Short answer
A NudoIQ analysis of the FMCSA Vehicle Inspection File found 101,444 roadside inspections listing Amazon as the shipper, across 22,866 distinct carriers (USDOT numbers), from 2023-09-24 to 2026-09-22. About 530 new carriers appear each month, and about 70% of carriers hauling Amazon freight run 1-5 power units. Inspections count Amazon freight, not only Amazon Relay loads.
What are the key findings on Amazon carriers?
We counted public FMCSA roadside inspections that list Amazon as the shipper, queried on 2026-09-24 and 2026-09-25. An inspection is not a load, so every count here is a floor. Amazon on the bill of lading means Amazon freight, which is not proof the load was booked through Amazon Relay. The main numbers:
- From 2023-09-24 to 2026-09-22, 101,444 FMCSA roadside inspections listed Amazon as the shipper, across 22,866 distinct carriers (USDOT numbers).
- About 16,978 carriers had at least one Amazon-shipper inspection from 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-22, and all of them show as active in the FMCSA census.
- Roughly 530 carriers per month show up on an Amazon-shipper inspection for the first time: 3,167 new carriers from 2026-04-01 to 2026-09-22.
- Of 321,311 carriers inspected between 2026-03-22 and 2026-09-22, 7,932 (2.47%, about 1 in 40) had at least one inspection listing Amazon as the shipper.
- Through 2026-09-22, Amazon-shipper inspections in 2026 (29,335) had already reached about 82% of the full 2025 count (35,753).
- About 70% of carriers with an Amazon-shipper inspection since 2025-01-01 run 1-5 power units.
- Of carriers whose last Amazon inspection was 0-3 months before 2026-03-22 and who were inspected again in the next six months, 64.5% were again carrying Amazon freight.
How many carriers haul Amazon freight?
At least 22,866 distinct carriers (USDOT numbers) appeared on FMCSA roadside inspections listing Amazon as the shipper between 2023-09-24 and 2026-09-22, across 101,444 inspections. In the shorter window from 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-22, about 16,978 carriers had at least one such inspection, and all of them show as active in the FMCSA census.
These are floors, since most loads are never inspected. The counts also include Amazon's own fleets and contract carriers, not only carriers booking on the Amazon Relay load board.
Of all 321,311 carriers inspected for any reason between 2026-03-22 and 2026-09-22, 7,932 (2.47%, about 1 in 40) had an Amazon-shipper inspection.
How fast are new carriers showing up?
About 530 carriers per month show up on an Amazon-shipper inspection for the first time. Counting carriers whose first Amazon-shipper inspection fell in each window: 558 since 2026-08-25 (about 30 days), 1,584 since 2026-07-01 (about 90 days) and 3,167 since 2026-04-01 (about 180 days), all through 2026-09-22.
This chart shows the number of newly seen carriers in each window.
| Window (ending 2026-09-22) | First-time carriers |
|---|---|
| Last ~30 days (from 2026-08-25) | 558 |
| Last ~90 days (from 2026-07-01) | 1,584 |
| Last ~180 days (from 2026-04-01) | 3,167 |
Source: FMCSA Vehicle Inspection File (fx4q-ay7w): carriers whose first Amazon-shipper inspection falls in the window.
"First seen" means the first time a carrier appears on an Amazon-shipper inspection in the three-year file. Some of these carriers may have hauled Amazon freight earlier without being inspected.
Is Amazon freight volume growing?
Yes, by inspection count. Amazon-shipper inspections rose from 29,036 in 2024 to 35,753 in 2025. Through 2026-09-22, the 2026 count was 29,335, already about 82% of the full 2025 total. The number of distinct carriers inspected with Amazon freight followed the same direction: 9,652 in 2024, 11,322 in 2025.
This chart shows Amazon-shipper inspections and distinct carriers by year.
| Year | Inspections | Distinct carriers |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 (Sep 24 to Dec 31) | 7,320 | 3,681 |
| 2024 | 29,036 | 9,652 |
| 2025 | 35,753 | 11,322 |
| 2026 (Jan 1 to Sep 22) | 29,335 | 10,117 |
Source: FMCSA Vehicle Inspection File (fx4q-ay7w), inspections where the shipper name contains AMAZON.
Read 2023 and 2026 as partial years. The 2023 figures (7,320 inspections, 3,681 carriers) start on 2023-09-24, and 2026 (29,335 inspections, 10,117 carriers) runs through 2026-09-22. Inspection counts are an indirect signal of freight volume, not a direct measure of it.
