Delivery drivers are often in the news, whether for going above and beyond or for the antics of a few getting caught on doorbell cameras. Newsweek reached out to A4DD for comment on one particular Reddit Post that has generated quite a discussion online about what drivers face on a daily basis. While the post appears under the “Malicious Compliance” community, A4DD sees nothing “malicious” in how the driver apparently responded to getting yelled at for doing his job well.

To summarize, a driver was delivering a large 350-pound trampoline into a residential neighborhood on a long, dead-end street in a heavy truck. After scanning the wide, quiet street that he felt confident he could make it to the home and turn around, saving the owner a lot of work vs. dropping off at the corner.  While backing slowly into a driveway to turn, a man appeared and began “yelling and swearing” at the driver for entering the neighborhood, accusing the driver of putting children at risk. He never asked about all the ways the driver was monitoring the area for pedestrians.

The man berating him was the owner of the trampoline.  Without getting visibly upset, the driver explained why he was there, and stated he would heed the man’s wishes and leave, returning to the far corner to drop off the boxes there per the delivery contract specs..  The man would have to find a way to shuttle the heavy boxes back to his home.

Newsweek wanted to know whether A4DD felt that drivers “should go the extra mile, or comply to regulations, such as outlined here, even if they have an unfavorable outcome.”  Here is our response:

“Delivery drivers are hard-working service providers who deserve to be treated with respect. These drivers have made it possible for our communities to get through the COVID-19 pandemic and routinely go above and beyond for customers. When drivers are threatened or receive unwarranted verbal abuse, the safest course is to politely stick to the basic requirements of the delivery contract. There’s nothing ‘malicious’ about that, and no driver should be criticized for following the rules. People should understand that larger goods may be delivered in larger vehicles. When people have concerns about how a driver is doing their job, A4DD urges them to ask questions before condemning or yelling. Let’s treat one another as we would like to be treated by others when we’re doing our own jobs.”

Let us know if you would have responded any differently.  Email is at [email protected] or post to one of our social media accounts using the social media icons on the right-hand side of the screen.