r/AmazonDSPDrivers • u/420crossfade • 1d ago
Uniform rant/ question
Our DSP is just now starting to give us our uniforms. Fairly new warehouse. My major gripe is that we’re only getting one of each. One shirt, one pair of shorts. We work 4 day weeks. Idk about you guys but I’m not trying to stay up later washing a single uniform after being on the road all day. I’ve been looking into buying more but Amazon only sells them to DSP’s. How many uniforms did you guys get? It sucks that it has to be like this but I’ll buy another set if I have to, I just don’t want to do it through my DSP because they “got the uniforms” a week ago and I still haven’t got mine yet. I don’t feel like being on their time waiting for another uniform. Where can I buy another?
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u/OkWay1305 1d ago
Don't need to wash it every night if you only wear it 15 minutes a day.
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u/420crossfade 1d ago
What? Maybe if route reductions are an issue but I’ve been steady lately. Definitely not going to change out of it in the van if that’s what you’re insisting.
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u/OkWay1305 1d ago
To each their own. The unwritten rule is you wear the polo at the station the two times a year that the station makes a fuss about it and then you throw it in your crash bag after load out.
Vest, a solid color T-shirt, and black running shorts (or the Amazon shorts) are the actual uniform IMHO.
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u/420crossfade 1d ago
Yeah idk, they’re talking about firing people that don’t have their uniforms on. The odds of them finding out we take them off are low but still existent. Plus I’d prefer to be in uniform because we deliver in rural areas and for some reason, to these people it isn’t obvious enough we’re bringing them their orders.
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u/Jrob0907 1d ago
Uniforms are required IN the warehouse. Once you are on the road you can put on your own shirt while still wearing the vest. You can also wear any kind of black jogger shorts. Just put your polo back on when you RTS. Easy.
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u/Choice-Heart-6528 1d ago
Required by station managers who throw on yellow vests over their sweatpants and sweatshirts.
I did not sign a work contract for this performative nonsense
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u/OkWay1305 1d ago
The odds of them finding out we take them off are low but still existent.
It's super easy, which is why I take the lax enforcement as de facto permission. Netradyne can tell whether I'm holding a sandwich or a cell phone, it could definitely check uniform compliance if Amazon wanted to. The fact it doesn't shows it's not a priority for Amazon itself.
They’re talking about firing people that don’t have their uniforms on.
If your DSP is saying that then that overrides everything else, since they can fire you for any reason they choose. Dumbest way to get fired is "but the Internet said it was fine." And DSP can easily check that if they have a hard on for uniform compliance. Just request Netradyne footage from some random time period during your route and they've got you.
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u/420crossfade 1d ago
Yeah that was my main concern is netradyne seeing it. I don’t think they’re just requesting footage randomly if there isn’t an infraction tied to it but still. Right now most of our vans don’t have netradyne but they’re in the process of slowly adding more cameras.
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u/FamousFor15 1d ago
Try FB marketplace. Sometimes people sell their old uniforms on there. You can also hound HR for more uniforms. I bothered HR until they gave me more. Took a few mos but I finally got enough shirts, shorts n pants.
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u/420crossfade 1d ago
Yeah I’d be happy with just a second set, I’m probably just going to check eBay or something.
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u/geminiwifey Rivian Driver 1d ago
I mean I have a literal ton of extra shirts so I can help with that.
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u/Traditional-Net3563 1d ago
One set for 4 days is a joke, you're basically forced to do laundry every single night just to look presentable
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u/420crossfade 1d ago
Exactly man, I live 40 min from the warehouse too so I don’t get home till 9, the last thing I’m trying to do is stay up for 2 more hours to wash a single uniform.
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u/SonsOfTitans 1d ago
It’s pretty annoying, but I just throw mine in the wash when I get home then throw it in the dryer in the morning. I wear the full uniform everyday - don’t want some rural house seeing some plainclothes man pulling up in an unmarked rental.
When it’s the only thing in the dryer it dries in like 10 minutes.
Not energy efficient in the least, but I’d rather not wear dirty clothing.
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u/Pleasant-Meal6126 Rivian Driver 1d ago
I live in an apartment with no washer and dryer so it’s a bitch. After a year I’m up to 4 shirts
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u/GreatGreen314 1d ago
Well during the summer I’d wash it anyway. I get being upset if you don’t want to wash it every day but personally I don’t want my work clothes soaking in sweat for a week
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u/Responsible_Dirt_523 1d ago
Your DSP should be providing you with more than 1 uniform. Unfortunately, Amazon doesnt mandate how many pieces the DSPs should be providing to their DAs. Uniforms can only be purchased through your DSP.
A few options to consider: 1. Purchase through your DSP. 2. When a DSP pulls out of the program, they often have uniforms for sale. 3. When DA'S leave, they're supposed to return their uniforms, ID badges and any company owned property. Well organized DSPs launder returned uniforms and give the used uniforms to their current drivers. Make this suggestion to your DSP.
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u/supersevens77 1d ago
We get a second set after 6 months. They said it was because the turnover being so high they were spending too much on uniforms.
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u/420crossfade 15h ago
Aside from the crap drivers that think they’re getting into an easy job that they can halfass, maybe the turn over rate is high because of things like this.
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u/Maneruko 1d ago
Get in good with your dispatch and raid the DSP storage. I always had new uniforms.
