The careless hiring of “hazardous” drivers and trucking firms by Amazon, according to a family, led to the unfortunate deaths of a father and husband on Interstate 80 in Sweetwater County.
The complaint claims that two years ago, as Daniel DeBeer was travelling down I-80, an Amazon tractor-trailer jumped the median and struck oncoming traffic head-on. The horrific crash took the life of DeBeer, 33. The Amazon driver has had two accidents in the span of four days, both of which had him driving directly into the median.
Amazon is accused of hiring “unfit, unskilled, unvetted, untrained, and/or unsafe drivers and trucking businesses” in order to deliver goods swiftly and affordably, according to the complaint filed on February 28. Grant H. Lawson and Joseph P. Chenchar, two lawyers in Casper, filed the complaint on behalf of DeBeer’s wife Kimberly and their three sons. An Amazon spokeswoman claimed that the business was constrained in what it could say due to the current dispute.
Extra-rapid delivery, which occasionally ensures that customers will receive their purchases within hours, is a hallmark of Amazon. In order to accomplish this, the business combines owned and branded “Prime” personnel and equipment with a wide-ranging network of independent contractors. The lawsuit claims that even though delivery deadlines are frequently “unrealistic” for drivers, they nonetheless risk fines for missing deadlines.
This puts pressure on truck drivers to perhaps behave unsafely, such as driving when tired or distracted, pushing through adverse weather conditions, and operating malfunctioning equipment. According to the lawsuit, any drivers with the necessary tools, insurance, and motor carrier authorization may apply to transport goods for Amazon. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration simply cannot give them a “unsatisfactory” rating.
The lawsuit claims that a loophole jeopardises the already lax safety requirement. Several of Amazon’s carriers are recently established trucking firms that are “unrated,” which means they have never undergone a compliance evaluation. No such regulation prohibiting their hiring exists at Amazon.
This also makes it possible for a group of trucking firms known as “chameleon carriers” to operate before having their motor carrier authorization withdrawn. These chameleon carriers just carry on business under a new name until their motor carrier authorization is once again withdrawn.
According to the lawsuit, Amazon is also charged with targeting those start-up businesses with false and exaggerated marketing that suggest they can earn $300,000 annually. Critics assert that it is a recipe for carnage on the roads and is not unique to Wyoming. Around the nation, Amazon drivers have rendered hundreds of individuals permanently crippled or dead.
Alexis Boutilier is from Vancouver, British Columbia. She has a high interest in all things tech and loves to stay engaged on all the latest appliances and accessories.