What it takes to keep your freight moving: a four-part series on theguardian.com
Reliable freight rarely comes down to one thing. It is people who pick up the phone, technology that spots a problem early, a network with room to flex, and a plan to do it all more sustainably.
In a new four-part series on theguardian.com, four Amazon Freight leaders share how those pieces fit together, and what it means for the shippers who move freight with us.
The people behind the network
For Chris Roe, Managing Director, Amazon Freight EU, freight is fundamentally “a trust business”, and trust needs a human response. He leads an organisation of more than 500 people serving more than 3,000 customers across the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and other European Union countries, and he is clear that technology extends what his teams can do rather than replacing them. As he puts it, artificial intelligence “can’t automate the instinct to pick up the phone if a customer has a problem.”
Speed and reliability, without the trade-off
Amy Reeve, Head of Mass Shipper Management and Demand Generation, does not accept that faster means less reliable. “We don’t see speed and reliability as trade-offs,” she says. “With a well-optimised network, you can have both.” In 2025, Amazon Freight almost doubled its peak deliveries. Across the same period, it handled more than 1,000 freight orders a day and maintained a 95% on-date delivery rate across its UK and EU road network, supported by 9,200 owned trailers and a network of more than 10,000 carriers.
How technology is changing the work
Samantha van Putten, Head of Billing and Payments and Strategic Programmes, leads on generative artificial intelligence (AI), and she is optimistic about where it is heading. AI already supports intelligent pricing and demand forecasting behind the scenes, while freeing customer-facing teams from routine admin to spend more time with shippers. We are also developing AI assistants to help guide customers through booking, answer questions faster, and route anything complex to the right person. “When I think about what we’re able to do now versus a year ago, it’s just incredible,” she says.
Building a lower-carbon network
There is no silver bullet for a more sustainable freight sector, says James Moulds, Sustainable Logistics Lead, so the approach is a broad one. That means using network-optimisation technology to reduce empty running, mixing road with rail and sea across more than 500 intermodal routes in Europe, and growing a fleet of electric heavy trucks, all in support of Amazon’s Climate Pledge to reach net zero carbon by 2040. “Our shipping customers can easily access a lower-carbon network without having to build it themselves,” he says.
Put the network to work for your business
The thread running through all four conversations is a simple one, a freight network designed around the people who ship with us. Easy online booking, transparent pricing, dependable delivery, and lower-carbon options are all there to help your freight keep moving.
Create your free shipper account
If you are ready to put a reliable freight network to work for your business, Amazon Freight gives you a simple way to plan and book loads with the visibility, dependable delivery, and real support these conversations describe. Create your free shipper account today to get started.
