Summer is underway, and the United States is looking at progressively hotter weather, with the potential for 2024 to become one of the hottest summers on record throughout a portion of the country. And delivery drivers are already feeling the heat.
One driver for Amazon shared her irritation with these conditions on TikTok last week, while delivering packages in 90-degree weather.
“This is what us delivery drivers face, okay, when we ain’t got no a/c in these big ass trucks,” user Maddi (@maddispage) tells viewers, sweating and seated in her delivery vehicle.
Pushing a button on the dashboard, she adds, “We got this fan, though. Fan just be blowing hot a** air.”
Amazon has made a point to inform the public that “every vehicle bearing the Amazon brand is air conditioned,” and that they are “taken out of service immediately” if the air conditioning stops functioning.
However, there have previously been complaints that this isn’t particularly helpful when Amazon enforces its Engine Off Compliance policy, requiring drivers to turn their vehicles fully off when making stops. The policy was adjusted last year—at least in Texas—after a news report on a driver nearly collapsing. It seems to have rolled out for all Amazon drivers recently, although some drivers say the third party businesses they are contracted through are still requiring Engine Off Compliance.
And last year, Southern California drivers who hired through third-party subcontractors went on strike due in part to heat issues, noting a lack of “cooling system” in the back of the trucks where packages are stored. At the time, Amazon responded to complaints of broken air conditioning units and repair delays by claiming the responsibility falls on the subcontractors. And that isn’t even touching on complaints regarding the fast pace and limited breaks that drivers say contribute to their inability to stay cool.
Amazon drivers aren’t the only ones suffering in the summer heat. Only around 34% of USPS vehicles have air conditioning, and FedEx drivers may or may not have it depending on whether they are directly employed or hired through subcontractors.. The Teamsters union only negotiated air conditioning for UPS drivers last year, with new trucks now requiring it and old trucks having to be retrofitted to allow for it.
Ultimately, what’s clear is that drivers are struggling in the heat—which only seems likely to get worse as the summer continues. And Maddi’s comments section reflected these concerns.
“Yea fosho I been dying delivering them d*mn packages,” wrote one user.
“I just quit Amazon delivery and got a [commercial driver’s license] so I don’t have to be outside,” another admitted.
@maddispage 😭😭 #fyp #deliverydriver #amazon #summer ♬ original sound – A Virgo Queen
One viewer warned the TikToker to “be careful,” writing, “A heat stroke happens very quickly. Happened to me being a delivery driver.”
“My first day at Amazon was 107 outside,” a further user recalled. “idk how I survived.”
And when someone asked about the lack of air conditioning, Maddi replied, “They ‘have’ it installed, most trucks blow hot air though.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Maddi via TikTok comment and Amazon via email.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
