Whenever Amazon needs to transport goods between its numerous fulfillment and sorting centers, it relies on a number of trucking partners across the country, and while that’s not going to change any time soon, the company has taken the first steps towards becoming self-sufficient in this regard. Just in time for the holiday shopping season, the company has purchased thousands of its own, Amazon-branded trailer trucks, which will allow it to have more control over how its goods are transported, which in turn will allow it to make deliveries even faster.
Amazon just purchased thousands of its own, Amazon-branded trailer trucks to transport products between its various fulfilment and sortation centers, the company announced Friday morning. Although Amazon works with other trucking partners, and will continue to do so, the new trailers will help Amazon increase its shipping capacity. Before Amazon made its announcement, Re/code’s Jason Del Rey reported the news, and notes that Amazon only bought the trailers, and not the actual tractors that will pull them. For their first delivery, the trailers will be packed with Amazon-crafted care packages which will get shipped to soliders abroad who can’t come home of the holidays. The new trailers align with Amazon’s increasing desire to take control of its fulfillment process to make it as fast as possible. Last month, Vice reported that it appeared that Amazon was testing out air transportation services in Ohio. As the company expands its Prime and Prime Now delivery services — which deliver packages in two days and a few hours, respectively—it has started partnering with independent contractors and local couriers over UPS and FedEx, and Del Rey reports that former employees say the goal is to circumvent the two eventually.
