For Kamille Elizabeth, an Amazon package deliverer in Wilmington, Delaware is a great place to live. She has deliveries to make and rules to follow, but she says she enjoys being on the road alone with what she calls "limited freedom.".
But Elizabeth's work environment is about to change as Amazon announced this month that it has begun putting cameras inside delivery vehicles that will monitor both the road and the drivers.
Road safety experts say monitoring Amazon drivers will bring benefits to road safety. At the same time, drivers like Elizabeth are concerned about the cameras tracking their every move, saying it could even lead to dismissal or serious reprimand.
Amazon (AMZN) said in a recent video that it hopes the new system will give drivers peace of mind while delivering packages, but drivers like Elizabeth say it will make nervous.
"If one thing gets messed up, I'll freak out," Elizabeth told CNN Business. "They'll see it on camera."
Amazon spokeswoman Deborah Bass told CNN Business that drivers won't lose their jobs for a single mistake, but she declined to elaborate on how Amazon will handle the footage. Amazon said that footage from the cameras will only be sent for review in certain situations, such as sudden braking and sharp turns.
Amazon drivers say negative experiences with the company's existing driver-monitoring system are contributing to their concerns. Drivers already use an app called Mentor, which rates their driving by tracking braking, acceleration, cornering, speed and distraction .But drivers who spoke to CNN Business say the app can unfairly penalize them by misinterpreting reasonable driving behaviors.
Juan Ramos, who delivers for Amazon in Garland, Texas, told CNN Business that he likes some of the new safety features of the cameras, such as monitoring for distraction, speed and distance. The cameras could help avoid an accident, he said. But he's heard from drivers who worry they'll get in trouble or lose jobs for what seems like a minor infraction.
Victor Fuentes, an Amazon driver in California, said on YouTube that he hates cameras, as he sometimes needs to break the rules to get his job done quickly.
It remains to be seen exactly how drivers will manage to adapt to the new conditions and how Amazon intends to use the videos.
Source of information: edition.cnn.com
