An inside look at how Amazon trains its drivers ahead for Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day started on Tuesday, but before drivers can deliver packages, they have to first go through rigorous training.
Amazon drivers aren't born, they're made.
In the Baltimore, Maryland, region, every driver goes to the company's delivery station in Glen Burnie for training. Sister station WBAL-TV visited the facility to put the training to the test.
"So, this is the delivery station. It's ultimately the last stop before a package comes to our customers," said Cory Boatman, the facility's manager. "The goal here is to take each newly hired driver through the driver experience, with prioritizing safety as our No. 1 focus. We ultimately want our drivers to go out on the road and be successful in their deliveries, but also do it as safely as possible."
The training modules require focus, determination and drive. The first test is the driving simulator, which has in advanced mode.
"We always want our drivers looking at different populations on the road, different types of motorists, that type of nature. Drivers may pull out of nowhere right in front of you. These are common occurrences that can happen," said Chris Davis, a driver trainer area manager for Amazon.
The next test involves egress training, or hopping out of the truck.
"Egress is specialized in ensuring that drivers understand how many pounds of pressure they're putting on their bodies whenever they enter or exit one of our vehicles," Davis told WBAL.
Then, there's "slip, trip and fall" training, during which trainees wear special shoes and a harness before stepping up to a wet, slippery sidewalk.
Finally, it was the virtual reality customer experience, which tests how to handle unhappy customers and provides tips for avoiding dogs.
Overall, the training lasts two days before trainees are sent out into the real world while shadowing a real driver.
