Amazon has launched its delivery service, known as Amazon Flex, which hires independent drivers for delivering its products to its customers. So, all the drivers on the road who deliver Amazon packages without any uniform are workers for Amazon Flex. Regarding income, Amazon Flex is a very nice service. But due to increasing number of drivers on the road, getting a job at Amazon Flex is quite challenging, primarily because Amazon does not hire drivers for this position very often. Let’s take a close look at Amazon Flex driver job.
##The job of an Amazon Flex driver
A driver for Amazon Flex picks up ordered packages from Amazon’s stations and delivers them to the customers, with the help of navigations from Flex app. The income is around $18 to &25 per hour. A driver has to work in shifts which come in four-hour blocks. The blocks are often scheduled before the usual time, as per availability.
##Basic requirements
For applying at Flex, you have to be at least twenty-one years old. You should have a social security number. You should be having a four-door sedan, a van, or a pickup truck. Also, you should have a smartphone with a modern version of Android or iOS. Once you are sure that you fulfill these requirements, you can apply for the job by visiting flex.amazon.com.
Apart from these basic requirements, you need to pass in a background verification of your vehicle, which will be conducted by Amazon, and also show a proof of your vehicle’s auto insurance.
##Specifications set by Amazon for your vehicle
For driving, you should have a four-door sedan, a van, or a pickup truck. It doesn’t matter whether you own it, leased or it is rented; As long as you have valid paper works for it, it is acceptable. Cars with two doors will not be accepted, as they are usually not large enough for fitting all the packages which you will be assigned to your shift.
##Flex’s background check
Before finalizing you for the job, Amazon Flex conducts a background checking on your driving record and your vehicle. It mainly checks for any felony or significant criminal violation. If there is an issue such as violence or theft in your history, you will be disqualified from your job. They will also conduct a record check on your vehicle to see if there is any major driving violation on your record.
The background inspection usually takes two to five days, but it might take longer than that. In case you do not get a reply from Amazon for more than five days, you can contact Amazon Flex’s Support to know about your current status.
##Income of drivers working at Amazon Flex service
Drivers working at Amazon Flex usually make around $18 to $25 per hour. The amount of a driver’s payment is determined by the time of your shift, the region and the difficulty of the shift. The pay is made via direct money deposit twice every week. An advantage of Flex’s payment method is that unlike other driving or delivery services, they inform you the exact amount of payment you will receive right when you are signing up for the journey. All the upcoming and past scheduled payments can be viewed inside the Flex app.
##Bonuses and Incentives offered by Amazon Flex
Amazon also occasionally offers incentives and bonuses to the drivers, based on their activities and performance. Although currently there is no permanent system for incentive or reward, still it is better to keep your eyes out for such offers and opportunities.
##Steps to apply for Amazon Flex
The process for applying at Amazon Flex is quite easily understandable. First, you need to download the Flex app from the link flex.amazon.co.uk/download-app. Then you need to check if your state or city us currently accepting a driver. If there are open slots, then you will need to fill in your name, device and vehicle details. In case there is no empty slot, you can still sign up and be notified for an empty slot.
After this, you need to enter your Social Security Number (SSN) and apply for the background check. Finally, you need to provide your bank account details and tax information. This completes your job application. After this, you need to watch nineteen training videos which describe your job and make you aware of the usage of the app to deliver packages. To check for your current status of an application you need to sign into Flex app. Once your background inspection gets completed, you will get mail from Amazon saying that you have been accepted to work at Amazon Flex as a driver. Now you are ready for scheduling your first delivery shift.
##Types of shifts you can claim
After being finalized by Flex, new options appear in your Flex app. There is a menu called Offers where you will get to schedule all your shifts. There is an area where you can select dates when you are willing to and able to go for a four-hour shift.
• Guaranteed shifts
You can apply for Reserved Offer, which is a type of shift that’s been temporarily set aside as per your current availability. You have the provision to accept the reserved offer, within a deadline date.
• Drop in shifts
Once Next Day shifts become available, you can choose them. They are in very high demand. Make sure you do not miss your previously reserved offers. Currently, there is no way for being notified of any new offers. Hence, you will have to keep regularly checking in order to pick up new shifts.
##Types of deliveries made by Amazon Flex drivers
Although the Flex app informs you about the types of orders which you will be doing and the details of them, still it is better to know about the work beforehand and thus be prepared for it.
