This is a condensed transcription of an interview on March 26, 2025.
Amazon Relay joined Timothy Dooner, host of the Freightwaves podcast “What the Truck?!”. We talked about all of the hauling and earning opportunities available as a Relay carrier. Watch the video or read the transcript below.
Tell me about Amazon Relay.
Amazon Relay is technology that’s offered to trucking companies across the world. Trucking companies can sign up with Relay and haul those trailers that so many of us see with the big Amazon smile on the sides. They can book spot work and contracts.
It allows carriers of any size to book work. Many of these loads are going in and out of Amazon facilities, so it allows them to do a lot of power-only and find routes that fit their schedules.
Why should a carrier use Relay?
First and foremost, it’s the reliability of hauling with Amazon. It’s a brand that everyone knows. There’s the opportunity that the hauling you do with Amazon potentially benefits your family or friends, because a lot of the goods being transported are for same-day and sub-same-day delivery that so many of us enjoy.
That’s only made possible by the carriers doing the middle mile work - moving it from sort centers to fulfillment centers and even postal stations where those things are delivered to their mailboxes or front doors.
You mentioned dry van trailers. But what else can you pull for Amazon?
We offer intermodal (so containers), and box truck loads. We also do bring your own trailer – so live loading and unloading. We’ve noticed a lot of carriers prefer to haul the Amazon trailers. One, because with drop shipping it’s ready to go – they can show up to the facility, hook up, and go. Two, it reduces the wear-and-tear cost of maintaining their trailer fleet because they can haul ours instead.
How is Relay helping fleets drive down costs?
With the spot market, carriers can pick and choose one-way loads. Carriers can also book calendar “blocks” that we fill in with loads. We also offer contracts – they can be week-long or month-long contracts full of loads for their fleets. And for carriers, it’s the assurance of keeping their trucks running, which is how these trucking companies stay afloat.
How often is Relay paying out?
We offer one-week payments and absolutely no additional cost to get it within that week. Essentially, there’s a cutoff point where loads that are finished at the end of the week get paid out the following Friday. If it’s in the next week, you wait until the following week. But the idea is that we want carriers to be able to receive their payments quickly and not pay any fees or percentages back to get it in a timely fashion.
Drivers don’t like downloading more apps. How does Relay’s app work?
It’s for Amazon’s tech specifically.
What’s great about the Relay app is that on the carrier side, they’re able to find these loads and book them. It’s the same app that they’re drivers are going to be using. If they’re both a carrier and a driver and do the loads themselves, they’ll only have one app on their phone. They’ll get the information about pickup, drop-off, how to check in, and optional navigation specifically for commercial vehicles. So, accounting for bridges and restricted roads. We want to make sure we’re keeping the trucks themselves safe, but also the communities we serve as well.
Do carriers have flexibility to haul elsewhere?
Of course! Carriers have a choice – they can use Relay as much or as little as they’d like. It’s choose your own adventure. For example, they can line up contracts for their whole fleet or use the load board to prevent a deadhead and get paid for their ride home.
What’s the process for getting onboarded to Relay?
Carriers can sign up on online or download the app (iOS or Android) and do it there. There no restrictions on fleet size – we have companies that are as small as a single truck and many much larger than that. All are welcome. As for requirements from an insurance perspective, we spell all of that out on the website and as you sign up.
Is Relay worthwhile?
Whenever we see these big sales come up, you really do see an opportunity that feeds this industry and ability to earn. We’ve seen this industry fluctuate and all know post-peak can be a little slower, so to introduce loads, we call them “high-volume events,” where we see increased demand among consumers. That way we can offer carriers more loads than they might see otherwise, especially given seasonality for certain businesses.
Get started with Amazon Relay
If your trucking company thrives given high standards, check if you meet Relay’s carrier requirements. Then, start your Relay application on your desktop or in our app on iOS or Android.
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.
