The transcription of this interview has been edited and condensed for length.
Amazon Relay joined Malcolm Harris, host of the Freightwaves podcast “What the Truck?!”. We talked about the peak (and year-round) load availability for Relay carriers. Watch the video or read the transcript below.
Despite companies hurting to find truckload volumes, Amazon still has opportunity. When can carriers find and book this volume?
Any of those big sales events that we have when people are shopping on Amazon, that goes to Relay, then goes onto a truck (we had a record Prime Day this year). We’re going into our peak season, when typically volume nearly doubles. But it’s safe to say we have many different peaks. We’ve got peaks with peaks. You’ve got Prime week, Prime Big Deal Days, you’ve got inbound peak, you’ve got returns after the holidays. So, we keep our hands full. It’s worth checking out Relay to see what’s on there.
What are the different ways to book loads on Relay?
We’ve got the load board, contracts, and auctions. Now, there’s different ways that you can book that within each of those systems, but it boils down to those three.
- The load board is a large piece – that’s going to be your typical spot volume when you’re looking for flexibility. The load information is in front of you in real time. The rates are already there, the lane, pickup and delivery, all before you even book it. You can filter the freight to find what fits your business.
- Roundtrip contracts are going to be anywhere between one to 10 weeks. No matter the length, you get paid out weekly and you know when your asset or driver is going to be home. A great option to carry you through seasonal downtimes.
- With auctions, you can book anywhere between one or two weeks of loads, all the way out to six months. You see the leading bid and put down what makes most sense for your business. Most auctions are one-ways, so for carriers using their own assets, you can look for back and front hauls.
Amazon has a big dry van presence – what other kind of equipment can you use on Relay?
There’s a lot of different ways to find something that fits into your operations or even helps you grow your operations.
- We have loads for reefer trailers, and that’s really expanded in Chicago, DC, and Southern California. Those loads are typically going to be around 250 miles.
- And then box truck demand has exploded. Those drivers are staying pretty close to the metropolitan area. So, as people are talking through building their fleet, box truck loads are a good option.
- With intermodal, you’re looking at either roundtrip or one-way loads, if carriers have UI certification and rail addendums. Amazon provides the container and chassis. They’re all over, and they’re quick loads, so it’s easy to fill gaps and get your foot in the intermodal space.
- Hostling and shuttling allows carriers to book 6-12 hours of time at or between Amazon facilities, which are short distances. So, if something happened to your truck, you’re only a taxi ride home.
And is there time to sign up & unlock these opportunities before busy peak season truly hits?
There’s a couple layers to that. We’re already starting to get into peak and those contracts are live. Say you apply post holidays when we really start hitting that load volume – we’re still going to have returns coming in after that. But again, all of these opportunities are happening year-round.
Check if you meet Relay’s carrier requirements, then, start your Relay application on 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.
