Amazon is practically synonymous with ecommerce. Thanks to them, millions of products are shipped around the world every day. And of course, truckers deliver these products where they need to go.
There seems to be no limit to Amazon’s growth,even prompting concerns about antitrust and monopolistic practices. And Amazon’s next venture is to dive a bit deeper into the trucking industry. And they plan to do this with their new app.
Amazon’s Version of Uber Freight
How you go about getting a haul depends on whether you’re an owner-operator or a company driver. If you’re a company driver, then you probably leave this up to your company to figure out the contracts.
But if you’re an owner-op, you do this yourself. That means contacting a freight brokerage to going to load boards, looking for hauls that work for you, and sending the business owner an offer.
Amazon’s new trucking app will help owner-operators find loads, and it is designed specifically for those who do business with Amazon. This includes Amazon’s collaborators, carriers, and warehouses. By doing so, Amazon can ensure they keep their carriers busy and their product moving at all times.
The app is currently operating for truckers in the following states:
- Connecticut
- Maryland
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
By developing this app, Amazon has officially branched out into the freight brokerage industry. Further deepening their reach into the trucking industry.
The origins of this move can be traced back to when the ecommerce behemoth first launched Relay. On its own, the Relay app is designed to give a bit more info about the type of loads being hauled from an Amazon warehouse.
Now Amazon combines Relay with its beta freight brokerage app. Although not everyone is able to use the app at this time, it’s clear that Amazon wants a bigger piece of the pie.
How Amazon Treats Collaborators
Millions of shipments each day means loads of profits earned. Sounds like anyone working for Amazon would be pretty well off,right? Unfortunately, more money does not mean happy employees. Or even collaborators.
Unfortunately, there is an ugly truth hidden beneath all those deliveries. Amazon warehouse workers, pilots, drivers, and collaborators tend to get the short end of the stick when doing business with the company. Truckers hauling for the ecommerce company endure long, unpaid load and unload times as well as a low salary in some areas.
Needless to say, poor treatment combined with picking routes for truckers doesn’t seem like a good mix.
What do you think? Will the ease of finding freight for the ecommerce giant outweigh the costs of doing business with Amazon? Let us know in our forums.