This article is based on a keynote presented at RelayCon 2026.
Safer roads across middle mile are the result of carriers and Amazon working together. Our goal is to provide the best information to your drivers about their route before they leave the yard. Here are some of the safety innovations Amazon Relay has recently launched.
Weather safety updates
Relay carriers have a suite of tools available that you and your teams can use to proactively prepare for weather—reducing situations where drivers are parking to wait out storms, turning around, or arriving at a site that’s already closed.
The pre-trip briefing:
The brief pulls together information which can be used to help your drivers plan their route. It offers stop destination details, weather forecasts, and even tire chain reminders.
- This spring, we enhanced the pre-trip briefing with the launch of route rationale, a GenAI tool that gives clear reasoning for Relay nav providing alternative routes. For example, it might say the route offered in Relay’s app takes I-40, avoiding a winter storm warning on I-70.
- And, if severe weather conditions develop after your driver is already on the road, the system will direct them to an alternate site before they reach the affected area.
Active weather response:
We’re building intelligence to prevent loads from being assigned into known bad weather in the first place. When this system can’t find a route that avoids extreme weather - like a blizzard - it automatically cancels the load before your driver is even on the road.
About 200,000 loads have been cancelled by this technology, and replanned for completion once it was safe to proceed. Combined with carrier commitment to safe hauling, this has led to a reduction in weather-related crashes.
Safety corridor alert
We’re also improving safety along Relay routes by identifying stretches of roadways where FMCSA data suggests more crashes take place.
Now, proximity alerts are delivered to drivers before they approach these zones. These are areas that are often unavoidable on the routes your drivers use to haul their loads. We’ve already deployed alerts across more than 100 corridors nationwide, and early results show meaningful reductions in serious and major crashes inside these zones.
Amazon trailer innovations
According to NHTSA and FMCSA, rear-end collisions into stationary trucks are among the most serious safety challenges in the industry. So, we built protection into the trailer itself. When a driver engages their hazard lights, two things happen automatically.
- Enhanced lighting activates on the Amazon trailer, flashing 4-5 times per second. This is amplified above the current standard of 1 to 2 times per second, making disabled trailers far more visible.
- A real-time digital alert pushes to navigation apps like Waze and Google Maps, warning approaching drivers 30 seconds out that there is a disabled vehicle ahead.
Since launching this year, the system has sent 90,000 alerts to community drivers across North America.
What’s great about this feature is that your drivers don’t have to do anything different. Once they engage the hazards, the system handles the rest. We’re installing this technology on over 4,000 trailers in North America this year with plans to expand to over 80,000 trailers starting next year.
Join a safety-first carrier network
Carrier commitment, combined with Amazon’s continued investment in safety innovation, is contributing to safer roads. Relay is creating growth opportunities for reliable and trustworthy carriers.
Learn about Relay’s safety incentives on our discounts page. But first, check if your business meets 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.
