Though consumers aren’t adding holiday gifts to their carts quite yet, shippers across the country are in the thick of preparations for the upcoming peak rush: getting ahead of inventory, securing carriers, and ensuring they have enough labor in place.
At Amazon Freight, we’re getting ready too and helping our customers plan ahead. Here’s what else we’ve been up to these past few months.
Talking and tackling theft and fraud
An area we know of concern for our customers and the entire freight industry is cargo security. It’s an issue impacting shippers, carriers, end customers, and everyone in-between. It’s also why Amazon Freight joined a gathering of freight experts for an event about theft and fraud earlier this month.
Hosted by the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies, the day brought together key industry leaders from the freight sector, including Amazon Freight General Manager Ari Silkey. These participants discussed the scope and severity of cargo security, examined actual case examples, and explored new approaches for preventing and addressing criminal activities.
Silkey shared some of Amazon’s approaches to combatting the problem. This includes what we’re doing before a load even hits the road and our extensive validation system to oversee our 50,000+ vetted carriers. At pickup, we use selfie verification tools that compare the driver’s image against their stored profile while simultaneously validating their geographic location. And in transit, our tracking uses multiple tools to ensure load visibility, and door sensors distinguish between authorized access and potential breaches.
A critical area that Silkey and others dove into was the importance of collaboration between the freight industry and law enforcement. Information sharing and communication are key. Silkey shared an example where Amazon aided law enforcement’s investigation into an alleged organized crime syndicate. Our information helped lead to the arrest of 13 affiliates for a range of federal crimes, including the theft of $83 million of Amazon cargo.
It was just one event but a helpful day of discussions and collaborations to galvanize the industry’s fight against theft and fraud. You can learn more about Amazon’s work around cargo security here.
Accelerating your freight
The place to be for Amazon sellers last week was the Accelerate conference. The event is Amazon’s largest gathering of sellers to learn how to grow and optimize their businesses.
Amazon Freight was there to show how our freight trucking services can move goods inbound to Amazon facilities quickly and efficiently. Our team of dedicated transportation consultants met with sellers big and small to understand their shipping needs and point them in the right direction to move their freight.
One highlight was when Abel Guillen, Head of Amazon Freight Inbound Account Management, took to the stage. Guillen shared how sellers are tapping into our new inbound less-than-truckload (LTL) offering and the service they get as an Amazon Freight customer. “My team of consultants works closely with sellers every day,” Abel told the audience. “It doesn’t matter if you’re shipping two loads a month with us or twenty – we tap you into the speed and reliability of the Amazon network and treat your freight like our own.”
We were at Accelerate alongside our partners in Amazon Shipping who were there to explain their small parcel delivery service to sellers. They took the stage as well to talk about making smart shipping decisions, navigating the supply chain, and optimizing fulfillment.
Advancing freight technology recognized by FreightWaves
Innovations in freight have little value unless they actually deliver for customers. That’s the approach of Amazon Freight and it has been recognized by a leading voice in the industry. On September 22, FreightWaves named Amazon Freight to their FreightTech 100, the list of the most innovative and disruptive companies in the freight technology sector.
Amazon Freight joins a diverse group of companies, including established industry leaders and emerging innovators, all working to shape the future of freight transportation and logistics. The selection reflects our ongoing commitment to our customers by developing technology-driven solutions that enhance the efficiency and reliability of freight operations.
This is just the first phase of the awards. Looking ahead, the top 25 companies from the list will be announced in October at the F3: Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Amazon Freight team will be in attendance meeting with shippers and industry leaders. Ari Silkey will be there as well to give a keynote presentation, Small steps, big impact: The unseen innovations making the Amazon transportation network run for customers.
As the freight industry continues to transform through technological advancement, we look forward to contributing to its evolution alongside the other innovative companies named to this year’s FreightTech 100.
