In an attempt to compete with Amazon, Walmart has announced a two day shipping program that will put its trucking fleet — one of the largest in the country — to the test.
One of The Nation’s Biggest Trucking Fleets To Be Aided By Regional Carriers
Walmart’s ShippingPass program promises two-day delivery in order to compete with Amazon’s Prime shipping services. The logistical challenges of providing two-day shipping are expected to put major pressure on the the company’s 6,000 truck fleet, so Walmart will rely on regional carriers to make sure shipments happen on time.
In February of this year, Walmart held a conference in Atlanta for several invited regional carriers in order to lay out a sprawling plan for the creation of a new distribution network — and to invite those carriers to secure their place within that network. Walmart vowed to use its vast resources and logistical know-how to create the shipping network while promising the carriers with steady volumes of work. They also revealed a plan to build eight new e-commerce distribution centers across the country and to focus on last-mile delivery to keep costs lower.
Walmart May Need Less Help From FedEx
Sources also speculate that Walmart will rely less heavily on FedEx for their shipping needs because of the new partnerships with regional carriers.
Walmart is investing $2 billion into logistics and e-commerce to make the ShippingPass plan possible.
They currently boast one of the five largest trucking fleets in the country. It is unclear whether Walmart has plans to expand that fleet at this time.
Walmart begins testing 2-day shipping service to take on Amazon Prime https://t.co/kUftcpW8Dt pic.twitter.com/msZ5EzbEcg
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) May 12, 2016
Sources:
USA Today
Fortune
Tech Crunch
Money Magazine