# Scheduling Amazon Flex



## smallbrownghost (Apr 20, 2016)

Hi guys,
I just got approved for Amazon Flex in Las Vegas and had a couple questions about scheduling I couldn't find on the board.

A) How early/late do shifts go until? I work a job during the day(10-4) and am hoping to get in a couple hours before I start there.
B) Is scheduling like Grubhub where you pick up blocks at a certain time each week or is it where you give availability then they schedule you?

Sorry if these questions have been answered already but I've been going through the board for a little while and didn't see anything. Thanks for your help.


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## nighthawk398 (Jul 21, 2015)

for dallas we grab shifts at 10pm the previous day not sure what Vegas is like I only go there for vacations


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## ??? (May 27, 2016)

Same in Doral every night at 10 pm local time available blocks are posted for the next day. Blocks are 4 hours in length and there're two ways to get blocks either update your available time in the app's calendar and they MIGHT auto schedule you and or check every night at 10 pm for available next day blocks.

The earliest I've seen a block posted in Doral is 9:30 am and the latest I've seen a block scheduled for in Doral is the 3:30 pm to 7:30pm block. I might be wrong but I think this might be the last block because the warehouse closes at 8:30 pm. The good news is they are open 7 days per week so if you can not do it during the week there is always the weekends.


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## nighthawk398 (Jul 21, 2015)

??? said:


> Same in Doral every night at 10 pm local time available blocks are posted for the next day. Blocks are 4 hours in length and there're two ways to get blocks either update your available time in the app's calendar and they MIGHT auto schedule you and or check every night at 10 pm for available next day blocks.
> 
> The earliest I've seen a block posted in Doral is 9:30 am and the latest I've seen a block scheduled for in Doral is the 3:30 pm to 7:30pm block. I might be wrong but I think this might be the last block because the warehouse closes at 8:30 pm. The good news is they are open 7 days per week so if you can not do it during the week there is always the weekends.


I guess in Doral they don't offer same-day delivery like they do in Dallas cuz we see 6 p.m. shifts


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## ??? (May 27, 2016)

nighthawk398 said:


> I guess in Doral they don't offer same-day delivery like they do in Dallas cuz we see 6 p.m. shifts


They do offer same day block pick up I forgot to mention it . And as I said earlier I could be wrong about the 3:30 pm - 7:30 pm block being the last it's possible there are later blocks.


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## J.F.R. (Jun 10, 2016)

??? said:


> Same in Doral every night at 10 pm local time available blocks are posted for the next day. Blocks are 4 hours in length and there're two ways to get blocks either update your available time in the app's calendar and they MIGHT auto schedule you and or check every night at 10 pm for available next day blocks.
> 
> The earliest I've seen a block posted in Doral is 9:30 am and the latest I've seen a block scheduled for in Doral is the 3:30 pm to 7:30pm block. I might be wrong but I think this might be the last block because the warehouse closes at 8:30 pm. The good news is they are open 7 days per week so if you can not do it during the week there is always the weekends.


Can you explain scheduling blocks? I just place my availability 6-12 everyday and havent had any blocks given too me?


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## UTX1 (Dec 7, 2015)

nighthawk398 said:


> for dallas we grab shifts at 10pm the previous day
> 
> -----> not sure what Vegas is like I only go there for vacations


...and to make deposits, hopefully withdrawals


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## UTX1 (Dec 7, 2015)

Now, this is completely unofficial and your mileage may vary, but
the scheduling pattern appears to be at a hard 40 hour per week cap.

That's the information I'm collecting from any of the regulars.
Most of us don't talk too much about it anyway, just gabbing while waiting on routes.
I went over the 40 this week (6/1 - 6/7) , but it was because I just showed up unscheduled 
and asked for a route. Just taking what I could get at the 2200, I noticed sure enough that
the blocks became "elusive" after I'd booked my tenth 4hr slot. That's 5 days with 8 hours.
Anything over that is becoming "discretionary" and it's really hit or miss, based on the site.
Sometimes you can, sometimes you gotta go grab your shine box.

The 2 - four hour block-per-day cap seems to be a fairly hard cap though.
Since you can't schedule the blocks and have them overlap, you have to
generally do like hit 9am to 1pm then 1pm to 5pm and THEN 5pm to 9pm 
(or even a 6pm ). Something like that. You may find the 5 or 6 pm block
is not available to your account if you've already done the 8 hours already.

