Short answer
Get approved as a Relay carrier, add your drivers and equipment, then book spot loads on the Relay load board. You can also post your truck with Post A Truck, and book contracts and auctions once your grade allows.
What do you need before you can get Relay loads?
An approved Relay carrier account. Amazon's get started page asks for:
- Valid MC and DOT numbers with interstate authority
- DOT authority that has been active for 180 days or more
- The insurance and safety minimums listed on that page
You can still apply before your authority reaches 180 days. Amazon's FAQ says an application is typically approved or rejected within 1 to 3 weeks. The full list is in our Amazon Relay requirements guide.
What are the steps to get your first load?
Amazon's Relay FAQ gives the next steps after approval:
- Add your drivers and equipment. Amazon says: "Add your drivers and equipment to your Relay profile." See how to add a driver.
- Search the load board. Amazon says searches "begin with your starting point and destination."
- Filter. Trailer status, equipment type, load type, driver type, max stops and trip length.
- Open the load card. It shows the stops, times, payment breakdown and requirements.
- Book it. In Amazon's words: "Start booking loads directly through the Relay load board."
Amazon's free freight search post says approved carriers get 24/7 access, and its load board guide says you can "search and book without any fees."
What else on the board helps you find loads?
From Amazon's load board guide:
- Saved searches. "Save your company's most used searches."
- Alerts. "Opt in to email alerts for real-time updates on new spot loads." The Relay app sends push notifications too.
- Auto-refresh. Amazon says its board refreshes new spot matches on its own.
- Pickup time. On some loads you can choose a better pickup time from a list.
- Name your price. "On select spot loads, you have the opportunity to name your own price." Relay Assistant reviews your number.
- Return trips. The board recommends loads for the way back.
Amazon's free freight search post adds load picks based on your search history. More in our load board guide.
What are the other ways to get Relay loads?
| Way in | How it works | Grade needed |
|---|---|---|
| Post A Truck | Post when and where your truck is free, with a minimum rate. Amazon books matching loads for you. | Higher grades matched first |
| Contracts | Weekly work at set pay | B or higher for new contracts |
| Auctions | You bid your own rate | C+ or higher (reefer: B) |
With Post A Truck, you set a radius, max deadhead, cities, one-way or round trip, and a minimum rate per mile or payout, up to 2 weeks out. Amazon says it "gives you first access advantage to all freight available during the time frame you set before it becomes available on the load board."
Blocks, time-based work, are another option. See our guides to Post A Truck and contracts.
Why do good Relay loads disappear so fast?
- Post A Truck books first. It matches loads, often before they reach the board. Amazon's grades guide says: "If an A+ carrier and a B+ carrier both post for the same load, the A+ carrier gets matched first."
- Higher grades see loads first. The same guide says A+, A and B+ carriers "get first pick of new spot loads and contracts."
So speed helps on the loads you can see. Your grade decides what you see. If your board looks thin, read why the load board isn't showing loads and our scorecard guide.
Where does NudoIQ fit?
NudoIQ is a Chrome extension that works on the Relay load board in your own signed-in tab. It's independent, not affiliated with Amazon. On the search you've already set, it can:
- Refresh the board at a pace you set
- Alert you with a sound when a matching load appears
- Show net profit on each load, from costs you enter once
- AutoBook loads that clear your minimum net profit, up to a Max books number you set. Only auto-book loads you can run; cancels hurt your score.
- Instant Book a load in one tap, with no confirmation screen
It can't show loads Amazon hasn't offered you. Start your free week: 7 days free, no card needed to start, then $49.99 a month. Cancel anytime. See how NudoIQ works.