What's Up With Amazon Prime Movers

I've noticed an alarming trend on the road. I've seen it in videos. This week, I witnessed it while driving.

Drivers hauling Amazon Prime trailers are using the shoulder of the highway to pass other drivers. It's a disturbing trend and terrifying to witness first-hand.

Last Monday while driving the speed limit on route 90W in the Cleveland, Ohio area, a driver used the shoulder to pass me on the right. Not five minutes later another driver passed using the left shoulder to get around the already speeding 4-wheelers in the fast lane. Dust and debris were flying everywhere, cars were swerving and jamming on the brakes as they scrambled for their lives and to make room for the driver to get by them.

How and why in the world are they doing and getting away with this?

It will catch up with these idiots eventually. A cop will stop them for a citation; they will run out of shoulder and stick it in the soft dirt; they will clip somebody with a camera in the legal travel lane; they will run over debris for a flat tire. Or they will encounter somebody that takes it to a serious "road rage episode". Every winter I see many of their contractors crashed.

From the majority of the Amazon drivers that I have seen (both skills and equipment), that company has lower hiring standards than many companies, but there are other outfits with similar traits and dangerous tendencies. I always expect an Amazon truck to do something dumb, so I'm extra cautious anywhere near.

I had FedEx Ground drivers pulling doubles at night pass me on left and cut me off in right lane with very little if any safe distance.

This happened 3 times. I always backed off my speed 2-3 mph to let them pass quicker and they still cut me off.

I had to brake one time because the driver was moving into my lane before he had fully passed me.

When I do resume driving I’ll be extra vigilant for these guys giving them plenty of space.

I’ve never seen a truck/trailer pass on the shoulder, but I probably will at some point. I have seen cars do this and the last time I witnessed this another car up ahead must have seen the offending vehicle coming in his rear view mirror and pulled out to block the “shoulder” driver. No accident happened, but it was a dangerous situation. This same scenario could easily happen to a semi driver who takes to the shoulder. Of course, these drivers are motivated by the need to make Jeff Bezos more money. Scary trend.

It's because Amazon sets unrealistic delivery windows and penalizes them for being late. A guy that used to work here drove for one of their contractors, he said Amazon calculates the minimum run time with zero delay and being able to maintain like 65mph average. According to him and what I've seen online they will load you late then penalize you if you don't make delivery on time.

Plus they don't pay great either from what I hear, so they do not attract the best contractors. OD was supposed to do business with them but couldn't come to terms on a rate. According my terminals sales people what Amazon expects to pay is " laughably low" and " not sure how anyone can make money".

I remember back in the early 2000's when I trained, all Texas drivers said "you can pass on the shoulder in Texas". And drivers did. I ignored it b/c we were governed at 65 and I doubt any truth to it. No reason to try and pass. Of course we had a joke that we could only pass "JB Hunt" they were governed at 62.

Wall Street journal had a story about a month ago that talked about Amazon contractors. At the time I read it free but just tried to pull it up again and you need a subscription for it. Other websites gave the basics if you search for it though including a driver that was pulled over and had their crack pipe fall out in feint of the officer. Amazon uses 50,000 different trucking companies and about 1300 of them have an unsatisfactory rating with the DOT. I've definitely seen Amazon contractors do a ton of really unsafe stuff but it makes me wonder if it's similiar to what we say about swift. With the amount of drivers on the road pulling their trailer you're bound to see stupid unsafe behavior. I've heard the same things Bobcat mentioned about Amazon demanding too much that possibly increases unsafe behavior. Most trucks I see pulling their freight have definitely seen better days. Oddly enough, last winter I didn't see as many Amazon in the ditch as previous years. Also for some reason I35 down to KC Amazon is usually doing 55 to 60 mph (overnight hours). I80 on the other hand out to Davenport they'll fly by me like I'm standing still even tho I'm doing 70.

The first time it happened to me, it scared the crap out of me. Yes it was an Amazon contractor. I am prepared for stupid passing on the left. I never thought I'd have to prepare for stupid on the right (in a governed truck) from anything but merging traffic.

I've noticed an alarming trend on the road. I've seen it in videos. This week, I witnessed it while driving.

Drivers hauling Amazon Prime trailers are using the shoulder of the highway to pass other drivers. It's a disturbing trend and terrifying to witness first-hand.

Last Monday while driving the speed limit on route 90W in the Cleveland, Ohio area, a driver used the shoulder to pass me on the right. Not five minutes later another driver passed using the left shoulder to get around the already speeding 4-wheelers in the fast lane. Dust and debris were flying everywhere, cars were swerving and jamming on the brakes as they scrambled for their lives and to make room for the driver to get by them.

How and why in the world are they doing and getting away with this?

It will catch up with these idiots eventually.

I hope so.

I always expect an Amazon truck to do something dumb, so I'm extra cautious anywhere near.

Me as well.

Me too, and me neither. I was awestruck. When I saw it coming, I canceled the cruise control, dropped into jake-1, and let him go right by me.

I am prepared for stupid passing on the left. I never thought I'd have to prepare for stupid on the right (in a governed truck) from anything but merging traffic.