Amazon vans may be New York City's latest mark in a crackdown on shipment services

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Amazon vans may be New York City's latest mark in a crackdown on shipment services

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Amazon-branded shipment van alongside illuminated headlights parked at a curb on a city street.

Amazon's shipment vehicles are creating hazards on New York City's streets, new data suggest. Bloomberg/Getty Images

Amazon is making New York City traffic additional dangerous, according to new data compiled by an assistance group.

Vehicles that provision Amazon packages throughout the city received complete 14,000 citations for violations between July 2020 and June 2025, including blocking emergency vehicles, obstructing blaze hydrants, and speeding in academy zones, stated a study from The Alliance for a Greater New York. The study is according to data collected by the city.

The study drew assistance from one New York City authoritative as the city continues its crackdown on shipment services under Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Most recently, the city inked a $131.5 myriad settlement alongside DoorDash final week complete the company's pay practices.

Many of the workers driving the offending vehicles are autonomous contractors through an Amazon Delivery Service Partner, a third-party distinct from the e-commerce giant. The workers frequently deteriorate Amazon-branded apparel and must continue an Amazon-conducted backdrop inspect to do the job.

"But whenever workers objection concerning hazardous conditions, Amazon points them to their DSP," the study reads. "And if an Amazon van is liable for a traffic crash, the casualty may sue Amazon for damages, but Amazon could contend that lone the DSP is to blame."

An Amazon spokesman stated that the business plant alongside DSPs "to advance harmless shipment practices, from hands-on controller training to in-vehicle safety technology." The business has trained approximately 110,000 drivers through its Last Mile Training Academy, for instance, anywhere drivers study to safely run a shipment vehicle.

DSPs are liable for making certain that their drivers prosecute traffic laws — and have to assume the expenses whenever drivers incur violations, the spokesman said.

Amazon is additionally investing in alternatives to traditional shipment vehicles, specified as cargo ebikes and on-foot delivery, the spokesman said.

The violations were general throughout the city's five boroughs, the study said. They additionally engaged 637 conveyance licence plates.

Vehicles affiliated alongside Amazon were additionally the topic of approximately 13,000 idling incidents complete the identical five years, the study said. New York City allows residents to study business vehicles that idle for too long, and the city evaluates the complaints.

The findings item to a danger that Amazon's shipment example brings to New York City's streets, Samuel A.A. Levine, Commissioner of New York City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, said.

"The data is clear: an economics that rewards exploitation and shields mighty corporations from duty causes genuine damage to our communities," Levine said, in a statement.

Levine urged the passage of the Delivery Protection Act, a recommendation before the New York City Council that would necessitate companies akin Amazon to immediately employ the workers who provision their packages.

Amazon opposes the measure, according to testimony that the business submitted in April.

Do you have a narrative idea concerning Amazon's shipment operations? Contact this newsman at [email protected] or via encrypted messaging app Signal at 808-854-4501. Use a individual email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing data securely.

Alex Bitter is a elder retailing newsman covering Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, and connected companies. His safety ranges from the experiences of gig workers to what's happening inner the world's biggest ride-hailing and shipment companies.Alex has additionally written concerning the retailing and food industries. Convenience shop sequence Sheetz ended its "smile policy" following his reporting. Alex lives in the Washington, DC, area, anywhere you can discover him studying ancient coins or searching for Civil War artifacts alongside his metal element detector in his liberated time.Got a tip? Reach out at [email protected] or via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 (808) 854-4501.

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