Amazon Becomes the Biggest U.S. Delivery Business

Amazon is taking center stage in the race for swift deliveries. The company surpassed FedEx in 2020 for packages delivered and now it has surpassed UPS.

Amazon had already delivered more than 4.8 billion packages in the U.S. in 2023, before Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

The company predicts delivering 5.9 billion packages before the end of the year.

Amazon's delivery statistics only encompass packages handled entirely by the company, distinguishing its approach from UPS and FedEx, which include packages handed off to the postal service in their metrics.

UPS, projecting its domestic volume to hover around last year's 5.3 billion, emphasized its strategic focus on more profitable parcels rather than a sheer race for volume.

Notably, Amazon's ascent in deliveries has led to shifts in priorities for FedEx and UPS, both of which have asserted a focus on profitability over volume.

Amazon, accounting for approximately 11% of UPS's revenue, achieved this logistics milestone without any grand announcement, amid ongoing legal scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Amazon’s Fleet: From Gas to Electric

So what type of delivery vehicles does the largest delivery company use?

Amazon uses around 110,000 gas-powered vans. This includes:

• Ford Transits.
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinters.
• Ram ProMasters.

In October, Amazon announced it plans to have 100,000 electric delivery vans in the U.S. and Europe by 2030.

Rivian will be the one providing the EVs. It’s electric vans have already completed 260 million deliveries with Amazon.

Since then, 20,000 drivers have been trained to operate the electric vans.

Plus, Amazon stated it has partnered with Volvo to add 20 heavy-duty electric trucks to its middle-mile delivery fleet.