There are some who will have no problem doing this. Others will not be allowed
to schedule this way if their life depended on it. It should make anyone consider
the obvious question: why him or why her and not me ? why can he do that
and I can't. This is almost what it feels like to be sent to the back of the bus,
or use a segregated bathroom. Not quite that bad, but you start to feel like
someone's trying to tell you how the cow ate the cabbage and you're not diggin' it.

And it's not FIFO. You'll be told it is, but it's not. It's more like **** 

I honestly couldn't raise these points as such with any ownership, as the
pushback would result in retaliation. Why would I want that? It's not even
my ox that's getting gored, it's my neighbor's ox and they're goring him left and right.
There's no "i" in team, but there's an "m" and an "e". So, I do intend to get paid.

But, if you'll allow me to hide behind these bushes over here and tell you
what I can see over that hill, maybe some won't walk right into the open
where the arrows are flying. If that makes sense....aces ! Else, no problem. 

The caps aren't anything new. Depending on the station, 
drivers have been dealing with various time caps for a while now.

Best of all, this stuff is like the weather. It will change. 
By next month, they could have the caps down to 20 hours
and back to one block a day or they might be allowing 60 hours.
I don't know anything anyway. Forget it.


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## nighthawk398 (Jul 21, 2015)

Its going to be a busy weekend, plan on lots of same day packages today and tomorrow for Dads Day


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## UTX1 (Dec 7, 2015)

nighthawk398 said:


> Its going to be a busy weekend, plan on lots of same day packages today and tomorrow for Dads Day


PRIME will likely be very busy. 
DDA1 will have (for the time being) a 2 hour 7-9pm dot com Flex route.
1700 stays the same. 1800 (what little there is) stays the same for now.

Expect _"challenging attributes" _in scheduling the 5, 6, or 7 PM routes
IF you have already worked 8 hours (2 shifts) in a day. Tried today and
was unable after the 2nd block. I chose not to ask for it on the sly because 
eventually that card will get burned if I use it too often. It puts the shift asst,
whom ever it might be, in a position of ordering drivers he may not need
for that block. If he does it too often, and I could see that happening with
some of us grabbing every block we can get by hook or crook, eventually
the on-site staff will get some type of limit imposed on them as well.

They can't work that way, so the run of the risk to add too many 
"valued delivery partners" on the schedule, especially the same ones
over and again each and every day probably can't continue much longer.

Almost 300 route a day at this site alone. A great deal of it is now being
delivered by Flex drivers. Hundreds of drivers in this city alone.

Interesting aside.... Amazon has "created" all these jobs practically out of thin air.
Postal contractors and other entities were delivering these same routes about
this time last year. More or less, all they've done is move existing volume from those
delivery service providers and given it over to their own name-branded contractors.

Whereas no good deed goes unpunished, there is a future consideration.
When the bloom falls from the rose and the honeymoon goes sour and the lawsuits start to pile up
over whatever issue the mass populace will begin to sue Amazon over, no different than Uber,
there will be thousands and thousands of these people, just among the 20 active cities,
may be even more by then and hopefully those who surface and come forward will
pick an issue that has some teeth in it, so some case law standards can be established.
Hopefully some issues that are litigated, argued and won will have a positive and significant
impact for the Flex model going forward. Just a matter of time. Let's all be patient.....tick tock..


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## nighthawk398 (Jul 21, 2015)

UTX1 said:


> PRIME will likely be very busy.
> DDA1 will have (for the time being) a 2 hour 7-9pm dot com Flex route.
> 1700 stays the same. 1800 (what little there is) stays the same for now.
> 
> ...


well I watched a video where the Amazon said they can't really tell us what time to deliver our packages as independent contractors

watch this and tell me what you think






make sure you listen to what is said in the first 2 minutes


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## CarmenFlexDriver (Jun 21, 2016)

Ok....didn't know there was this many flex threads here. Not hijacking all your threads guys. 
Video was good and had some good tips too about routes. I have to say, I feel for you Seattle guys.
I thought traffic here in south florida was bad but nothing compared to you guys deal with. 

So, i'm going to be happy about my situation here. Most of my deliveries are in one or 2 gated communities.
I get in and don't come back out, no traffic to deal with.


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