Short answer
Hostling on Amazon Relay means moving trailers within one Amazon location, and shuttle runs move trailers between nearby Amazon sites, usually within 50 miles. You book both by blocks of time, and Amazon says you're paid for the full block.
What are hostler and shuttle loads on Amazon Relay?
Local trailer moves. Amazon's hostler post puts it simply: if you've ever moved trailers around a yard, dock or warehouse site, that's hostling.
Relay has two kinds:
- Single-site hostling: "Moving trailers within one Amazon location." For example, positioning a trailer for loading or unloading at a delivery station.
- Shuttle runs: "Moving trailers between nearby Amazon sites (usually within 50 miles)." For example, hauling trailers from a busy fulfillment or sort center to an offsite storage lot.
Amazon says most carriers handle both trailer staging and swapping during a block.
They're new. Amazon's RelayCon 2025 write-up says hostling and shuttle work launched in 2025, and that "they're power-only." Our power only guide covers the wider power-only side of Relay.
How do hostling blocks work?
You book time, not loads. "You'll book these moves by blocks of time instead of individual loads." Your driver handles whatever trailer moves come up during the slot.
What Amazon says about blocks:
- Pay. "You'll be paid for the full block of time that you commit to," even if Amazon doesn't use all the time.
- More than one a day. "One driver can work multiple blocks per day as long as they don't overlap."
- A hard cap. Drivers must stay within their hours of service limits, with a 12-hour maximum on hostling support. Amazon says keeping drivers inside those limits is the carrier's job.
- Booking limits. "There's a cap on the amount of hostling moves you can book," so the work spreads across eligible carriers.
What do you need for Amazon Relay hostling and shuttle runs?
On top of being an approved Relay carrier, Amazon lists:
- Your own day cab or hostler truck
- A valid CDL for the driver, since "public roads may be used to access offsite yards"
- A C+ performance grade
- Two Learning Center courses: one on hostling services for Amazon and one on Relay auctions
You need to be approved before you can take the courses. Our scorecard guide explains what sets your grade.
How do you book hostling and shuttle moves?
Two ways, per Amazon.
On the load board. "Just filter by power-only loads and pick the times and locations that work for you (e.g., BNA5 -> BNA5)." In Amazon's example, the move starts and ends at the same site, which reads like single-site hostling. That's our reading. Amazon says you see start and end times up front.
Through auctions. You can bid on hostling and shuttle lanes. "Relay will calculate the hourly rate per driver as you place a bid." And "When your company wins an auction, you'll get up to 6 months of moves." Our auctions guide covers how Relay bidding works.
Weighing a block against a regular power-only load? Our free Relay load calculator shows a load's net and net per loaded mile from its pay and miles.
Who are hostler and shuttle loads a fit for?
Amazon pitches them to carriers with idle day cabs who want local work closer to home. It also says, in a September 2026 post, that newer options like "hostler and shuttle and third-party shipper loads" help carriers diversify.
The trade-off is control. You commit a driver and a truck to a block, and Amazon decides which moves fill it.
What doesn't Amazon publish about hostling?
- Hourly rates
- The booking cap number
- Which facilities offer hostling
- Specs for hostler trucks (yard tractors)
- Whether a shuttle run needs a sleeper
Where does NudoIQ fit?
NudoIQ is an independent Chrome extension for the Relay load board, not affiliated with Amazon. It shows net and net per mile under the price on every load card, from costs you set once, and Lane Intelligence (the first button under a load) shows a lane's price history. It's free for 7 days with no card needed to start, then $49.99 a month.