A Prime delivery is a regular package delivery.
A Prime Now delivery is comparatively more timed delivery and usually arrives in bags, unlike regular ones which come in boxes. An Amazon Locker delivery is made to particular Amazon lockers which are quite similar to Post Office boxes. For those types of shipments, you need to scan your package, on which a door will pop open and then you have to deliver your package and shut the door.
For food orders made from restaurants, you have to segregate the food as per their condition; hot food has to go in warm bags, and cold food has to go in a different container.
There are also merchant pickups which are not made at pickup stations but a merchant.
##Special cases of delivery
For some deliveries, you have to make sure of certain conditions.
For an attended delivery, the customer, or any other authorized attendant must be there during the journey.
For delivering an alcohol product, the recipient or customer has to show a proof of his/her age. You will have to scan the ID of the customer into your app, or in some cases manually fill in the ID detail.
For delivering the chilled or frozen product, you need to put the delivery of a special cool bag, which will be containing a dry ice to maintain the cold temperature of the product. Once you have made the delivery by removing the package from the box, you need to return the dry ice.
##The job’s experience
All your activities relating to your job will be initiated and summarized in the Amazon Flex app. To match up with the different steps for all parts of the complete process, you have to stay alert and keep your Flex app opened on your phone to know what you have to do.
You should periodically check your shifts to know about your next pickup station’s location. Once you arrive at the location, swipe on the option ‘I’ve arrived’. Scan all the packages and one by one load them into your vehicle. Using the Flex app, you will be navigated to all the drop-off locations. Look for any special instruction or note from your customer. In order to get the gate code for any delivery, you will have to call up the customer. For any inconvenience, while delivering the package, you need to use the Help option available in your Flex app. If despite taking help from Support or from the customer you are unable to deliver the product, you need to tag the package as undeliverable. On seeing that you can make a delivery, you have to scan the product and place the same in a safe place. Once you have completed all the deliveries, you can finish your shift for the day in your Flex app. You need to return all the undelivered products to the respective pickup station.
##Reasons that can get Amazon Flex driver deactivated
Some actions of yours can cause immediate deactivation of your job at Flex.
If you have not scheduled any shifts for over six months, you are considered inactive, and Amazon will deactivate you. Also, if you are late for your shift, missing out on your scheduled rides, stealing or damaging the packages, failing to deliver the packages, providing a bad service to the customer or getting too many complaints from the customers, you will be fired from the job. So it is better to follow proper protocols and to take appropriate care of the products, and thus try to provide an excellent service.
##Upsides of Amazon Flex
On an overall basis, Amazon Flex is considered to be one of the best available options of all the open on demand jobs. The payment is much better than jobs of Lyft, Uber and other delivery apps. You will always be notified of the amount of payment you receive for every Flex shift. By working for Lyft, Uber or other delivery apps, a driver can be expected to be making around $10 to $15 per hour. Some amount of that earning also goes on certain other expenses such as taking care of the looks of your vehicle, decorating your interiors and spending on things to take care of your rider or passenger. But Flex offers a comparably higher amount of pay.
##Downsides of Amazon Flex
One major downside of the Amazon Flex job is the fact that shifts are not static. Getting shifts for work is at times quite challenging. You have to continually check for any shifts in your app and wait until there is a shift available, unlike other delivery and rideshare apps where you just have to sign on and keep working.
Also at times, some issues regarding your packages, deliveries or any software or networking issue with the app can turn out to be quite frustrating, as it breaks the flow of the process. There have also been situations when drivers have had a problem figuring out the proper navigations to get to the delivery location, identifying the right apartment, elaborate or office building, and finding a suitable place for parking their vehicle. Such challenges make the shift length, and the job harder.
##Should you work for Amazon Flex?
The ultimate decision of whether or not you will be able to deliver for Amazon Flex is to be taken by you. Consider all the factors mentioned above, especially the upsides and the downsides, and find out if you are actually meant for the job.
If you like to work for a job where you would like to interact with your customers, where you have constant shifts available, or where you want to be occupied throughout the day, regardless of the payment you get, then probably this job is not for you. But if you do not want to communicate much with people, where you do not wish to continuous long work hours, and want a right amount of payment at the end of your shifts, then Amazon Flex is the perfect job for you.