Where are Amazon carriers based?
California leads by a wide margin, with 3,011 carriers that had an Amazon-shipper inspection since 2025-01-01, by physical address. Ohio (1,689) and Illinois (1,589) come next, ahead of Pennsylvania (1,155) and Texas (972). Ohio and Illinois ranking above Texas is something a general carrier list would not show.
This chart shows the top 12 states by number of carriers.
| State | Carriers |
|---|---|
| California | 3,011 |
| Ohio | 1,689 |
| Illinois | 1,589 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,155 |
| Texas | 972 |
| Florida | 903 |
| Minnesota | 709 |
| Washington | 653 |
| New Jersey | 568 |
| North Carolina | 449 |
| Georgia | 404 |
| Michigan | 358 |
Source: Carrier physical state from the FMCSA Company Census (az4n-8mr2), joined on USDOT number.
After Texas come Florida (903), Minnesota (709), Washington (653), New Jersey (568), North Carolina (449), Georgia (404) and Michigan (358). State is the carrier's physical address in the FMCSA census, not where the inspection happened.
How big are the carriers that haul Amazon freight?
Most are small. About 70% of carriers with an Amazon-shipper inspection since 2025-01-01 run 1-5 power units. The single largest group is 1-2 power units, with 9,941 carriers. At the other end, 72 carriers run more than 1,000 power units.
This chart shows carriers by fleet size (power units).
| Power units | Carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 9,941 | 51.4% |
| 3-5 | 3,600 | 18.6% |
| 6-10 | 1,933 | 10.0% |
| 11-20 | 1,276 | 6.6% |
| 21-50 | 1,333 | 6.9% |
| 51-100 | 641 | 3.3% |
| 101-1,000 | 559 | 2.9% |
| 1,000+ | 72 | 0.4% |
Source: FMCSA Company Census (az4n-8mr2) power units. This band query totals 19,355 carriers; read it as the shape of the distribution.
The fleet-size query totals 19,355 carriers, so read it as the shape of the distribution rather than an exact headcount. Amazon itself has no fleet size requirement for Relay, per its truck requirements page. For what Relay does require, see Amazon Relay requirements.
What equipment hauls Amazon freight?
Mostly tractor-trailers. On Amazon-shipper inspections with a weight recorded, 87.7% of vehicles were over 54,000 lb (tractor-trailer class), versus 73.4% on all other 2025+ inspections. In the FMCSA census, 43.1% of carriers with Amazon inspections since 2025 report power only (tractors, no trailers), which fits Amazon's statement that most Relay loads are power only.
This chart shows the equipment carriers report owning in the FMCSA census.
| Equipment on file | Share of carriers |
|---|---|
| Tractors, no trailers (power only) | 43.1% |
| Tractors and trailers | 30.3% |
| Box or straight trucks only | 14.6% |
| Other or none listed | 12.0% |
Source: FMCSA Company Census (az4n-8mr2) equipment counts for 16,943 carriers with an Amazon-shipper inspection since 2025-01-01.
Of 16,943 carriers in that census group: power only 43.1%, tractors and trailers 30.3%, box or straight trucks only 14.6%, other or none listed 12.0%. More on hauling Amazon's trailers on our Amazon Relay power only page.
This chart shows vehicle weight class on Amazon-shipper inspections compared with all other inspections.
| Gross combination weight | Amazon-shipper inspections | All other inspections, 2025+ |
|---|---|---|
| Over 54,000 lb (tractor-trailer) | 87.7% | 73.4% |
| 33,001-54,000 lb | 2.5% | 8.7% |
| 19,501-26,000 lb (box truck) | 7.4% | 9.0% |
| 14,001-19,500 lb (step van) | 0.7% | 2.4% |
| 10,001-14,000 lb (large van) | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| 10,000 lb or less | 0.0% | 0.1% |
Source: FMCSA Vehicle Inspection File (fx4q-ay7w), gross_comb_veh_wt, populated on 100,499 of 101,444 Amazon-shipper inspections.
Box truck class vehicles (19,501-26,000 lb) made up 7.4% of Amazon-shipper inspection rows, against 9.0% on other 2025+ inspections. At the carrier level, 83.9% of carriers inspected with Amazon freight since 2025-01-01 ran tractor-trailers and 13.3% ran box trucks. See Amazon Relay box truck loads for that side of the board.
