Amazon orders 20000 vans

[bacha29]

You're saying FedEx and UPS no longer use Sprinters in your area? The Sprinters you used were inferior to the current models. Or are you of the opinion companies never learn from their mistakes and make improvements? And their payloads are higher than Ford and Chevy vans. Ford got rid of the Econoline because it couldn't compete and brought in their Sprinteresque Transit.

That's right. They're using just about every other type of vehicle imaginable including pickups with caps .Every once in a while you'll see a USPS unit picking up in town boxes and other utility work but that's about it.
Now out there in Flatland Kansas where surface water ( on occasion when there is some) has to go looking for a place to run to one might work but when you had to take them out onto logging trails. abandoned strip mines gas line right of ways etc they just couldn't hold up.Not to mention always getting them stuck in addition to the nearest dealer 90 miles away and the people who had them were tired of getting mauled for parts and labor.
I know a guy who owned a food company. Had 3 of them . One by one he sold them off and replaced with Fords as quickly as he could find a buyer for them.

 

[bacha29]

Any ground ISP employee is just as eligible for collective bargaining, and fedex isn't going to allow many ISPs to operate 40 routes. Amazon is almost demanding a big operationAnd Amazon's ADPs are not needing to pay hundreds of thousands to buy the job either. So the proprietary rights have limited value anyway. Imagine what you would need to pay to purchase a 40 route ISP operation. It would take decades to pay off. The up-front out of pocket cost to 'buy' into Amazon is $10k. Compare that to the $100k to buy a SMALL ground contract, even if financed.

Yes, Amazon wants you to have more stability, and more in terms of net worth, but I suspect that they will be more selective as to whom they hire. Fedex just wants a warm body without a criminal conviction. The ADP is a management job, not a delivery job. Big difference.

Both fedex and Amazon will face the legal challenge of being co-employers, but since fedex retains the right to uniilaterally void your contract, your so-called proprietary rights have zero real value. IF fedex decides to change their business model, like they have already done once, they can void the contract and pay you off with only a small amount. If fedex decides to go all employee, you can expect a buyout of MAYBE $25k per 'route' like they did when making the switch to ISP, offering a small price.

Granted in one sense of the word your proprietary rights, goodwill and the value therein is controlled by X. It is therefore of upmost importance to take the first offer you can live with and get out.

 

[bacha29]

PS Since there appears to be no goodwill, proprietary rights or protected territories being offered by Amazon then if terminated either voluntarily or involuntarily by AMZN about all you could do is to turn your truck lease back where you got it.
Therefore if the option to buy and take ownership of the trucks at the end of the lease is offered I wouldn't do it. If being required to buy out the trucks there's no way I would sign on with AMZN.
Keep in mind it was only under the threat of an Internal Revenue Lawsuit did RPS grudgingly grant us goodwill and proprietary rights in 1993.
It will be interesting to see if the IRS does the same thing to AMZN if they refuse to grant the same rights to their so called "partners" .

 

[vantexan]

That's right. They're using just about every other type of vehicle imaginable including pickups with caps .Every once in a while you'll see a USPS unit picking up in town boxes and other utility work but that's about it.
Now out there in Flatland Kansas where surface water ( on occasion when there is some) has to go looking for a place to run to one might work but when you had to take them out onto logging trails. abandoned strip mines gas line right of ways etc they just couldn't hold up.Not to mention always getting them stuck in addition to the nearest dealer 90 miles away and the people who had them were tired of getting mauled for parts and labor.
I know a guy who owned a food company. Had 3 of them . One by one he sold them off and replaced with Fords as quickly as he could find a buyer for them.

Used them in AZ too with plenty of rough roads, occasional flooded roads. You're going off your experience with the old Sprinters. Not the same vehicle now.

 

[Jkloc420]

trump

 

[dezguy]

The sprinter assigned to me is 7 years old. Not a sign of rust on it after being through 7 Canadian winters.

 

[bacha29]

Used them in AZ too with plenty of rough roads, occasional flooded roads. You're going off your experience with the old Sprinters. Not the same vehicle now.

In what ways are they different? Besides, how much rock salt , calcium chloride and boride do they put on AZ roads in winter? There are many factors that go into the overall cost of delivery van ownership including operating environment. Once a vehicle gets a wide spread reputation for poor performance it's hard to get rid of it especially if it's a large group of people who experienced the same issues.

 

[bacha29]

The sprinter assigned to me is 7 years old. Not a sign of rust on it after being through 7 Canadian winters.

