Amazon Supply Chain Services launches less-than-truckload freight offering

Amazon announced the U.S. expansion of its less-than-truckload (LTL) freight beyond its current inbound-to-Amazon offering, to any type of destination, including third-party warehouses, distribution centers, and retail partners, as part of the suite of offerings from Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS). Businesses now have the flexibility to ship by pallet, choosing LTL to share trailer space for partial loads instead of reserving and paying for a full truckload. Since 2019, Amazon LTL has served tens of thousands of Amazon selling partners and vendors, moving millions of pallets across its U.S. network last year. The company is now expanding the service based on strong positive feedback and growing customer demand. This launch is the latest addition to ASCS, a portfolio of supply chain capabilities from Amazon, including freight, distribution, fulfillment, and parcel shipping available for businesses of all types and sizes.

“We started using Amazon for full truckload shipping four years ago because we needed a provider that could keep up with our growth," said Zech Hintz, vice president of global supply chain at Pattern, a global ecommerce accelerator. "LTL has been the same story. In the past year, we've seen faster transit times and lower costs compared to traditional LTL services. It's rare to get both, and that's what makes this service stand out."

Businesses of all sizes can now use LTL to move freight—typically ranging from one to six pallets, or between 150 and 15,000 pounds—into their warehouses, between their own facilities, or to their retail partners and distributors. Amazon offers seamless booking and flexible pick-up options, including next-day live pickup for orders placed by 5 p.m., same-day pickup through Amazon’s drop trailer solution, and standing daily pickups for high-volume shippers.

Additional benefits include:

• Drop trailer support. A unified drop trailer pool supports both LTL and full truckload shipments, simplifying yard operations for customers using multiple ASCS Freight services.
• Shipment visibility. End-to-end real-time GPS tracking from pickup through delivery, proactive milestone updates, automated appointment scheduling at receiving facilities, and electronic proof of delivery — eliminating manual tracking.
• Sensor-equipped fleet. Centralized monitoring, with cargo cameras and door sensors across the entire fleet, enabling automated driver alerts and real-time freight security from load to unload.
• EDI integrations. Automated order tendering, shipment tracking, and invoicing connect directly to existing supply chain systems for seamless processing.
• Experienced LTL drivers. Drivers trained specifically in LTL operations handle pickup and delivery, bringing expertise in freight handling, multi-stop routing, and dock procedures.

"The feedback from Amazon selling partners using our LTL service was clear: the technology, visibility, and reliability were exactly what they needed—and they wanted to use it more broadly," said Jim Ruiz, director of Amazon Freight. "Now Amazon LTL can move your freight wherever it needs to go, servicing destinations nationwide for businesses of all sizes. With LTL, shippers get cost-effective freight shipping while still benefiting from the real-time tracking and dependability they expect from Amazon."