Overview
Amazon Relay is an on-demand load board built directly into Amazon's fulfillment network. Unlike traditional freight boards where shippers post lanes and carriers bid, Amazon Relay is where Amazon posts its own work: one-way hauls, round-trip blocks, and short-term contracts. Loads are booked first-come, first-served through the load board, meaning that fast refreshing and split-second booking decisions determine who gets the best freight.
The platform is designed for carriers with 1 to 5 trucks—owner-operators, small fleets and independent dispatchers. You sign in once with your business credentials, and every load posted on Relay comes directly from Amazon or Amazon-vetted shippers. No passenger freight, no sketchy brokers, no back-and-forth haggling over rates. You post your available equipment once with the Post A Truck feature, and Amazon can match you to work in real time.
Who Can Join Amazon Relay
Amazon has specific eligibility requirements to protect load security and ensure compliance:
- Your DOT number must have interstate authority and be active for at least 180 days (a newer authority may disqualify you).
- You must have a valid MC (Motor Carrier) number.
- Your FMCSA safety rating must be Satisfactory, None, or Not Rated. A rating below Satisfactory disqualifies you.
- Your BASIC scores must stay within limits: Unsafe Driving below 60%, HOS Compliance below 60%, Vehicle Maintenance below 75%, Controlled Substances/Alcohol below 75%, Driver Fitness below 75%. Your driver out-of-service violation rate must be at or below 35%, and vehicle violation rate at or below 50%.
- Amazon verifies your business entity and every beneficial owner, meaning anyone with more than 25% ownership in your carrier.
The 180-day authority rule is the main gating factor for new carriers. If you don't yet meet it, you can still apply and Amazon may approve you provisionally while you build your history.
What Equipment Works on Relay
Relay supports specific equipment types, and what you own affects your load volume and rates:
- Day cab and sleeper tractors (most loads available)
- 26 ft and 16 ft box trucks with a working tuck-under liftgate (the liftgate is required)
- 48 ft and 53 ft dry van and reefer trailers
- 20, 40 and 45 ft high-cube containers (UIIA compliant)
Cargo vans are not supported—this is an explicit exclusion. Even if you think a large cargo van could handle loads, Amazon does not accept it on the platform.
Box truck loads come up regularly but typically at lower rates than tractor-trailer freight. Sleepers have access to longer hauls and multi-day work. Tractors with trailers get the highest volume of work because they move the most tonnage.
How Loads Get Posted and Booked
Amazon tenders loads only through the Relay load board—not on third-party boards, DATs, or by email. When you log in to Relay, you see every available load that matches your equipment type in real time.
There are four main ways to find work on Relay:
The Load Board
Browse one-way and round-trip loads instantly. You see the posted rate, origin, destination, and estimated pick-up time before you commit. Book immediately if it fits your route and profit requirements. Good loads book within seconds, which is why auto-refresh tools and browser extensions are widespread—many carriers refresh the board multiple times per second to catch premium freight.
Blocks
Multi-load runs booked as a unit. A block might be three pick-ups from the same distribution center with coordinated drops, priced as a complete package. Blocks usually offer higher total pay because you move more freight in one dispatch cycle.
Short-Term Contracts
Amazon sometimes posts fixed-price agreements for specific lanes or weekly time windows. These are best for carriers who want predictable route work over weeks or months.
Post A Truck
Instead of hunting the board, you post your truck's availability—equipment type, ready time, home location—and Amazon matches you to loads. This reduces the need for constant refreshing and is helpful for carriers who want steadier work.
Understanding the Performance Scorecard
Amazon tracks your performance on four key metrics:
- Safety Compliance: Vehicle maintenance records, driver qualifications, inspection violations.
- On-Time Performance: Whether you pick up and drop when you committed.
- Tender Acceptance: The ratio of loads you accept versus reject.
- Technology / App Usage: How responsive you are in the Relay app.
Your scorecard score directly affects load availability. A low score can limit which loads you see or reduce how fast you're offered work. If Amazon dings you for a violation—for example, missing a pick-up time, or marking a load as delivered early—you can file a dispute within the Relay portal. Amazon reviews your dispute and makes the final decision. Disputes must be filed within 30 days of the violation date.
Pay Cycle and Rate Variability
Amazon pays weekly. Your pay cycle runs Sunday to Saturday. Any load you complete before 11:59 pm Saturday gets paid the following Friday. Invoices are generated automatically, so there's no invoice chase needed.
Load rates on Amazon Relay vary based on multiple factors: season, time of day, pickup origin, delivery destination, your equipment type, your own booking history and how many other carriers are online that day. The same lane can pay very differently on different days, depending on Amazon's demand and your carrier profile. This is why learning to read a lane's rate history is important—it gives you context for whether a posted rate is good or soft.
Where NudoIQ Fits In
Many carriers use Amazon Relay auto-refresh tools or auto-booking extensions to speed up their workflow. If you want to automate refreshing, understand lane rate history to judge a price, or draft dispute letters based on scorecard violations, NudoIQ adds intelligence on top of the Relay board itself. It keeps the board fresh with configurable intervals, books loads by your rules (price floor, lane preferences, max-book cap), shows you net profit per load after fuel and deadhead costs, and drafts dispute letters based on Amazon's policy.
NudoIQ costs $49.99 per month for every feature—the same price whether you run one truck or twenty. Start with a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime from the Stripe portal. 5.0 rating on the Chrome Web Store. Used by 300+ carriers.