Short answer
Amazon Relay pay varies by load, and Amazon does not publish typical rates. Each rate includes a base rate, a fuel surcharge and tolls. Amazon pays weekly, and loads finished by 11:59 pm Saturday are paid the following Friday.
What Sets Amazon Relay Rates
Amazon Relay pricing is dynamic. No two loads are priced identically. Several factors influence the posted rate:
The fuel surcharge is already inside the posted price, and here's how the Amazon Relay fuel surcharge works.
Season The loads and rates you see change through the year. Amazon's rates guide says "Seasonal demand fluctuations and regional market conditions will still impact the rates." Its load board guide says the board hosts thousands of loads at any given time, nearly doubling in volume when shopping is in full swing, such as Prime Day and the holidays.
Time of Day When a load posts and picks up can change its price. Amazon doesn't publish which hours pay more, so watch your own lanes.
Origin and Destination Different lanes have different characteristics. Where you're picking up and delivering affects what Amazon offers, and Amazon says distance, including deadhead and trip direction, is part of the price. Regional market conditions and load characteristics (for example, live loads) matter too.
Equipment Type Amazon lists equipment type and availability as a rate factor, using reefer as an example. It doesn't publish rate comparisons between equipment types.
Your Performance Grade Your grade changes access, not the posted price. Amazon gives A+, A and B+ carriers early access to new spot loads, and it doesn't say a grade changes what a load pays. Cancelling loads you booked lowers your acceptance score, which can pull your grade down.
Daily Volume on the Board How much freight is on the board that day affects what you see and what it pays. Amazon doesn't publish day-of-week or hour-by-hour patterns.
Booking Timing The moment a good load posts, it typically books within seconds. If you're not actively refreshing or using an auto-refresh tool, you'll miss premium loads and see older, less attractive freight. This is why auto-refresh extensions are widespread among Relay carriers.
Why the Same Lane Pays Differently Hour to Hour
Here's a made-up example to show how it can play out:
Tuesday, 6:00 AM: A load posts from Distribution Center A to Hub B. Amazon posts it at a certain rate. It books within seconds.
Tuesday, 11:00 AM: Another load posts: same origin, same destination, same equipment type, same distance. Amazon posts it at a lower rate. This load sits longer because carriers are less interested.
Why the difference? Amazon doesn't say. It publishes no pricing logic for individual loads. Its rates guide says "Rates fluctuate. Demand shifts." and names the factors: distance (including deadhead and trip direction), equipment type and availability, load details such as live loads, and seasonal and regional market conditions. How those mix on a given morning isn't public.
The point: there's no "typical" rate for a lane. Rates change constantly, even for the same route. Each posting is independent.
Weekly Payment Cycle
Amazon Relay pays weekly, regardless of rate:
- Payment Period: Sunday 12:00 AM through Saturday 11:59 PM
- Payment Date: The following Friday
- Invoice Generation: Automatic: no manual invoicing required
- Pay Disputes: Submitted through the Amazon Relay portal within 30 days of reviewing your weekly invoice
Weekly pay on a set schedule is one of Amazon Relay's consistent advantages.
Our Amazon Relay payments guide covers the weekly schedule, invoices and what to do when pay looks wrong.
Thinking about factoring? See Amazon Relay factoring and quick pay.
How to Judge Whether a Rate Is Good
Since rates vary constantly and there's no industry benchmark, how do you know if a posted rate is worth accepting?
If a rate looks too low to run, here's why Amazon Relay rates are so low and the levers Amazon gives you.
Calculate Your True Cost
A posted rate is gross revenue, not profit. To know if a load is worth your time:
- Start with the posted rate.
- Subtract your estimated fuel cost for the round trip.
- Subtract vehicle maintenance (tire wear, oil, parts depreciation).
- Subtract deadhead miles to the pickup location (if you're not already positioned there).
- What's left is your potential net profit.
The formula is straightforward: Posted rate minus your fuel, maintenance and deadhead costs equals your net profit. The same distance can yield different profits depending on your costs and positioning.
To check one load before you book, try our free Relay load calculator, which shows the net, net per loaded mile and break-even rate.
Set a Personal Profit Floor
Many carriers set a minimum net profit they require below which they decline a load. This prevents low-margin work and protects your revenue.
NudoIQ calculates net profit on every load card and lets you set a profit floor. It hides loads below your threshold and won't autobook under it.
Check Lane History
If you've run a lane before, you know its typical rate range. If a lane is posted below its usual range, it's a soft day for that route. You can decline and wait for a better rate, or accept if you need volume.
If you're new to a lane, you have no history. Lane Intelligence tools (like NudoIQ) track posted rates on every lane over 90 days. They show you the target price, historical range and confidence level. This helps you know if a posted rate is strong or soft compared to history.
Consider the Positioning
If you're already at or near the pickup location, you can accept lower rates because you have zero deadhead. If you're far from the pickup, deadhead costs will eat into your margin and may make the load unprofitable.
Know When to Refresh
Amazon doesn't publish which hours pay best. Track your own lanes by time of day, and use alerts so you see new loads when they post.
Factors That DON'T Affect Your Rate
Your Safety Rating or BASIC Score Amazon doesn't publish any rate premium for a clean safety record. Your safety record decides whether you can haul at all, and your performance grade affects which loads you see first.
Your Equipment's Age or Condition Amazon publishes nothing that ties a rate to how old or well kept your equipment is. What it does publish are equipment requirements, such as valid CARB certificates for trucks running California loads, which are checked at check-in.
Haggling on Spot Loads Spot loads book at the listed price. The ways to set your own price are Post A Truck (a minimum rate per mile), auctions (bids on contracts up to 6 months, most needing a C+ grade) and Relay Assistant (naming a price on eligible urgent loads, for top-performing carriers; Amazon may counter).
Pay Disputes and 30-Day Deadline
If a payment looks wrong, Amazon's Relay FAQ says you can submit a payment dispute "directly through Amazon Relay portal within 30 days of reviewing your weekly invoice." Amazon doesn't publish what proof it wants or how long a review takes, so check each invoice against the pay breakdown you saw at booking and file soon if something's off.
Pay disputes and scorecard disputes are separate. A pay dispute is about money owed, and you file it in the Relay portal. On your scorecard, Amazon publishes dispute language only for on-time impacts, and no dispute route for rejected loads. More in our Amazon Relay disputes guide.
Understanding Rate Variability
The takeaway: Amazon Relay does not publish "typical" or "average" rates because they vary so much by lane, time, season and carrier profile. Rates on the same route can fluctuate significantly day to day. Don't chase a single good rate you saw yesterday: instead, build a system (auto-refresh, profit floor, lane history) to evaluate each load individually and decide if it's worth your costs.
Many carriers use auto-refresh tools or auto-booking extensions to remove emotion and speed from the decision. If you want lane rate history, net profit calculation and scorecard dispute assistance built into the board, NudoIQ integrates into Relay and costs $49.99 per month for all features. Try it free for 7 days. No card required. Only $49.99 after the trial is over. Cancel anytime. 5.0 rating on the Chrome Web Store. Used by 300+ carriers.