80,000 trailers and counting: Amazon Freight’s capacity reaches new heights

Well, that's when the PTSD...or uh the NTSB
will become involved. Perhaps then, something will be done.

I'm still upset at the Amazon driver who pulled onto the shoulder of highway 99 in California with his trailer end still in the lane. Even though it was dark outside, it scared the daylights out of me.

 

Equal to swift.
I don’t know now but back in the day when I was power only I pulled Amazon trailers, the pay was good and the trailer where better than Schneider’s

 

But trains can't go everywhere.

 

I never said they could.

Less amazon drivers on the road for any amount of time is win.

 

The last time they paid well on the open market here in the US was about 11-12 years ago. Back then they relied on a lot of mid sized and large carriers to drop trailers at their locations. In the busy season leading up to the holidays it was great money everybody would get it on it. You book power only loads and go run their freight on whatever midsized or larger carrier's trailer they'd have you hook to.

The rate would pay double, triple or more if a really hot one was needing to go. You would take the load to the destination drop the loaded trailer then hook to an empty and were contracted to take that back to the start point. This was peak so what we'd do was book something solid going back that way instead of just going empty even though the rates more than covered the empty move back...

But then they got tighter control over their logistics and eliminated that kind of waste. Took over the brokering themselves and ditched all other middle men. Bought or leased tens of thousands of trailers themselves. Contracted with cheap megas like JB Hunt to do home daily routes for their drivers. They got their own trucks, not exactly employees of Amazon, but contracted so they have all of this available cheap capacity that the never had from the beginning in the late 90's until about 2015. They control those costs and beat them down to nothing.

So if they have a warehouse anywhere near you there in Australia it's probably a similar situation. If it's not it won't be long before it is. They're not worth working with anymore. Just a bunch of cheap freight.

 

thanks mate, you describe it as exactly I imagined it unfortunately. It seems the bigger they get the more control they want for more profits usually at others expanse, even though sales are going through the roof. They tell you what the price is, not accept your quote, and pass all responsibility and costs onto you.

Think I have talked myself out of enquiring haha

 

Amazons business model for hauling is simple.

after 2021 they shifted to signing up just about anyone who applied. This ment the companies hanging by a thread applied and concentrated on Amazon, soon as they where fully devoted to Amazon, Amazon started lowering prices when contracts was introduced.

meaning this.

Amazon simply milks companies on their way out. Squeezing the last drop out of failing companies.

 

I said this a few months ago. The next time you park at a truckstop, take a look around. Observe what trucks are pulling dry vans. The lion’s share of the trucks will be pulling dry vans. The dry van freight market has been oversaturated with companies for a few years now,partly because of the pandemic.

 

don’t forget this coming generation that’s turning 18 isn’t equipped to drive trucks or even live the hard work lifestyle. This opens the door up for either migrants (which has been happening) or gooberment regulations allowing autonomous trucks.

think about it.

if autonomous yards take over, what job can a yard jokey do? Most likely Drive local or regional. Hell he already knows how to back a trailer like a pro and that’s majority of the jobs requirement.

when yard jockeys start moving into local or regional, what happens to those (local) drivers? They move a class up and the domino effect continues.

AI replaced workers
Workers forced into other jobs
People at other jobs now forced to compete with lower wages move into other jobs.

When a job that was once a trade no longer starting to be considered a trade. It’s time to think of options or move up a class to protect one’s future. I suggest people start moving into niche markets where skill and common sense is still needed.