Amazon's third-party sellers can now select their preferred trucking carrier when sending LTL and truckload shipments to the company's U.S. fulfillment centers, according to an Aug. 9 announcement.
Sellers can choose from a list of Amazon-partnered carriers via the "Send to Amazon shipment creation workflow." The offering allows Fulfillment by Amazon and Multi-Channel Fulfillment sellers to replenish inventory and create shipments in one place.
"Once you make your selection, we’ll show you the estimated capacity-backed pickup dates that are available for each carrier and the associated transportation cost," Amazon said in the announcement. "If you decide not to select a new carrier, your choice will default to the lowest-cost carrier provided by Amazon."
Amazon-partnered LTL and TL carriers provide discounted rates to eligible sellers. To use them, sellers must offer a forklift and a dock to place pallets on a truck, along with the ability to accommodate a 53-foot trailer at the pickup location.
Sellers choosing which partnered carriers they prefer can reference Amazon-provided data for more effective decision-making, per an Aug. 22 announcement.
The company's carrier performance list features metrics such as on-time delivery rates and no-show percentages, which are updated weekly. This allows sellers to identify carriers that meet Amazon's operational standards and to make informed decisions about logistics partners, the company said.
"We encourage you to use this data in your transportation planning," Amazon said.
Amazon is arming sellers with more flexibility and knowledge on what carriers to use for inventory transport to facilities as it works to improve overall inbound fulfillment efficiency and speed.
“The goal is for our operations teams to have a better sense of what inventory — and how much of it — is coming in, which will allow them to align that inventory to what customers in that particular region want and need, helping to make our whole process more efficient,” Worldwide Amazon Stores CEO Doug Herrington said in a post earlier this year.
