The health and safety of our employees and partners is our No. 1 priority—and has been since day one. Get to know three of Amazon's dedicated transportation team members who have grown their careers with a safety-first mindset while delivering smiles for Amazon customers.
Adis Danan, president and founder, JoyRide Logistics
Adis Danan came to the U.S. from Bosnia when he was just 18 years old, learning English in two months by working as a dispatcher for a small trucking company. When he helped launch his own company called JoyRide Logistics in 2014, he knew he wanted to recruit drivers who would bring the same work ethic to the job as he did.
"I am an immigrant who came to this country with just $15 in my pocket," said Danan. "As we started to ramp up hiring of drivers at our company, I knew I wanted to bring in hardworking people who were eager to learn, just like I was."
Today, JoyRide Logistics employs more than 50 drivers who haul dedicated freight for Amazon with a fleet of more than 100 trucks, and they have driven more than 7 million accident-free miles transporting freight on Amazon's behalf—the equivalent of driving around the Earth at the equator 280 times. Danan works hard to ensure his team is made of the very best drivers, with strong training, technology, and resources to help them operate JoyRide's fleet.
"We rarely post ads to hire drivers anymore—typically, we source drivers with the strongest safety records we can find from across our own networks. We want to make sure we bring people into our company who have the same values we do when it comes to safety," Danan said.
Danan also relies on his strong partnership with Amazon to ensure his drivers are equipped with Amazon's Relay technology, which helps drivers navigate their routes safely based on their type of commercial vehicle, bypassing low-clearance bridges, weight-limited routes, residential areas, and other hazards.
"The partnership with Amazon has been amazing. I have had experience with many shippers who don't even want to listen to their small carrier partners, but Amazon has an open-door policy where we speak to them every single week. They complement our shared values on safety and strive to make our relationship better and better," Danan said.
John B. Graham, closer, Stubbs Logistics
John B. Graham has a nickname at Amazon's Wixom delivery station outside of Detroit, Michigan.
"They call me Uncle Jo Jo," he laughed. "It has become a source of comradery among our team, and I absolutely love it."
As a former social worker of juvenile justice issues with at-risk kids and families for more than 25 years, Graham has become a regular go-to for Delivery Service Partner (DSP) drivers as they return from their routes. Graham works as a closer, ensuring vehicles go through thorough interior and exterior safety inspections when they arrive back at the delivery station. Often, the drivers approach Graham to talk to him about their days delivering packages for customers.
"Most of the drivers know that I worked for the state of Michigan as a social worker for many years," he said. "I often find myself engaging with them about their work on the road as a driver. I love to hear about their stories, what their day is like, and their families. We often end up talking about the kids—I guess that's a bit of carryover from my time as a social worker."
Graham's friendly demeanor and engaging approach have made him an invaluable fixture on the Stubbs Logistics team. It's a role he's grateful for. When he initially applied, the owners of Stubbs Logistics were flexible in offering a position that fit his needs. Coming off a long career in social work, he wanted to work part time, and they offered him the position of closer.
Graham stays busy with monitoring all 40 to 50 of Stubbs Logistics' vehicles. But his favorite part of the job? "I have the gift of gab! I embrace the relationship I have with our drivers. They are so special to me, as are Mr. and Mrs. Stubbs [the DSP owners] and other supervisors and managers on our team. I love working as a team member and team leader and am so grateful that this job allows me to do that."
Nick Gallina, operations manager, Bison Peak Logistics
After relocating to Colorado from Florida in 2020, Nick Gallina saw a job posting to become an Amazon delivery driver as a chance for a fresh start.
"I figured this was a good way to get on my feet as I decided what I wanted to do next," said Gallina. "Well, the universe always provides."
Bison Peak Logistics, one of Amazon's DSPs, hired Gallina as one of the company's first five delivery associates last September. Given his natural ability to coach others, they immediately tapped Gallina to help other new drivers learn the ropes.
"We had a new guy who needed more training, so I met with him to give him more hands-on coaching as he gained experience," he said. "Within two days, he was ramped up and driving at full capacity."
Within a month, Bison Peak Logistics promoted Gallina to operations manager, just in time for the holiday delivery season. With COVID-19 in full force, Gallina got creative finding ways to engage his driver team and share information. Tapping into his film production background, he produced YouTube video segments on
to reinforce safety reminders and goals that could be shared among the team via social media.
As the DSP grew, Gallina also helped oversee the rollout of new camera-based safety technology across its network of delivery vans. Gallina saw this as an opportunity to continue to onboard and train new drivers learning how to operate Amazon vans and deliver customer packages safely.
"We always try to shadow our new drivers, as that hands-on coaching is really helpful. Even beyond the shadowing phase, we can rely on this technology to give us a big-picture look at where we need to improve, look at the data together with our drivers, and coach them on even minor behaviors that can help them become safer drivers," he said.
Gallina continues to reinforce his team's safety mindset that has kept their drivers safe while delivering for Amazon customers.
"We are a driver-centric team, and safety is our number one priority. We always tell the team to 'drive like it's not your vehicle, stay as safe as possible, and deliver for customers.' And with that guidance, all of our drivers have come back safely to us."
