Short answer
Amazon Relay is Amazon's platform for carriers to find and book Amazon freight. Approved carriers book spot loads, blocks and short-term contracts, or post availability with Post A Truck. Amazon pays weekly and grades carriers on a performance score.
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 loads, round trips, 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.
Amazon says there's no fleet size requirement, so owner-operators and small fleets can use it. You sign in with an Amazon account, and Amazon tenders its loads only through Relay. Spot loads show an all-in price you can book as listed. You can also post your truck with the Post A Truck feature, set a minimum rate per mile, and get matched to work.
If you have a car rather than a truck, see Amazon Relay vs Amazon Flex.
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 Relay typically requires it to be at least 180 days old to complete onboarding. If yours is newer, Amazon's Relay FAQ still encourages you to apply early.
- 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 gate for new carriers. Amazon's FAQ says rejected applicants may be able to reapply once a fixable issue (such as authority status) is resolved.
Ready to apply? Our guide to how to sign up for Amazon Relay walks through Amazon's five application steps.
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.
Amazon says the majority of Relay loads are power only: you bring the tractor and Amazon provides the trailer. A 2024 Amazon post says round trips usually need only a tractor, and that for one-way loads you'll "most likely" need a box truck or your own trailer.
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 exist.
Blocks
A chunk of time you reserve trucks and drivers for Relay. Amazon pays for the block even if it doesn't use the full block.
Short-Term Contracts
Short-term contracts cover full or partial weeks of loads, booked in advance. New contracts need a B grade or better, and freight auctions let carriers bid on contracts of up to 6 months.
Post A Truck
Instead of hunting the board, you post your truck's availability up to two weeks ahead with a minimum rate per mile, 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 grades carriers on four metrics, based on the last six weeks of hauls:
- On-time: Loads arriving by the planned time at origin and destination.
- Acceptance: How often you cancel loads you booked, including expired loads. The closer to pickup, the bigger the penalty.
- App usage: Drivers keeping the Relay app running with location on for the whole trip.
- Disruption-free: No stationary trailers and no loads without an assigned driver.
Your overall score is the lowest of the four, shown as a letter grade from F to A+. The grade affects which work you can book, such as new contracts and early access to new spot loads. If something happens in transit, you can dispute a score impact in your Relay account, and Amazon makes the final decision. See our scorecard guide for details.
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. Try it free for 7 days. No card required. Only $49.99 after the trial is over. Cancel anytime from the Stripe portal. 5.0 rating on the Chrome Web Store. Used by 300+ carriers.
Our Amazon Relay Chrome extension guide shows what NudoIQ adds to your Relay tab and how to set it up.