Amazon sells thousands of products per minute and billions per year. Many of them arrive at the buyer’s doorstep within a day or two.
To reduce reliance on outside carriers like FedEx, Amazon has built a logistics network capable of supporting its huge sales volume. Amazon deliveries are performed by a large fleet of independent contractors—including long-haul truckers and delivery van drivers—that Amazon claims are not its employees.
Because these drivers may not be employed by Amazon, it’s difficult to seek compensation directly from Amazon when one of their drivers causes an accident. But insurance coverage should be available from the driver or the Amazon partner company they work for.
If you were injured in an Amazon van crash or truck crash, you may want to discuss your options with a commercial vehicle accident attorney at Graham Law.
Amazon Logistics: By the Numbers
Amazon does not disclose information about its contractors’ accident rates or safety records. But a look at Amazon’s logistics statistics shows why Amazon-branded vehicles have become a daily sight in our neighborhoods.
- Amazon delivery orders increased from 60 million packages in 2015 to 5.9 billion packages in 2023. That’s the equivalent of 16 million delivery orders per day, 669,000 per hour, 11,000 per minute, and 186 per second.
- Amazon’s branded fleet includes approximately 40,000 semitrucks, 30,000 vans, and 15,000 electric vehicles.
- Over 390,000 drivers deliver for Amazon. They make an average of 180 stops per day and drop off 250 – 300 packages daily.
- More than one-quarter of all packages shipped in the U.S. go through Amazon’s logistics network. Only the U.S. Postal Service has a larger logistics market share.
- An estimated 120 million U.S. households—or 83% of all households—receive Amazon deliveries.
- Amazon owns or leases 22.5 sq. mi. of warehouse space. Ohio has 17 Amazon delivery stations and 16 fulfillment and sortation centers, says the Dayton Daily News.
Amazon Trucking Contractors
Those branded Amazon tractor trailers you see on the highways around Ohio—the ones with the Amazon smiling arrow logo on a blue background—are not actually operated by Amazon.
Although Amazon has bought or leased more than 60,000 trailers since 2015 and owns around 1,400 trucks, the tractor-trailers that haul Amazon’s loads are operated by outside companies.
Amazon freight haulers are part of a fragmented market of local trucking companies that transport cargo for the e-commerce giant. According to the Wall Street Journal, many of the trucking companies that Amazon hires have spotty safety records.
- An analysis by the Journal found that Amazon trucking contractors were more than twice as likely as other trucking companies to receive unsafe driving scores.
- Amazon says that its truck network is safe, but since 2015, companies hauling Amazon freight have been involved in crashes that killed more than 75 people, WSJ reports.
An investigation by The Information identified 53 serious crashes involving an Amazon freight driver. Those crashes caused at least 14 deaths and 60 serious injuries over a recent 3-year period.
Amazon Delivery Van Drivers
Blue Amazon delivery vans have become a daily sight in neighborhoods across Ohio. A recent Amazon report says that the company partners with more than 2,200 U.S. delivery businesses that employ nearly 100,000 drivers.
Like the big rig drivers who haul Amazon freight between warehouses, the Amazon “partners” that deliver packages to customers are not Amazon employees. They are also classified as independent contractors.
Some Amazon delivery drivers are part of the Amazon Flex program, which partners directly with local drivers using their personal vehicles. Others work for a local logistics company that has a delivery contract with Amazon.
These drivers are under intense pressure from Amazon to deliver packages on time. A New York Times report indicates that they are expected to make scheduled deliveries for 999 out of 1,000 packages.
Amazon’s need for speed has a cost: over a 4-year period, Amazon delivery drivers were involved in more than 60 car crashes causing serious injuries, including 13 fatalities, reports BuzzFeed and ProPublica.
According to a study from the Strategic Organizing Center, nearly 20% of Amazon delivery drivers were injured in 2021—a 40% increase from the previous year. The study found that strict production targets and pressure to deliver packages quickly are contributing factors to the high injury rate. It cites a class action lawsuit that claims Amazon delivery van drivers are expected to deliver around 350 – 400 packages per day, per van.
Amazon Truck Accident Injury Compensation
Amazon maintains that it is not responsible for crashes caused by its 18-wheeler or delivery van drivers. In court, Amazon has cited contractor agreements that require drivers to assume full liability for losses related to bodily harm and death.
The WSJ describes how, in typical fashion, Amazon’s lawyers argued in a lawsuit stemming from an 18-wheeler crash that any damages were solely the responsibility of its trucking subcontractor and its driver.
While you may not be able to seek compensation directly from Amazon if you are hit by an Amazon 18-wheeler, insurance coverage should still be available from the trucking company.
Amazon argues that it has little oversight of its trucking contractors’ driving safety. However, lawsuits are challenging whether Amazon can hide behind its partners when they are part of the Amazon Freight Partner program. Although program participants promise to take the blame for accidents, the company may be exposed to liability because it owns the trucks that its partners drive.
Amazon states on its website that, to carry loads for the company, trucking businesses must carry commercial general liability and auto liability of at least $1 million and meet BASIC safety score standards.
Amazon Van Crash Liability
Amazon has successfully pushed back against delivery driver injury lawsuits. A Bloomberg report indicates that in 2021, Amazon Logistics had been a defendant in at least 119 car accident lawsuits in 35 states.
Despite Amazon’s stance on delivery driver accidents, drivers and the companies they work for should have insurance coverage.
- Individual drivers in the Amazon Flex program are required to carry personal automobile insurance that covers them in an accident.
- In addition to personal coverage, Amazon offers its Flex delivery partners an Amazon Commercial Auto Insurance Policy that provides up to $1 million in coverage per accident, as well as uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist coverage and comprehensive and collision coverage. Passengers are not covered by Amazon’s commercial insurance, and the policy is only in effect when the driver is making deliveries and has the Amazon Flex app on.
Amazon Van Crash or Amazon Truck Accident? Talk to Graham Law.
Amazon revolutionized shopping and is an important part of the Ohio economy, operating facilities across the state that create jobs.
But there is a human cost to Amazon’s fast, convenient deliveries. Amazon drivers may struggle to keep up with demand and deadlines. And getting into an accident with a commercial vehicle, like an Amazon tractor trailer or delivery van, raises the chances of serious injuries. These accidents also raise questions about who can be held accountable and what insurance coverage is available.
While direct legal action against Amazon is an uphill battle, this doesn’t mean you are out of options. To discuss how we can help you recover full compensation for your injuries, reach out to Graham Law and schedule a free case review.
