Amazon Flex Drivers' Lack Of Uniforms Lead To Delivery Mix-Ups
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Its not easy being a Flex driver for Amazon.
Recording artist turned-actor Ice-T blasted the company on Twitter, imploring them to give drivers vests, saying he "almost shot" one of them because he didn't know why the stranger was "creeping up" to his crib.
Carlos Montes works as a contract driver for Amazon. While he has never been threatened with a gun, he worries about his safety.
"Sometimes we're doing about 200 deliveries a day," said Montes. "We've got to take our key out worry about people watching us."
The Tweet from Ice-T was pointed "Now that you have regular people making your home deliveries ..Maybe they should wear a Vest with AMAZON DELIVERY on it," " I almost shot a MF creeping up to my crib last night....Just saying."
Amazon Flex drivers can use personal vehicles to make deliveries. They sign up to drive, similarly to Uber and Lyft, and Amazon allows them to work without a company-issued uniform.
READ ALSO: Ice-T Calls Out Amazon After He "Almost Shot" Delivery Driver
That's a problem for Parker, who works as a Flex driver in the Bay Area.
"I wear the vest," said Parker. Fearing repercussions, she was only willing to give her first name.
She says a neighbor called police on her.
"Police turn their lights on and of course I pull over. They tell us, 'Are you ladies delivering today?' Because we have our vest on." Parker recounted. "'A woman called said you were going through mailboxes and stealing mail on a Sunday.'"
Detained for 20 minutes, Parker says the incident left her in tears and frightened.
A representative from Amazon's corporate told CBS13 that "safety is a top priority" for its Flex drivers and that they enjoy the benefit of being independent contractors while not being told what to wear.
Additionally, the company said if the drivers are stopped and questioned, they can always pull up their virtual ID on the Amazon Flex app.
Carlos Montes says it's not enough.
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"It literally looks just like a cellphone. It's black. They try to keep it very discreet for our safety," he said.
Montes added the ID from Amazon has no company logo, so it doesn't help identify him as an employee or contract driver.
In addition to Amazon, Parker also drives for "Door Dash" and says she is provided with a T-shirt, lanyard and recognizable red bag.
Sacramento Sheriff's department spokesperson Sgt. Tess Deterding says this form of recognition is important for driver safety.
"From a law enforcement perspective responding those calls, it's also very helpful for us to identify early on, 'Hey this is somebody who belongs in this neighborhood and is here for business purposes' as opposed to maybe a call about a suspicious vehicle or person," said Deterding.
Ice-T's comment comes at a time when the gig economy is thriving and regular people are taking up part-time work. His Tweet garnered a quick response from Amazon's corporate office.
Dave Clark the vice president of operations, tweeted: " Just sayin...thanks for the suggestion. We MF'ing love you and our drivers. Lots of innovation coming on this and many that already exist."
That's not good enough for Parker who was humiliated by her experience. Amazon said they are looking into the policy for Flex drivers and say drivers can always purchase magnetic car stickers and T-shirts for a nominal fee. Additionally, a customer service representative is available around the clock to help a driver if questions arise.
