diff --git a/packaging/docker/run_ycsb.sh b/packaging/docker/run_ycsb.sh
index 0f7896201f..deb065a728 100755
--- a/packaging/docker/run_ycsb.sh
+++ b/packaging/docker/run_ycsb.sh
@@ -1,23 +1,16 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-set -Eeuo pipefail
+set -Eeuxo pipefail
 
 namespace=$(cat /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/namespace)
 POD_NUM=$(echo $POD_NAME | cut -d - -f3)
 KEY="ycsb_load_${POD_NUM}_of_${NUM_PODS}_complete"
 CLI=$(ls /var/dynamic-conf/bin/*/fdbcli | head -n1)
-if [ ${MODE} != "load" ]; then
-    echo "WAITING FOR ALL PODS TO COME UP"
-    while [[ $(kubectl get pods -n ${namespace} -l name=ycsb,run=${RUN_ID} --field-selector=status.phase=Running | grep -cv NAME) -lt ${NUM_PODS} ]]; do
-        sleep 0.1
-    done
-    echo "ALL PODS ARE UP"
-else
-    if ${CLI} --exec "get ${KEY}" | grep is ;
-    then
-        # load already completed
-        exit 0
-    fi
-fi;
+
+echo "WAITING FOR ALL PODS TO COME UP"
+while [[ $(kubectl get pods -n ${namespace} -l name=ycsb,run=${RUN_ID} --field-selector=status.phase=Running | grep -cv NAME) -lt ${NUM_PODS} ]]; do
+    sleep 1
+done
+echo "ALL PODS ARE UP"
 
 echo "RUNNING YCSB"
 ./bin/ycsb.sh ${MODE} foundationdb -s -P workloads/${WORKLOAD} ${YCSB_ARGS}
@@ -27,7 +20,3 @@ echo "COPYING HISTOGRAMS TO S3"
 aws s3 sync --sse aws:kms --exclude "*" --include "histogram.*" /tmp s3://${BUCKET}/ycsb_histograms/${namespace}/${POD_NAME}
 echo "COPYING HISTOGRAMS TO S3 FINISHED"
 
-if [ ${MODE} == "load" ]; then
-    ${CLI} --exec "writemode on; set ${KEY} 1"
-    echo "WROTE LOAD COMPLETION KEY"
-fi