Amazon Relay is one of the most common first freight sources for new box truck and trucking operators, because the volume is there and the app makes it approachable. But Relay is not a magic "get loads with no effort" button. It is a platform with strict requirements that will stall or deactivate you fast if your authority, your insurance, or your compliance is not clean. Here is how to actually get started as a Relay carrier, in order.
Step 1: know which Relay you are joining
"Amazon Relay" covers a few different things, and people conflate them:
- Relay for carriers with their own authority: you run your own MC number and equipment, book loads in the Relay app or board, and get paid per load. This is what this guide is about.
- The Amazon Freight Partner and Delivery Service Partner programs are separate, more structured programs where Amazon helps you build a branded fleet. Different application, different model.
If you already have or are getting your own operating authority and you want to haul Amazon's freight on it, you are in the first bucket. Good, that is the most accessible path.
Step 2: have a real, active operating authority first
Relay does not hand loads to an idea. Before you can onboard, you need:
- An active USDOT number and MC operating authority, not "pending."
- A clean enough FMCSA safety profile, because Relay screens your authority and safety scores.
- Typically some minimum time in operation and/or clean safety history. Brand-new authorities can sometimes get on, but a track record helps, and a bad safety profile can block you outright.
If you do not have authority yet, start with the formation checklist in how to start a trucking company or, for a 26-footer, how to start a box truck company. Get active first, then onboard to Relay.
Step 3: get the exact insurance Relay verifies
This is where most new carriers stall, so read it carefully. Amazon Relay's requirements are commonly:
- $1,000,000 auto liability
- $100,000 motor truck cargo
- $1,000,000 commercial general liability
- Workers' compensation per your state's law
- Amazon listed as additional insured on the liability lines
- A certificate of insurance (COI) proving all of it, with the exact entity name, limits, and wording Relay expects
Relay verifies the COI before you are approved and monitors it after, so a lapse does not just risk a claim, it gets you deactivated. The general liability line is the one that surprises people: plenty of operators buy auto liability and cargo, then stall at onboarding because nobody sold them GL.
We keep the full coverage and cost detail in Amazon Relay insurance requirements, and if you are weighing the box truck package specifically, box truck insurance requirements and cost covers the numbers. The key point for getting started: order the full package up front so your COI passes their check the first time.
Get a real quote on your operation
Step 4: complete Relay onboarding
Once your authority is active and your insurance is in place, the Relay onboarding itself is fairly standard:
- Create your Relay account and enter your MC/DOT and company details.
- Upload or have your insurer send the COI with Amazon as additional insured and the exact limits above.
- Pass Amazon's carrier verification and compliance screening.
- Set up payment (direct deposit) and your equipment profile.
- Download the Amazon Relay app, which is how you find, book, and run loads.
The approval hinges almost entirely on the authority and the COI being correct. Get those right and the rest is data entry.
Step 5: understand the loads and the money
Relay freight generally comes in a few flavors:
- Line haul / trailer loads for carriers with semis and trailers.
- Box truck loads for 26-foot straight trucks, a very common new-operator entry point.
- Relay load board loads you book yourself, versus tendered/contracted freight.
The rates are set by Amazon's market, so your job is margin discipline, not rate negotiation on most loads. Know your cost per mile cold, watch your deadhead between Amazon facilities, and do not assume a full app of loads equals profit. A busy truck losing $0.10 a mile still loses money.
Get a real quote on your operation
The mistakes that stall or deactivate new Relay carriers
- An incomplete insurance package. No GL, wrong additional-insured wording, or limits that are close but not exact. The COI has to say precisely what Relay wants.
- Letting the policy lapse. Relay monitors your COI. A non-payment cancellation can deactivate you and put your authority at risk at the same time.
- Ignoring your safety scores. Relay watches your FMCSA profile. Violations and a climbing score can cost you access.
- Chasing gross revenue. The operators who quit are usually the ones who never ran their real cost per mile and wondered where the money went.
How McClure helps
Getting onto Relay lives or dies on the certificate, and that is our lane. We build the box truck or trucking package with the general liability and the Amazon additional-insured wording Relay actually checks for, make any federal filing your authority needs, and issue a COI built to pass their verification the first time instead of bouncing. Start your application here and tell us you are onboarding with Amazon Relay, so we build it to their spec from the start.