts then points to the seat belt buckle affixed to the side of the driver’s side seat.
“These vans also track our buckle count so it will count how many times we buckle our seat belt,” Girts says.
“If we don’t buckle it enough or if we miss a buckle, then that is a seat belt violation,” the driver says.
As if that weren’t enough, Girts says that one of the cameras “is watching me while I drive.”
“So I cannot do a lot,” she says, including taking a sip of her iced coffee.
“If I want a sip of my coffee, I have to pull over so that I can grab it and drink it,” Girts says, pointing to the plastic cup protruding from the cup holder to the left of the steering wheel.
Girts goes on to explain that she needs to pull over “because if I do it while I’m driving, that’s a driver distracted, which is also a violation.”
A source close to Amazon told The Post that the company encourages its drivers to stay hydrated while they work, and that “suggestions to the contrary are incorrect.”
Girts says she’s also prohibited from “touching the center console, which is a driver distracted and a violation.”
Girts then goes on to describe how a co-worker was flagged because he was “itching his beard” — which apparently caused the AI-powered surveillance system to think that “he was on the phone.”
“So he got a driver distracted violation for itching his face, but they disputed it,” Girts says.
The driver then says that she “cannot unbuckle my seat belt until I am in parked.”
“Everyone who works for Amazon pretty much hates those little things,” Girts says.
“We have to remember it’s just for safety…” she adds.
Steve Kelly, a spokesperson for Amazon, told The Post: “The safety technology in delivery vans help keep drivers and the communities where we deliver safe, and claims that these cameras are intended for anything else are incorrect.”
Kelly added: “Since we started using them, we’ve seen a 35% reduction in collision rate across the network along with a reduction in distracted driving, speeding, tailgating, sign and signal violations, and drivers not wearing their seatbelts.”
Several Amazon drivers have gone public with their complaints about work conditions in recent years.
Last September, a purported driver claimed he was sent home by his supervisor for using a gas station bathroom while on the clock.
Another driver took to TikTok and ranted about having to make 172 deliveries during Hurricane Ian.
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