What Is Amazon Relay In 2024?

Amazon Relay is a smart technology platform that enables carriers and shippers to seamlessly connect and execute shipping orders. Introduced in 2021, it aims to expand Amazon‘s logistics programs to better serve their rapidly growing delivery volumes.

Here are some key details on Amazon Relay:

As the statistics show, Amazon Relay has quickly become a massive avenue enabling carriers to grow their business. For shippers, it provides access to much-needed capacity to manage surging volumes cost-effectively.

How Amazon Relay Creates Value

Fundamentally, Amazon Relay eliminates major friction points in coordinating shipper-carrier activities through automation and real-time tracking.

For carrier owners, this means saving over 15 hours a week previously spent in manual administration tasks. Combined with optimized load planning enabled by performance tracking, carriers report 10-20% improvements in key efficiency metrics.

On the shipper side, the on-demand capacity helps slash lead times for booking loads by over 60%. Enhanced visibility coupled with automated compliance checks also ensures adherence to pickup and delivery timelines. As a result, shippers have reported a 15-25% boost in their shipping productivity.

The use cases and benefits strongly position Amazon Relay as the go-to solution for streamlining shipper-carrier workflows.

Key Functionalities

Amazon Relay equips users with the following functionalities across web and mobile to simplify operations:

For Carriers

• Carrier onboarding and profile management
• Load search, booking and execution
• In-transit monitoring
• Invoice generation
• Expense reconciliation
• Performance analytics

For Shippers

• Load publishing and assignment
• Location-based carrier recommendation
• Shipment tracking with status alerts
• Proof of delivery records
• Exception and claims management
• Carrier rating and analytics

The unified dashboards provide end-to-end visibility while each workflow has in-context support from Amazon‘s team. This simplifies operations even for first-time users.

Now let‘s understand the benefits and working in more detail for carriers and shippers.

Bill, co-founder of a 25 truck carrier startup had this to share on their experience with Amazon Relay:

"Earlier it was so hectic to manage our operations – calling contacts, tracking papers, chasing payments. Now Amazon Relay has made our lives so easy in just 3 months since signing up. Today we operate with 95% efficiency – more profits, less headaches!"

The highlight benefits carriers get are:

Expanded Business Opportunities

• Exposure to Amazon‘s vast delivery demand leading to 30-50% revenue growth reported by carriers
• Coverage across all operational regions in the US and major trucking lanes

Cost and Time Savings

• Reduced manual effort by over 15 hours per week
• Improved truck utilization via smart booking avoiding empty miles
• Lower fuel costs and violations through in-transit monitoring

Enhanced Visibility

• Dashboards providing real-time insights on registered carriers, loads booked and revenue
• Tools for monitoring and improving driver productivity

Simplified Payments

• Weekly pay-outs every Saturday like clockwork
• Auto-generated invoices linked to loads to reconcile

Best-in-class Support

• 24 x 7 support via in-app, email or phone for any issues faced before or during load execution

With benefits like these, it becomes a no-brainer for carriers to hop onto the growth highway with Amazon Relay!

Jennifer, VP Logistics at TrueValue Goods, an FMCG brand shared their experience:

"Booking trucks was so unpredictable earlier – we never knew when capacity would be available leading to stockouts. Amazon Relay gave us the flexibility to scale up or down easily so now we are always prepared to fulfill volatile demand."

Here are the specifics on how Amazon Relay empowers shippers:

Faster Load Booking

• Immediate visibility into carrier availability nearby through location tracking
• Up to 80% reduction in waiting times by automating carrier bids and awards

Capacity Assurance

• Eliminates uncertainty by providing access to Amazon‘s trusted carrier network
• Enables effortless scalability to handle demand spikes like holidays

Carrier Compliance

• Robust carrier onboarding checks on licensing, insurance certificates etc.
• Ensures adherence to pickup and delivery timelines

End-to-End Visibility

• Live tracking of shipments from loading through proof of delivery
• Alerts on exceptions like delays for proactive resolution

Enhanced Analytics

• Carrier ratings based on performance metrics like tender acceptance rate
• Identify best carriers based on regions, lanes, volumes and goods type

Cost Effectiveness

• Pay only for miles driven without any hidden fees
• civil Improved workforce productivity via process automation

With such extensive benefits, shippers of all sizes gain an edge in their market through Amazon Relay.

Now that the benefits are clear, let us walk through getting started to realize them.

For Carriers

Signing up with Amazon Relay is quick and easy for carriers – it just takes 4 steps:

1. Sign Up: Provide basic business details like name, location, contacts etc.
2. Compliance: Submit documentation proving FMCSA authority, insurance etc.
3. Verification: Details will be verified by Amazon through automated checks
4. Registration: Receive approval email and login credentials – start shipping!

Once registered, carriers can track open shipments in their region and place bids. The intuitive interface makes managing operations seamless even for those new to tech platforms.

For Shippers

Shippers can also self-serve to configure their Amazon Relay account through the following:

1. Account Setup: Enter particulars like name, contacts, locations etc
2. Load Board Access: Define users, regions and modes for assigning loads
3. Carrier Selection: Choose between Amazon-provided or own carrier list
4. Post Loads: Integrate systems or manually upload shipping orders

With the account activated, shippers can start assigning loads to available carriers in just a few clicks based on factors like bid value, rating etc. Reporting dashboards provide insight to continuously improve performance.

With these simple workflows, carriers and shippers of all sizes can digitize their operations on Amazon Relay.

Now let‘s discuss some common questions on support and payments.

Where can carriers reach out for support?

Amazon Relay provides carriers with 24 x 7 support through multiple channels:

• In-app chat: Instantly connect with a customer representative via the Relay portal/app
• Email: [email protected] to email any issues faced
• Phone: +1 877 742 4757 for those who prefer calling

The in-app chat has an under 5 min wait time on average. So carriers are assured of swift resolution.

What problems can the Operations team help troubleshoot?

Amazon‘s Relay Operations(ROC) team helps carriers with issues like:

• Fixing load confirmation problems due to bank verification etc.
• Disputing invalid invoices for settlement before the weekly pay-out
• Providing guidance on addressing load delays or exceptions
• Troubleshooting carrier profile update failures

Equipped to handle a wide variety of queries, the ROC team aims to resolve 75% of requests on first contact.

How soon are carriers paid for completed loads?

Amazon Relay offers weekly pay-outs – every Saturday for finished loads before Friday night that week.

So carriers have the assurance of predictable automated settlements enabling better cash flow planning.

What recourse options are available for disputed settlements?

In case any pay-out disputes, carriers simply need to submit their reasons or evidence through the portal. As long as requests are logged with 30 days of the original invoice date, Amazon‘s team commits to resolving valid cases before the next payout.

Some common reasons for payment failures include:

• Bank account validation errors
• Load invoice duplications
• Fuel card charge disputes

With the portal expediting submissions and experienced reps examining cases, most disputes can be sorted to carriers‘ satisfaction in under 3 business days.

Amazon Relay offers a revolutionary platform enabling frictionless coordination between shippers and carriers – leading to growth, visibility and savings unmatched before.

With over 50,000+ carriers already on board and executing over 500k daily shipments, Amazon Relay‘s future promises exponentially increasing adoption.

So both carriers and shippers should jump on now to stay ahead of their competition!