Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyer
Who is actually driving that Amazon truck?
It’s easy to assume that the person behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler or other large truck bearing Amazon’s name and logo is a company employee. However, this is almost never the case. In fact, it is far more likely that the driver works for one of the thousands of third-party companies contracted to transport products from factories and warehouses to Amazon distribution centers across the country.
While its approach to so-called “middle-mile” deliveries has allowed the nation’s largest online retailer to quickly scale its operations, a recent CBS News investigation suggests that this system could also be increasing the potential for serious and even fatal Amazon truck accidents.
57 Deaths Linked to Amazon Crashes
In just the last two years alone, at least 57 people have been killed in more than four dozen Amazon truck crashes that involved a driver making middle-mile deliveries.
Ideally, an 18-wheeler, semi-truck or box truck would be helmed by a seasoned commercial driver with a spotless record and the training and experience to safely handle a big rig. However, according to the recent CBS analysis of Federal Motor Safety Administration (FMCSA) data, monthly driver violation rates – — such as speeding and texting while driving — for the transportation contractors handling Amazon’s middle-market deliveries were usually double those of carriers that didn’t transport for the company.
In fact, during the six-year period included in the analysis, average unsafe driving rates for carriers shipping for Amazon were at least 89% higher every month.
“I was stunned,” said Jason Miller, a professor at Michigan State University who is an expert in supply chain management. “I’ve published many articles using these data. You do not see effects like this normally, where you have a set of carriers that is almost twice as unsafe as a different set of carriers.”
Are Missed Warning Signs to Blame for Fatal Amazon Truck Accident?
Amazon mandates screenings for the contracted drivers who deliver packages directly to customers’ homes, but it relies on the FMCSA to ensure its middle-mile contractors meet federal standards. Under the regulator’s rules, any transportation contractor dispatching commercial vehicles with a gross weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds must conduct background checks on every prospective driver. However, unsafe truckers with poor records do occasionally end up behind the wheel of an Amazon truck.
That appears to have been the case on January 3, 2022, when a car driven by 19-year-old Iliana Velez was forced off the road by a trucker on his way to pick up an Amazon shipment. The Texas State freshman and Houston resident died instantly when her vehicle rolled over multiple times.
According to CBS News, Amazon had already rejected Jordan Sannicola’s application for its home delivery service because he failed a background check. Yet his history of felonies and poor driving record did not stop North Carolina-based Take Flight with B from hiring him to haul the retailer’s freight. Upon his arrest four weeks after the deadly Amazon truck accident, Sannicola even admitted to using a handheld mobile device when he crashed into Valez’s car.
How Does Amazon Hold Contract Carries Accountable?
A lawsuit filed by Valez’s mother alleges Amazon was “fully aware” of Sannicola’s background when he was hired by Take Flight. According to the complaint, the Relay phone application Amazon uses to monitor driver location and performance even identified his unsafe driving behavior, including 70 different speeding violations, yet Amazon failed to act.
“One mistake cost someone’s life, and that was my daughter’s, and her life was just getting started,” Valez’s mother told CBS News.
Amazon apparently does impose consequences on contract carriers that run afoul of federal trucking regulations, including permanent suspension. In fact, Take Flight with B is among roughly 19,000 that have faced such disciplinary action. Amazon confirmed to CBS News that the company was suspended in the wake of the Texas tragedy, and the company has since gone out of business.
However, according to Jason Miller, Amazon’s efforts to keep tabs on its transportation contractors might not be enough, considering the size of its middle-mile network.
“The more you are essentially having your freight hauled by hundreds, if not thousands of small young firms, that makes it much more difficult to ensure those firms are operating safely versus a more – what we call strategic procurement model, where you may have a few very large carriers that you work with that handle a lot of freight.”
Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers: Call 1-888-603-3636 For a Free Consultation.
Our Undefeated Truck accident Lawyers have won billions, including Record-Setting Verdicts and Settlements and #1 Largest Recoveries in Texas, for thousands of crash victims and families throughout the United States.
If you or a loved one were hurt in an Amazon truck accident or any other trucking-related crash, please call 1-888-603-3636, use the form on the right or click here to send us a confidential email.
Your consultation is free, and because we only work for a contingency fee, you won’t pay us a dime unless we win your case.