After a year of ups and downs, it at least looks like the economy is ending on a high note. Early indications show that Black Friday and Cyber Monday beat sales records. Through it all, at Amazon Freight, we’re continuing to focus on our customers and meeting their freight needs. We’ve been helping them get ahead for next year and sharing insider tips from the smartest shippers in the industry.

Here’s what else that has been happening as we close out the year.

Freight tech and FreightWaves
If it’s freight-related, it was probably talked about in “freight alley” last month. The Amazon Freight team headed to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the annual FreightWaves Future of Freight Festival (F3). The event brought together supply chain leaders to discuss the factors impacting the freight world and the latest trends pushing the industry forward.

Amazon Freight’s general manager, Ari Silkey, was interviewed by FreightWaves’ CTO Daniel Pickett onstage about the tech behind Amazon and how we approach it for our customers. One key point Silkey discussed was how we invent our way through complexity with tech. It’s part of Amazon’s DNA to solve hard problems and not accept how things have always been.

That spirit was recognized later in the week when FreightWaves named Amazon Freight as #3 on their FreightTech 25 list. Amazon Freight is the only company that has been named on the list since its inception. The award as an acknowledgement of our devotion to innovating for our customers and the talented teams behind the scenes who make it happen.

Amazon Freight Partner celebrates 5 years
This October, the Amazon Freight Partner program celebrated its fifth anniversary. The program, which supports entrepreneurs looking to start their own trucking business, has come a long way during that time and made many positive impacts on the trucking industry.

When the program was launched in October 2019, the vision was to empower and elevate carriers. In just five short years, it has grown to over 300 carriers across seven countries, hauling more than 4.5 million loads and driving more than 300 million miles. Six of the original partners have been on this journey with Amazon Freight Partner from day one, which is a testament to the program’s ability to build a scalable trucking business generator.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) are all important elements of Amazon Freight Partner. A DEIB focus supports Amazon’s position that “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are good for business—and more fundamentally, they're simply right.” Drivers represent a wide array of genders, races, ethnicities, abilities, ages, and more. Amazon Freight Partner has understood this from the start and works to ensure a culture where inclusion and equity are the norm.

Congrats to the team over at Amazon Freight Partner. Your hard work has made you stand out as a leader in job creation and diversity. If you’re interested in learning more about the Amazon Freight Partner program, visit their website.

Stay in the know
Do you ever feel puzzled about the world of freight and its complexity? The Amazon Freight Shippers Update can help. Delivered monthly, each issue features insights and education on the latest happenings from the freight industry and how you can make sense of them to improve your operations.

For instance, in one issue, you could be served up guidance on how to get through peak shipping seasons and words of wisdom from fellow shippers who have it all figured out. The intent is to ensure you have what you need to navigate the rigors of shipping smoothly.

Subscribe here and start getting the Amazon Freight Shipper’s Update right in your inbox.

Have a great holiday season and start to the New Year!