Assigned to you and owned by you is not the same thing.

 

[STFXG]

Dodge sold Sprinters until Chrysler went through bankruptcy. It was still a Mercedes van. Better motors (no DEF) but those bodies rusted like crazy. Mercedes changed the model in 07 and then started selling them once the Chrysler bankruptcy voided the contract they had with Mercedes. The newer models don’t rust much, but are crazy expensive to maintain. I haven’t owned any of the newer model engines, I switched to Transits, Promasters, and e350 cutaways, but the 3.0 Sprinter is garbage.

 

[bacha29]

Dodge sold Sprinters until Chrysler went through bankruptcy. It was still a Mercedes van. Better motors (no DEF) but those bodies rusted like crazy. Mercedes changed the model in 07 and then started selling them once the Chrysler bankruptcy voided the contract they had with Mercedes. The newer models don’t rust much, but are crazy expensive to maintain. I haven’t owned any of the newer model engines, I switched to Transits, Promasters, and e350 cutaways, but the 3.0 Sprinter is garbage.

The nearest Mercedes dealership to my station is 83 miles away.Wait for an appointment spend most of a day driving it down same bringing it back. They were basically out of service for a week at least. Putting new brakes on required special brake tools that in most cases only the dealer had.

 

[STFXG]

The nearest Mercedes dealership to my station is 83 miles away.Wait for an appointment spend most of a day driving it down same bringing it back. They were basically out of service for a week at least. Putting new brakes on required special brake tools that in most cases only the dealer had.

No special tools needed for a brake job. On the newer models they have to be hooked up to the Mercedes computer in order to do a complete brake flush, but a brake job was simple. Had the same issue here. Would take a few days to even have it looked at. Not enough sprinter techs and the computer costs $10k so most shops didn’t have it.

 

[dezguy]

Assigned to you and owned by you is not the same thing.

But saying even the Mercedes rust out is false. The fleet at my station are mostly all 7 year old sprinters and I can't think of one that has excessive rust on it. Maybe a few with small spots on the doors but definitely not covered in cancer.

 

[Oldfart]

Used them in AZ too with plenty of rough roads, occasional flooded roads. You're going off your experience with the old Sprinters. Not the same vehicle now.

You have a new sprinter to give us your experience?

 

[Oldfart]

Assigned to you and owned by you is not the same thing.

Does rust know if you own it or just drive it?

 

[zeev]

Amazon does not want to own any trucks they lease them to the contractors who actually buy the trucks for them. Maintenance is usually included in lease payment. Trucking companies have been running this scam for years.

 

[Star B]

But saying even the Mercedes rust out is false. The fleet at my station are mostly all 7 year old sprinters and I can't think of one that has excessive rust on it. Maybe a few with small spots on the doors but definitely not covered in cancer.

Hear hear. We have a mix of Sprinters going back to 2011 and none of them are covered in rust and it's Midwest rust belt country here.

Now, ask the same thing about the Econolines we have.... rust everywhere, rear wheel wells rusted into the cargo area. Who needs a weatherproof cargo area? Cardboard soaks up water!

 

[vantexan]

You have a new sprinter to give us your experience?

Why yes, bought one yesterday. What would you like to know? But seriously, drove the new Sprinters in AZ and KS right up til 2017. His experience is based on the old Sprinters. He may also live in a very rural area where maintaining them is problematic. Most people live in metro areas with qualified mechanics. So his experience doesn't really apply.

 

[It will be fine]

Why yes, bought one yesterday. What would you like to know? But seriously, drove the new Sprinters in AZ and KS right up til 2017. His experience is based on the old Sprinters. He may also live in a very rural area where maintaining them is problematic. Most people live in metro areas with qualified mechanics. So his experience doesn't really apply.

I’d imagine Amazon can use some leverage to get service faster than the average Ground contractor. Sprinters can be pretty economical for what Amazon wants to use them for.

 

[Star B]

I’d imagine Amazon can use some leverage to get service faster than the average Ground contractor. Sprinters can be pretty economical for what Amazon wants to use them for.

Wouldn't this be "Step 2" in "Be an Amazon Delivery Contractor" program that was launched a couple of months back?

 

[Fred's Myth]

I’d imagine Amazon can use some leverage to get service faster than the average Ground contractor. Sprinters can be pretty economical for what Amazon wants to use them for.

Express bought 35,000 of them years back, and STILL can't get parts in under a week.

And we're an overnight delivery company!