Amazon Expands Freight Service, Sending Freight Stocks Lower
Amazon said it is expanding its less-than-truckload, or LTL, freight service in the U.S. beyond shipments sent to Amazon itself. Businesses can now use the service to send pallets to destinations such as third-party warehouses, distribution centers, retail partners, and distributors.
The move is part of Amazon Supply Chain Services. Amazon said the offering gives businesses more flexibility to ship partial loads by sharing trailer space instead of paying for a full truck.
The announcement pressured shares of several freight and transportation companies on Wednesday, including Old Dominion Freight Line, FedEx Freight, and XPO. Investors appeared to react to the possibility of stronger competition from Amazon in the freight and logistics market.
Some analysts said the stock drop may have been too sharp, but the source reports did not provide any change to Amazon’s service rollout or the affected companies’ businesses.
Amazon said it is expanding its less-than-truckload freight service so more businesses can use it for shipping, not just Amazon’s own inbound freight.
Less-than-truckload, or LTL, is freight shipping for smaller loads that share trailer space with other shipments.
Shares of freight companies including Old Dominion Freight Line, FedEx Freight, and XPO fell after the news.
Investors likely worried that Amazon’s broader freight offering could increase competition in the logistics market.
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