Freight industry insights from experts at Amazon’s RelayCon 2026

At RelayCon 2026, Amazon invited five independent freight experts to share their own perspectives on the industry and how carriers can grow with intention ahead of peak season and beyond.

Craig Fuller: Steady revenue over rate-chasing

• What the expert said: Founder and CEO of FreightWaves, Fuller told carriers that he believes the current upcycle isn’t a spike. Instead, he thinks that it is structural, driven by a shrinking carrier pool, tightening regulations, and steady consumer volume. His advice: don’t optimizing for the highest rate on any single load and start building steady revenue.
• How Relay can support: Relay gives carriers access to thousands of loads across North America, year-round, with consistent volume backed by Amazon’s freight network. Carriers can choose between spot loads and contracts, so they can build a revenue base. And with 7-day payment terms and no factoring fees, cash flow stays steady too.

Dean Croke: Controlling costs & operational efficiency

• What the expert said: DAT’s Principal Analyst broke down the three things every carrier can control no matter what the freight cycle does: what it costs to run, how you spend HOS, and how ready you are for what’s next. From fuel strategy to proactive maintenance to protecting every minute of your 11-hour clock, Croke told carriers that small, deliberate choices on the biggest lines in your cost stack add up faster than any rate increase you’d have to negotiate.
  How Relay can support: Relay carriers can manage load discovery, driver assignment, invoicing, and payment all in one place. That means no monthly software fees eating into the cost stack. . Plus, Relay’s driver-facing app includes free navigation with truck-friendly routes to help protect every mile and every minute on the clock.

Deb LaBree: Reviewing your numbers

• What the expert said: Drawing from 20+ years in trucking and over two million safe miles, owner-operator Deb LaBree walked carriers through a 90-day vision plan built on one habit: pick a day each week, review your numbers, and ask yourself honestly whether you’re moving closer to the business you said you wanted to build.
• How Relay can support: Relay’s Safety Scorecard lets carriers see exactly where they stand on their BASIC scores. That kind of transparency makes a weekly check-in habit easy to build, because the data is already there waiting.

Adam Wingfield: Scoring readiness before growing

• What the expert said: The face of Freightwaves’ business masterclass challenged carriers to honestly assess their business before chasing the next growth move. Whether it’s adding a truck or earning more from the ones you already run, Wingfield says readiness is the only green light that matters.
• How Relay can support: Relay’s flexibility allows you the opportunity so that you can scale at your own pace. There’s no minimum or long-term volume commitment required to get started. Carriers can test new lanes, pick up spot loads to fill gaps, or layer in short-term contracts as confidence builds. Relay also gives carriers full visibility into their load history, payments, and Relay trends, so you can track where you are vs. where you want to go.

Leah Shaver: Driver retention & small fleet advantage

• What the expert said: The President and CEO of the National Transportation Institute told carriers that the drivers already on their team are more valuable today than at any point in the last five years. Her advice for smaller fleets to avoid the hiring scramble: your size is your advantage because you can pick up the phone, check in weekly, and give every driver a reason to believe next month looks better than this one.
• How Relay can support: Relay’s built for fleets of all sizes. Carriers can manage their driver roster and see exactly how each driver is doing with on-time delivery and app usage. For smaller fleets, that visibility turns a weekly check-in into a real conversation backed by data. And with Relay’s Learning Center, learning opportunities are a click away. Carriers can assign drivers short videos about safety, maintenance, and compliance.

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Disclaimer: Amazon does not tender loads through any third-party load boards. Any Amazon loads posted on third-party load boards will only be tendered directly to approved and onboarded carriers via the Relay web portal or Relay mobile app. If you are interested in hauling loads for Amazon, sign up and book directly on relay.amazon.com. For more about our efforts against fraud and cargo theft, see our trustworthy transportation page.