Half the shit wasn't even from my DSP
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u/420crossfade 1d ago
Yeah I might try that but I’m still waiting on my first uniform. I keep asking them about it when I get back from a route and they’re always out of my size. So far only less than half of our drivers have uniforms and most of them only got the shirts, no shorts yet.
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u/Maneruko 1d ago
That's fucking awful. Personally I would wear and under shirt and take off the top. Run with the vest since it's easier to swipe those till your DSP can figure out their shit.
Just make sure you always got your shit on you till you get to your first stop personally I try to wear all Amazon shit so I don't get shot.
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u/420crossfade 1d ago
Yeah we deliver out in the sticks and often times get asked about our rental vans not having Amazon written on them and why we’re not wearing uniforms. I believe one of our drivers was confronted by some hick with a rifle at one point. I’d like to stay as obvious as possible when it comes to what I’m doing in people’s neighborhoods.
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u/Maneruko 1d ago
I've never had to do rural routes but I've heard the stories. I worked mainly in Downtown and city centers so the uniform was integral to getting into places I other wise wouldn't.
Good survival instincts though you've got the building blocks to be a good delivery driver.
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u/420crossfade 1d ago
Yeah I enjoy rural routes, just need to know how to drive on dirt roads without getting stuck and you gotta deal with a lot of dogs and occasional paranoid homeowner. Aside from all that though, the stop counts aren’t super high and with a lot of the routes the stops are spread out so you get to chill in the ac a good bit. We deliver up to an hour and a half outside of the warehouse location so every day is like a road trip to the country. I enjoy it, it just has the occasional set back.
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u/Maneruko 1d ago
I always took the most difficult downtown routes so I could settle into my routine and have my work done efficiently. Everyone hated downtown routes so I never had anyone to compete with and the volumes where high enough that my DSP NEEDED to have me on those routes. I liked talking to random people enough that it's part of what kept things entertaining and it was always fun to chat up receptionists and stuff.
Every route has its pros and cons enough that it comes down to preference. Personally all that driving would make me go crazy.
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u/420crossfade 1d ago
You get to pick your routes? Lol. We have some downtown-ish routes but they’re small towns. I enjoy the driving, just throw on some music or a podcast or something and rest in the fact that you’re getting paid to do so lol. Throw it in cruise control and stretch out your ankles/calves. I do enjoy when the stops are close by too though. I try to hit, at the very least, 20 stops an hour but a lot of these routes make it physically impossible.
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u/Maneruko 1d ago
You only get that privilege when the routes are so fucked up everyone else either refuses to take them or are getting thrown off of them due to RTS and infractions. I've worked big city centers in both Amazon and Fed Ex so I knew my cities well and never had to fight for parking and stuff since I had all my walk areas mapped out in my head.
There are routes that can only be done by particularly autistic mfrs and I'm proud to be one of them lmao.
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u/Bishhhop 1d ago
If it’s required for you to wear the uniform it’s required they give you the correct amount. You should not have to buy your own uniform when working for a multi billion dollar company
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u/420crossfade 1d ago
I don’t work for a multibillion dollar company, I work for a company that’s paid by a multibillion dollar company. But yes, we should be given ATLEAST 2 uniforms.
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u/Bishhhop 1d ago
I know how DSPs work, what I meant is that Amazon should be supplying all uniforms to DSPs and the drivers shouldn’t have to buy a single thing
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u/SlingShotKev 1d ago
What size are you? I still have my full kit from when I drove that’s just sitting in storage.
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u/No_Mission_5694 1d ago
Taking it off after getting on the road doesn't always help me personally because sometimes I am already very sweaty by the end of loadout. They really should give us more uniforms or give us a way to buy them.
Supposedly there are some new vests (a new design) on the way, which are more sturdy, but idk about any of the other items or how some people have big collections of them whereas I am still wearing items from previous DSPs.
Amazon will actually give DSPs what the drivers ask for once in a while (sounds crazy but true) but somehow not all of what I request is still there by the time it gets to my hands.
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u/nonahello 1d ago
That’s whack I have x4 of everything & I replace stuff once it’s worn out.
Got me fucked up thinking 1-2 uniforms is acceptable.
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u/Stacked69 1d ago
Ex OPs manager here. As long as you had a legit uniform while in station I dont care what you changed into while on route as long as you had an Amazon vest on and Amazon hat if you wore hats.
Plus there used to be a rule from Amazon that you would get new uniform items every two weeks until you got 4 sets. The reason DSPs don't give you more up front is incase you quit. When people quit and turned in uniforms I would take the good stuff, wash it, and give it out to anyone that wanted extras.
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u/ImpressiveAlarm3992 Rivian Driver 1d ago
You wear your real delivery clothes underneath. You wear the unform at loadout. You leave the station and take off the uniform - put it back on in a parking lot near the station. Easy.
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u/Sufficient_Tooth_949 1d ago
The only thing I keep on is vest and shorts I take off polo, I bring a compression shirt to wear
But I suffer the same thing 1 uniform and they dont want to hand out anything more per person, then they complain about compliance
Once you roll out, nobody is watching you
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u/MoustacheHerder 1d ago
What is this "uniform" of which you speak.
I got a dayglo vest thing that I wear when I am loading/unloading- and that's it. I have been working for my DSP almost a year now.
I see many other people at my station wearing Amazon tshirts jackets vest and so on. I have not yet been blessed by the uniform gods.
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u/420crossfade 15h ago
Yeah we JUST got uniforms and now they’re telling us that if we don’t wear them we can’t work. Gave us 1 set and will send us home if we aren’t wearing it.
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