On the 55,756 units from 2026 Amazon-shipper inspections, 47.9% were truck tractors and 45.9% semi-trailers, with straight trucks at 4.8%. The top tractor makes were Freightliner (15,957), Volvo (6,448) and Kenworth (1,302). The top trailer makes were Hyundai Translead (12,738), Great Dane (3,866), Stoughton (1,922) and Wabash (1,283).
Do carriers keep hauling Amazon freight?
Recent and frequent Amazon carriers mostly keep hauling it. Of carriers last inspected with Amazon freight 0-3 months before 2026-03-22 and inspected again in the next six months, 64.5% were carrying Amazon freight again. For carriers last seen 27-30 months earlier, that dropped to 15.2%. History matters too: 66.5% with 10+ prior Amazon inspections, 24.7% with one.
This chart shows the share of carriers seen again with Amazon freight, by how recently and how often they were seen before.
| Last Amazon-shipper inspection before 2026-03-22 | Again carrying Amazon freight by 2026-09-22 |
|---|---|
| 0-3 months before | 64.5% |
| 3-9 months | 39.4% |
| 9-15 months | 23.9% |
| 15-21 months | 21.4% |
| 21-27 months | 19.0% |
| 27-30 months | 15.2% |
Source: FMCSA Vehicle Inspection File (fx4q-ay7w). Only carriers that were inspected at all between 2026-03-22 and 2026-09-22.
This measures carriers who were inspected again in the six months after 2026-03-22. A carrier that stopped being inspected at all is not counted either way.
How was this data collected?
We used the FMCSA Vehicle Inspection File, a public dataset updated daily, plus FMCSA's Inspections Per Unit file and Company Census. We counted inspections whose shipper name contains "AMAZON" and the distinct USDOT numbers behind them. The public file covers 2023-09-24 to 2026-09-22. We publish aggregates only, with no carrier names or DOT numbers.
Sources (queried 2026-09-24 and 2026-09-25):
- FMCSA Vehicle Inspection File, dataset fx4q-ay7w: data.transportation.gov/d/fx4q-ay7w
- FMCSA Inspections Per Unit, dataset wt8s-2hbx: data.transportation.gov/d/wt8s-2hbx
- FMCSA Company Census, dataset az4n-8mr2: data.transportation.gov/d/az4n-8mr2
How it works. When an officer does a roadside inspection, the report records the shipper named on the bill of lading. The public file is a rolling three-year window. FMCSA removes driver information from public inspection files.
Caveats:
- An inspection is not a load. Most loads are never inspected, so these counts are a floor, not a total.
- Amazon freight is not the same as Amazon Relay. Amazon on the bill of lading means Amazon freight, which is not proof the load was booked through Relay. It includes Amazon's own fleets and contract carriers.
- Shipper name is often blank. It is filled in on 67.0% of all inspection records (8,314,133 records in the file on 2026-09-24). In 2026, capture by inspection level was 73% for Level 2, 68% for Level 1, 68% for Level 3 and 8% for Level 5 (vehicle only).
- Spelling varies. Officers spell Amazon 1,064 different ways in the file. Plain "AMAZON" is the most common.
Download the aggregate numbers as a CSV.
amazon-relay-carrier-data-2026.csv (CSV, aggregate numbers only)
How should you cite this data?
Cite this analysis as NudoIQ analysis of FMCSA Vehicle Inspection File data, naming the inspection date range and the publication date, and link to this page. Note that counts are a floor based on roadside inspections and reflect Amazon freight in general, not only Amazon Relay loads. A suggested citation line follows.
> NudoIQ analysis of FMCSA Vehicle Inspection File data, inspections 2023-09-24 to 2026-09-22, published 2026-10-02.
What does this mean for carriers on Amazon Relay?
Thousands of carriers haul Amazon freight, and about 530 new ones show up each month, most running 1-5 trucks. On the Relay board that means many small carriers watching the same loads. Speed of booking and knowing what a lane usually pays matter more as more carriers compete for the same freight.
NudoIQ is a Chrome extension for the Amazon Relay load board. It refreshes the board with adjustable timing, alerts you or books when a load matches your rules, and shows each lane's rate history and the net profit on every load card. It doesn't guarantee loads or rates. For the basics of finding work, see Amazon Relay loads and how much Amazon Relay pays.
It's $49.99 a month (pricing) with a 7-day free trial, no card needed to start, and you can cancel anytime. NudoIQ is rated 5.0 on the Chrome Web Store.