Amazon Secretly Working on ‘Uber for Trucking’ App

Amazon.com is building an app that matches truck drivers with shippers, a new service that would deepen its presence in the $800 billion trucking industry, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Business Insider. The app, scheduled to launch next summer, is designed to make it easier for truck drivers to find shippers that need goods moved, much in the way Uber connects drivers with riders. It would also eliminate the need for a third-party broker, which typically charges a commission of about 15 percent for doing the middleman work.

Total Retail's Take: Amazon is once again hard at work in trying to become the next big logistics company. From building new distribution centers in nearly every state to leasing its own planes to start an air freight service to the launch of its first drone delivery, Amazon is intent on growing its business into more than just an online marketplace. In fact, this logistics network that it's putting together will work hand-in-hand with the commerce side of the business. Amazon will be able to control every point in the delivery cycle, helping to get online orders faster to customers.