amazon relay business plan

Amazon Relay: In-depth Guide to its Requirements, Earnings, and More

• Last Updated: October 18, 2023

• Amazon Relay, a service provided by Amazon allows businesses, truck drivers, and freight services to efficiently transport and deliver products from Amazon.
• Amazon is streamlined through technology to improve communication between trucking companies thus increasing productivity and minimizing paperwork.
• An excellent method to increase the profitability of your trucking business and the transportation industry in general is to sign up for the Amazon Relay program.
• Amazon Relay has gained popularity in the trucking sector despite some criticism and is probably going to continue to play a big role in Amazon’s logistics operations.

As a delivery service business, are you planning to partner with Amazon in their relay program?

Is this your next business strategy to improve revenue? If it is, you have made a wise and profitable choice. According to industry stats, Amazon now holds over 21% of the US logistics market share . Despite not starting as a logistics company, this growth in industry domination surpassing other companies like FedEx (16%) is what you must keep an eye on.

As businesses crank up their delivery services, there needs to be a stable way to carry on these load fulfillments that Amazon is burdened with. The Amazon Relay program bridges your business and better profitability in the fleet services industry. 

In this article, you will understand what Amazon Relay is truly about, Amazon Relay requirements, the benefits of joining Amazon relay, and a software that can 10x your Amazon profit.

Table of Content

What is Amazon Relay?

• How does Amazon Relay work?

Amazon Relay Requirements

• Why Should You Join the Relay Program?
• Benefits of Joining Amazon Relay Program
• Want to Drive for Amazon? Find the Best Routes on Upper Route Planner

Amazon Relay is an exciting program beneficial for fleet services and delivery business owners. Moreover, Amazon is one of the largest competitors in the market today, following long-time players like FedEx and UPS. 

Amazon Relay is a service by Amazon that allows businesses, truck owners, and freight services to carry and efficiently deliver goods from Amazon. This novel idea by Amazon has brought more profitability to most of its partnering businesses. 

The great thing about the Amazon Relay program is that service businesses in the delivery industry get to grow along with Amazon

Companies with the vehicular capacity to transport heavy volumes of Amazon load can join the Relay program. This collaboration between fleet services and Amazon has led to a highly fruitful collaboration, ensuring an outlet for growth in the business of service owners. 

How Does Amazon Relay Work?

Amazon Relay is a program that allows you to join the Amazon Load Board. This program connects owner operators with the Amazon freight network. It is a network of Amazon load postings available with all transparency, ensuring that relay drivers can easily access and book weeks’ worth of trucking schedules ahead of time.

The Relay Load Board is where the ‘work’ is posted. Instead of Amazon assigning loads or planning each route, it is posted on the Amazon Relay service that registered users, including box trucks and owner operators, can then view. This service is also absolutely free for any business to register.

Organizations with large volumes of deliverable load can also post them on the portal. Fleet owners and truck services can then easily select the ones that fall under their schedule and run these routes.

Amazon Relay ensures service owners consistency in load delivery work throughout the year. In addition, the important thing to understand is that Amazon alone cannot run the billions of load fulfillment they receive. 

This is where service partners like fleet services play an important role. Amazon ensures the smooth and timely delivery of goods by partnering up with local fleet services like yours.

Amazon requires that carriers ensure a safety rating of satisfactory, abide by required insurance policies plus Amazon Relay insurance coverage requirements, use recommended equipment types, and follow a lot more. 

Let’s clearly understand all the requirements to join Amazon Relay in detail.

1. Amazon Relay requirements for fleet owners

For owners that own small or large fleets, Amazon requires:

• DOT identification in active status, that is active DOT number.
• Valid MC number (Interstate Authority).
• HOS compliance to adhere to commercial driving hours.
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) safety rating is required. 
• Amazon demands acceptable Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) safety rating of “Satisfactory”,  “None”, or “Not rated”.
• “Carrier” entity type Authorized for Property and Hire.

Apart from requirements like an active DOT number, valid MC number from interstate authority, and more, some other additional requirements are vehicle maintenance, HOS compliance, driving score, etc. Amazon requires these scores to be at least 60% and above to be approved by Amazon. 

2. Amazon Relay insurance requirements

Besides these above documents, fleet service owners must also discuss Amazon Relay insurance requirements with an insurance company as mentioned on the official Amazon website. 

Amazon Relay insurance requirements include: 

• Commercial General Liability of a minimum $1,000,000 per occurrence is one of the first Amazon Relay insurance requirements. In aggregate, this equates to $2,000,000. Commercial general liability covers typical body injury or property damage caused by your services, for instance. 
• Auto Liability includes $2,000,000 in the aggregate Auto Liability and not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence, with $50,000 trailer replacement coverage. This entails commercial vehicle insurance. All damages caused by vehicular accidents come under this insurance.
• Commercial Auto Insurance is applicable if you use a truck or van for commercial purposes. Commercial insurance coverage includes damages or injuries caused by accidents.
• Cargo coverage of a minimum of $100,000. This insurance deals with all damages to goods while in transit.
• Workers’ Compensation insurance covers all areas where your company operates from. All employees under your company will have mandatory workers’ compensation insurance. 
• Employer Liability of a minimum of $100,000 per occurrence. Lastly, employer liability protects against employment issues ranging from discrimination to wrongful termination. 

3. Box truck requirements

Amazon Relay allows fleet services to use trailers, dry van trailers, box trucks, day cabs, sleeper cabs, reefers, etc.

The size requirement for the Amazon Relay box truck is as follows:

• Tractor: Day cab, Sleeper cab, Box Truck.
• Trailer: Reefer, 53’ Dry van, 28’ Trailer.

