2 ms·

I’m against excessive engine idling as much as anyone but when I read about Amazon drivers being guilty of this it did make me stop. We already know they have i

I’m against excessive engine idling as much as anyone but when I read about Amazon drivers being guilty of this it did make me stop. We already know they have insane targets each day and drivers are pushed to the limit enough that they piss in bottles. I imagine leaving the engine idling is a rational choice they’re making to be able to drive away quicker once that delivery is done. Yes it’s awful but they’re just responding to the incentives given.

mFixman 5y ago
If you are an Amazon driver and everyone else keeps engine running, then your results will always be below your peers unless you break the rules. If the city cracks down in idling then either Amazon will relax the targets or nobody will fulfill them.
bradleyjg 5y ago
There’s definitely an element of hypocrisy in all this. I don’t think all the people that foisted paper straws on us have forgone Amazon deliveries. On the contrary I bet the demographic are disproportionate users.
tzs 5y ago
> I imagine leaving the engine idling is a rational choice they’re making to be able to drive away quicker once that delivery is done. Yes it’s awful but they’re just responding to the incentives given. There might also be mechanical reasons. First, according to what I've read stopping and then starting puts more overall wear on the vehicle than idling unless we are talking about a long time between the stop and start. Second, if they are going to spend all day alternating between short delivery stops and short drives to the next delivery they might have to worry about whether or not the battery would be able to handle all those starts. The short drives might not be enough to replenish the energy from the battery that was used for the start.
franga2000 5y ago
As others have said, this provides a counter-incentive, but more importantly: why can't we fix both? We wouldn't make stealing legal because some people do it out of desperation - we can keep stealing illegal and at the same time take measures to ensure people don't need to steal to survive. Same with this.

mFixman 5y ago

If you are an Amazon driver and everyone else keeps engine running, then your results will always be below your peers unless you break the rules. If the city cracks down in idling then either Amazon will relax the targets or nobody will fulfill them.

bradleyjg 5y ago

There’s definitely an element of hypocrisy in all this. I don’t think all the people that foisted paper straws on us have forgone Amazon deliveries. On the contrary I bet the demographic are disproportionate users.

tzs 5y ago

> I imagine leaving the engine idling is a rational choice they’re making to be able to drive away quicker once that delivery is done. Yes it’s awful but they’re just responding to the incentives given. There might also be mechanical reasons. First, according to what I've read stopping and then starting puts more overall wear on the vehicle than idling unless we are talking about a long time between the stop and start. Second, if they are going to spend all day alternating between short delivery stops and short drives to the next delivery they might have to worry about whether or not the battery would be able to handle all those starts. The short drives might not be enough to replenish the energy from the battery that was used for the start.

franga2000 5y ago

As others have said, this provides a counter-incentive, but more importantly: why can't we fix both? We wouldn't make stealing legal because some people do it out of desperation - we can keep stealing illegal and at the same time take measures to ensure people don't need to steal to survive. Same with this.