Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

Amazon offers truckers an app for expedited check-in at DCs

Amazon Relay could help drivers maximize hours of service under ELD regulations, analyst says.

Online retailing colossus Amazon.com Inc. has launched a smartphone app that offers truckers expedited check-in at its DCs, a service that could save drivers crucial time as the industry prepares to comply with the federal electronic logging device (ELD) mandate.

The Seattle-based e-tailer has not publically announced the product, but at the Google Play app store, the company said its "Amazon Relay" app was meant to help truck drivers save time at Amazon Fulfillment and Sort Centers by checking in online before they arrive.


Drivers who are either picking up or dropping off cargo at Amazon facilities can use the free app to pre-register their loads and get gate passes delivered to their phones, according to Amazon. Once they have generated that gate pass, drivers can display the quick response (QR) code, also known as a three-dimensional barcode, to quickly move through the warehouse gate and gain access to reserved lanes, the company said.

In a note to investors, the investment firm Baird Equity Research said the Amazon Relay app could be effective at streamlining inefficiencies in the pickup and delivery process. The federal mandate that most trucks use ELDs is scheduled to come online on Dec. 18, enforcing tighter accounting on how drivers count their hours-of-service availability behind the wheel. Under that increased scrutiny, carriers, brokers, and shippers will all be looking for ways to maximize drivers' productivity within that legal window, Baird said.

While Amazon describes the app as being merely a tool to streamline the flow of trucks to and from its DCs, industry figures have long been wary that Amazon may have greater ambitions. Some brokers worry that Amazon could develop an "Uber for trucking"-like app and open its vast logistics network up for use by external, non-fulfillment customers. That suspicion was reinforced in 2016 when the company referred to itself in a government filing as a "transportation service provider."

The Baird memo found that the Amazon Relay app in its current form could not supply such full-fledged truck brokerage capabilities, but that it still marked a potential threat to displace incumbent truck brokers. "The app seemingly stops short of introducing broader 'truck brokerage' capabilities, though such additional capabilities could be added to the application over time," Baird Senior Research Analyst Benjamin Hartford said in the note. "That said, we note that the functionality of the app at present, given initial reviews, appears to be very rudimentary."

The Latest

More Stories

a collage of bioelements packaging
Photo courtesy of Bioelements Group

Composting isn’t just for food waste anymore

The next time you buy a loaf of bread or a pack of paper towels, take a moment to consider the future that awaits the plastic it’s wrapped in. That future isn’t pretty: Given that most conventional plastics take up to 400 years to decompose, in all likelihood, that plastic will spend the next several centuries rotting in a landfill somewhere.

But a Santiago, Chile-based company called Bioelements Group says it has developed a more planet-friendly alternative. The firm, which specializes in biobased, biodegradable, and compostable packaging, says its Bio E-8i film can be broken down by fungi and other microorganisms in just three to 20 months. It adds that the film, which it describes as “durable and attractive,” complies with the regulations of each country in which Bioelements currently operates.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

2024 International Foodservice Distributor Association’s (IFDA) National Championship

2024 International Foodservice Distributor Association’s (IFDA) National Championship

Truckers, warehouse workers get some love

It’s probably safe to say that no one chooses a career in logistics for the glory. But even those accustomed to toiling in obscurity appreciate a little recognition now and then—particularly when it comes from the people they love best: their kids.

That familial love was on full display at the 2024 International Foodservice Distributor Association’s (IFDA) National Championship, which brings together foodservice distribution professionals to demonstrate their expertise in driving, warehouse operations, safety, and operational efficiency. For the eighth year, the event included a Kids Essay Contest, where children of participants were encouraged to share why they are proud of their parents or guardians and the work they do.

Keep ReadingShow less
zebox office photo

Tech incubator Zebox lists top 10 logistics startups

The logistics tech firm incubator Zebox, a unit of supply chain giant CMA CGM Group, plans to show off 10 of its top startup businesses at the annual technology trade show CES in January, the French company said today.

Founded in 2018, Zebox calls itself an international innovation accelerator expert in the fields of maritime industry, logistics & media. The Marseille, France-based unit is supported by major companies in the sector, such as BNSF Railway, Blume Global, Trac Intermodal, Vinci, CEVA Logistics, Transdev and Port of Virginia.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trucking industry experiences record-high congestion costs

Trucking industry experiences record-high congestion costs

Congestion on U.S. highways is costing the trucking industry big, according to research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), released today.

The group found that traffic congestion on U.S. highways added $108.8 billion in costs to the trucking industry in 2022, a record high. The information comes from ATRI’s Cost of Congestion study, which is part of the organization’s ongoing highway performance measurement research.

Keep ReadingShow less

From pingpong diplomacy to supply chain diplomacy?

There’s a photo from 1971 that John Kent, professor of supply chain management at the University of Arkansas, likes to show. It’s of a shaggy-haired 18-year-old named Glenn Cowan grinning at three-time world table tennis champion Zhuang Zedong, while holding a silk tapestry Zhuang had just given him. Cowan was a member of the U.S. table tennis team who participated in the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan. Story has it that one morning, he overslept and missed his bus to the tournament and had to hitch a ride with the Chinese national team and met and connected with Zhuang.

Cowan and Zhuang’s interaction led to an invitation for the U.S. team to visit China. At the time, the two countries were just beginning to emerge from a 20-year period of decidedly frosty relations, strict travel bans, and trade restrictions. The highly publicized trip signaled a willingness on both sides to renew relations and launched the term “pingpong diplomacy.”

Keep ReadingShow less