Amazon delivery drivers are chafing under the corporate’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 so they don’t go greater 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 utilized by the e-commerce giant to force its army of delivery people to comply with road safety regulations.
“We’re tracked, right?” Girts says within the now-viral TikTok video.
“That little guy is how we’re tracked,” the driving force says, pointing to the four-lens camera affixed to the front windshield.
“It’s probably recording me recording it, but it will probably’t hear me, in order that’s nice,” Girts says as she movies the nearly two-minute-long clip.
Girts then goes on to explain 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 both sides [of the vehicle],” Girts says.
Twitter user Wall Street Silver dubbed using tracking cameras as “dystopian.”
A source near Amazon told The Post that the protection technology “was designed with a driver’s privacy in mind” and that the cameras “may be turned off during breaks.”
“Videos aren’t 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 watch its drivers.
“The one camera in front tracks how close we’re 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 motive force continues: “It tracks our speed so we cannot go greater 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 driving force’s side seat.
“These vans also track our buckle count so it is going to count how again and again we buckle our seat belt,” Girts says.
“If we don’t buckle it enough or if we miss a buckle, then that may be a seat belt violation,” the driving force says.
As if that weren’t enough, Girts says that one in every of the cameras “is watching me while I drive.”
“So I cannot do so much,” she says, including taking a sip of her iced coffee.
“If I need a sip of my coffee, I actually have to tug over in order 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 elucidate that she needs to tug over “because if I do it while I’m driving, that’s a driver distracted, which can be a violation.”
A source near Amazon told The Post that the corporate encourages its drivers to remain hydrated while they work, and that “suggestions on the contrary are incorrect.”
Girts says she’s also prohibited from “touching the middle console, which is a driver distracted and a violation.”
Girts then goes on to explain 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 motive force then says that she “cannot unbuckle my seat belt until I’m in parked.”
“Everyone who works for Amazon just about hates those little things,” Girts says.
“We now have to recollect it’s only for safety…” she adds.
Steve Kelly, a spokesperson for Amazon, told The Post: “The security technology in delivery vans help keep drivers and the communities where we deliver protected, and claims that these cameras are intended for the rest are incorrect.”
Kelly added: “Since we began using them, we’ve seen a 35% reduction in collision rate across the network together with a discount 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 times.
Last September, a purported driver claimed he was sent home by his supervisor for using a gas station bathroom while on the clock.
One other driver took to TikTok and ranted about having to make 172 deliveries during Hurricane Ian.