Local Amazon station marks 3 years, 21 million deliveries — and counting - East Idaho News
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Local Amazon station marks 3 years, 21 million deliveries — and counting

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An Amazon delivery driver filling up a van with packages. EastIdahoNews.com took a tour of the Idaho Falls delivery station, which you can watch in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS – The Amazon delivery station in Idaho Falls is celebrating three years of operation and the delivery of 21 million packages in east Idaho.

Austin Empey, the site’s general manager, says he’s elated to be celebrating this milestone. He invited EastIdahoNews.com to tour the 105,000-square-foot facility, which you can watch in the video player above.

During its first day of operation, Empey says his crews delivered around 500 packages. Today, the station is delivering more than 30,000 packages a day.

“That equates to almost a million packages a month, depending on which month it is,” Empey says.

Aside from the holiday season, Empey says the largest volume of packages is shipped on Amazon Prime Day, which usually happens in July. Other peak shipping and delivery times happen during back-to-school, spring break and other holidays.

RELATED | A look inside the new Amazon delivery station in Idaho Falls, and how packages arrive at your door

Empey says his team of drivers completes more than 100 delivery routes a day. From the Idaho Falls warehouse, packages are delivered to St. Anthony; Mud Lake; Dubois; Montpelier; Afton, Wyoming; Pocatello; Idaho Falls; Blackfoot; McCammon; Malad and everywhere in between.

The warehouse has a fleet of about 40 electric vans in addition to its 60 gasoline-powered vans. About 50 charging stations were installed as part of that purchase. The electric vans have a range of about 150 miles, Empey says, and are used in deliveries closer to Idaho Falls.

The delivery station acquired the fleet of electric vehicles in November 2025, ahead of the holiday season, as part of Amazon’s climate pledge to be carbon neutral, Empey says. The fleet has also resulted in cost savings on fuel.

“They’ve been performing very well out there on the roads in the cold and wind,” Empey says.

Packages waiting to be put on vans and shipped to customers' homes. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
Packages at the Idaho Falls Amazon delivery station waiting to be put on vans and shipped to customers’ homes. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Empey says most packages arrive at the Idaho Falls warehouse from Boise or Salt Lake City, overnight between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. From package arrival at the warehouse to its delivery, Empey says there are seven or eight steps involved.

The unloading crew puts packages on a conveyor belt and a shelf, where they’re assigned a route and put in bags. The drivers haul a cart of packages into the van before delivering them to customers’ homes.

“Drivers have a GPS system that has their route built into it. They hit ‘next stop,’ take a photo once they drop the package off, and continue on,” he says.

The Idaho Falls warehouse is one of five Amazon delivery stations in Idaho. There are two in the Boise area, one in Twin Falls that opened in November 2024. A Sandpoint location opened in November 2025.

As the Idaho Falls warehouse celebrates its three-year anniversary, Empey says their goal is to keep getting better. They aim to deliver packages as quickly as possible, especially those marked for same-day delivery.

“Being able to do this as efficiently and safely as possible for our drivers is … our big push this year,” says Empey. “I’ve been with Amazon for eight years now, all over the country. It’s fun to come back to my hometown and run this delivery station and serve my neighbors, friends and people I grew up with. It’s great to be back!”

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