Amazon launched Relay, a new mobile logistics app in 2017. The app’s goal was to improve distribution as well as delivery of products that are sold on Amazon. Amazon had to hire drivers to move the many deliveries that occur every day.
In 2020, more than 65% visited Amazon to purchase products. This is an incredible number! Amazon Relay loads boards connect private drivers with companies to ship all these deliveries so that they can make money.
This eliminates a major problem that many other companies have: – Organization. A new driver working for a private company often experiences lower wages, and delayed checks, and must pass several qualifications to be able to drive.
The Amazon load board is about streamlining the process to increase wages. Drivers see what loads they are willing to take and click to accept them. Then, they get to work earning money.
It’s that easy.
How to become an Amazon Carrier?
Amazon Relay is designed to work with freight. This means that giant boxes containing everything, from hair dryers to Nintendo Switch consoles, are packaged in large plastic bags and loaded onto huge trucks.
This job is not for someone who has a small van. This would be Amazon Flex where you deliver directly to the buyer or Amazon Hub counter. Amazon Relay is for those who are able to transport large quantities of merchandise from fulfillment centers to distribution centers and shops.
Amazon’s goal is to hire drivers with a clean driving record, excellent safety, and high precision. Amazon will prefer to work with experienced drivers than newbies. However, as long as you are able to prove your ability to do the job, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to move Amazon freight across the country.
How does Amazon Relay help carriers?
Amazon Relay load boards can be used in two ways to make money.
First, they run their own private company as an Amazon owner/operator truck. These are the lone wolves who manage everything via the application, like bounty hunters looking for the next hit.
Another option is to run a trucking business with multiple drivers. Relay Amazon makes it possible:
- You can manage your drivers’ rosters and those who are waiting for the next shipment or delivery.
- You can assign loads to drivers based on any criteria, such as proximity, sonority, availability, and more.
- Analyze the performance of your driver, safety record, and accuracy of deliveries.
- To see how drivers are doing, review Amazon payments.
You get a custom-made application that will make your life easier. Amazon wants your business to succeed. This means that their deliveries arrive on time and at the right place. So they developed software to empower private companies to grow.
What are the Amazon Relay Requirements for a Relay?
Amazon works with solo truckers and companies to ensure safety and accuracy. Amazon will be happy to work with you if you can show that you are experienced on the road and have a good understanding of how to make delivery requests.
This does not mean that you can drive a basic driver’s license and be able to keep up with your parents’ VW bus from the 70s. A truck or other vehicle that can haul a shipping container will be required.
You must be to become an Amazon carrier.
- You must have an active DOT number from interstate authority, and a valid MCN number
- You can be a “Carrier” entity that is authorized for property and hire
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Safety Ratings of “Satisfactory,” “None,” or not Rated
- Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASIC).
- Unsafe Driving Below 60%
- HOS Compliance below 60
- Vehicle Maintenancebelow 75%
- Login at the FMCSA login portal for the BASIC status
- All required insurance policies should be in place, including:
- Commercial General Liability not lower than $1,000,000 per occurrence or $2,000,000 aggregate
- Auto Liability Not less than $1,000,000 per Instance, including a trailer replacement policy of $50,000
- Cargo coverage of at least $100,000
- Workers’ Compensationinsurance in all jurisdictions where your business operates
- Employer liability not lower than $100,000 per occurrence
It takes very little time to verify the information. Amazon will approve most applications as long as the paperwork is complete and understandable.
Amazon Relay Rates
Spot load rates for different shipments will depend on many factors such as what you’re carrying, its weight, and how far you drive.
Many YouTubers can be found going over the current offerings on Amazon Relay load boards, which range from $1.21 to HTML309.9 per mile. This can range from a few hundred to several thousand.
The national average for a single owner-operator using a Relay board is 142,000, or about per year. This will depend on where you live, and the routes you use most. You can make a decent living by operating your truck and maintaining it.
Amazon Relay Pay per Mile
Amazon Relay offers a cool calculation that displays the job outline (where you’re going, how much you haul, if you have a partner, etc.) and then runs the numbers to calculate the cost per mile.
The price ranges from $1.21 to $3.09. These are the most lucrative routes for trucking between major cities, such as L.A. to Phoenix and New York to Miami.
What are short-term contracts?
Relay’s Relay feature has been a huge help to smaller companies, as it allows them to plan their work schedule in advance. Truck drivers don’t know when or what they will be doing next. This is because managers are still bidding for jobs and don’t inform them until the very last minute.
You can plan who will be driving the work with short-term contracts. You can balance your workload so that everyone on your team has a decent income.
What is the “Post-A-Truck System”?
Amazon Relay’s load board system is quite advanced in terms of software. Relay even has a section that allows solo drivers and companies to post their open trucks and Relay will work with them.
Post-A-Truck almost guarantees your driver’s work. They will accept gigs, ship the load and then post their truck as free again. The system automatically finds the nearest load to pick up next.
Amazon Relay: Can it help you to earn more?
Shipping companies pay more and offer perks to employees, but it takes a lot of networking and years of hard work to get into these companies.
Amazon Relay offers you and small shipping companies everything they need to make a profit. Although you may not make as much as large companies on a regular basis due to the demand/supply nature of the app, it can help you earn more as your shipments increase.
This means that the more Amazon users you have, the more chances you have to find work. The potential to earn a good income from Amazon is great, even though no one expects it to disappear anytime soon.
How do you get paid?
Amazon Relay makes it much easier to get paid than regular business drivers companies or brokers. Amazon does not require funds to clear for months. Instead, they pay out according to payment cycles that run from Sunday through Saturday.
All invoices received by Saturday at 11:59 p.m. will be paid the week following. All invoices are automatically generated and can be viewed in the Amazon Relay portal.
What are the Amazon Relay Reviews?
Most truckers and companies are happy to join Amazon Relay. There are many resources available on YouTube that provide information from drivers who have joined Amazon Relay and earned a decent living.
It is a great tool for owner-operators because it eliminates all middlemen from other businesses that can slow down your success rate and pay you less.
You can also control your work hours. You can choose to refuse any work if you don’t want to travel. Open your app when you’re ready to restart.
Amazon Relay is an incubator for small-scale businesses. The software was designed to allow a small truck fleet of 2-3 trucks to expand their work capability and have full freight in a short time.
There are a lot of low-paying gigs that do tend to come up. Amazon Relay can be very lucrative, but you have to put in the work. While there are some great gigs out there that pay a lot, most of them are not very lucrative and require you to be committed to working on a regular basis.
Amazon Relay Alternatives
To gather data on freight matching apps usage by carriers operating between one truck and three trucks, The Freight Intel Group conducted a survey.
Conclusion
The Amazon Relay load board is great for solo truckers or people looking to start small freight companies. The more time you put into driving merchandise across the country, the greater your chances of making a lot of cash.
Many trucking workers do not want to be controlled by managers who are not fair. Amazon gives truckers across the country the freedom and power they deserve.