4. Additional Amazon Relay requirements

A few other requirements relate to the Amazon Relay app that service operators like vehicle drivers need to use. The app helps truck drivers reach their destination with additional information like delivery time, gate information, and more. 

Ensure that your iPhone operates with iOS 11 and Android devices are at least version Android 7 or more.

These are just device requirements to ensure running the mobile app smoothly.

Why Should You Join the Amazon Relay Program? 

Amazon logistics delivered around 4.2 billion packages in 2020. During the pandemic, the surge in delivery skyrocketed. As transportation companies, now is the perfect opportunity to jump into the delivery industry, and the best way to do that is through the Amazon Relay program. 

Joining the Amazon Relay program is a great way to boost the profit of your trucking company and the trucking industry in general. It also leads to great credibility in the industry. Partnering with Amazon is a great step towards good business growth, connecting you to a vast network of potential customers and a constant flow of accessible loads on the load board.

From a service business standpoint, the Amazon Relay program is a great strategy to reach more customers and find new prospects that turn into loyal and long-term customers. This program gives access to Amazon’s extensive load boards, offering you the chance to effectively book loads and extend your business.

Benefits of Joining the Amazon Relay Program

Some benefits of joining the Amazon Relay service are stated below.

• The biggest benefit is that there is no shortage of load delivery with Amazon. 
• Getting paid through the Amazon Relay program is a relatively easy endeavor.
• Choosing short-term contracts is beneficial for many businesses, and advanced booking is a service feature.
• Simple and modern driver application that is simple and gets the job done.
• With its advanced technological tools, Amazon is a great platform to improve your trucking business. 

Want to Drive for Amazon? Find the Best Routes on Upper Route Planner 

Now that you may be interested in joining the Relay program, you might wonder if there is a way to get better at transporting large Amazon loads as Relay partners.

Using smart software that automates and manages major aspects of your delivery process makes this a possibility. One such software that you need to keep an eye on is Upper route planning and optimization software.

1. Route optimization

The need for an optimized delivery route is as important as ever. See, your deliveries can be delayed without optimized routes due to road accidents, unexpected traffic blocks, rush hour traffic, and more. This makes it difficult for your drivers to fulfill the daily delivery without delay and angry customers. Upper route optimization can save you from this unwanted chaos. Apart from this, Upper also provides valuable behavior analysis and safety features that allow you to monitor and enhance your drivers’ performance on the road.

2. Simple and effective route planning

With Upper, business owners can skip manual route planning and optimization. You can now automate the entire route planning and optimization process—find the quickest and safest route and send it to your truck drivers, who can then post a truck and execute the deliveries in the fastest time possible.

Better yet, you can just upload an XLS or CSV file of all stops to be made, and the algorithm selects the best order and route for you, simplifying your work schedule.

3. Seamless integration

Now you may wonder how to integrate Upper and Amazon Relay app into your daily delivery workflow. This can be done quite simply:

• Choose a load delivery from the Amazon Relay app.
• Plan this route by using Upper’s route planning and optimization feature. 
• Dispatch your drivers with this optimized route to deliver faster with a simple notification.
• Track driver and vehicle in real-time to ensure a streamlined delivery process, with the help of a load board app.

All this efficiency will actually equip you to run twice as many Amazon deliveries as you would normally be capable of running. 

Sign up for a 7 days free trial .

According to Amazon Relay, the process to be approved takes around 3-4 business days. Since it is a relatively smooth process, the time for approval can sometimes be quite short as well, sometimes in less than 2 days.

Using a complementary software along with the Amazon Relay app is the best way to go about it. Upper’s route planning and optimization software is a perfect accompaniment to the Relay app. Investing in affordable route solutions like Upper ensures better revenue for your business in the long run.

Amazon Relay program works on a weekly payout cycle. Work completed by the end of Saturday is considered for the payout on the following Friday. The structure of payment runs a Sunday to Saturday cycle. Rest assured, you’ll receive guaranteed revenue and save money by minimizing empty trips.

Average Amazon Relay salary is $62963 a year or around $30 an hour. (Ziprecruiter) Amazon Relay drivers are estimated to make $15-25 an hour, that is $1.21 to $3.09 per mile as per Pretty Motors. To improve your profit and track down chances to book loads with cutthroat rates, consider utilizing load boards that take care of your particular inclinations and necessities.

Getting your fleet service up and running is a huge feat on its own. Thanks to modern technological solutions, it is now much easier to run your business even during tough times. 

The Amazon Relay technology is one solution that every fleet service owner can leverage to offer your services to a wider clientele. 

Trucking companies may find it overwhelming to plan multiple multi-stop efficient routes. This can lead to poor scheduling, miscommunication, and negative customer reviews. To avoid such a disastrous outcome, implementing a route planning and optimization software like Upper is essential for better planning and execution.

You can easily sign up for a 7 days free trial with Upper to improve delivery efficiency and increase profits.

Riddhi Patel is a Conversion Optimization Specialist at Upper. She is passionate about UX and website experiments, ensuring that every click brings value to our users and clients. When she is not deep in data and website experiments, she writes blog posts or plays with her dog, Copper. Read more.

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Amazon Relay Load Board – A Complete Guide

Amazon operates a complicated supply chain but they make it easy for trucking companies to haul loads through their Amazon Relay program.

Rather than posting to existing load boards or requiring trucking companies to work with brokers, Amazon allows truckers to directly book loads through their website and mobile app.

While Relay can be a great option for new or established trucking companies, booking loads on the platform can almost be too easy which means rates aren't always the highest. Still, truckers can find consistent work driving for Amazon and those that now how to navigate the platform can find loads that are worth hauling.

Below is our complete guide to Amazon Relay. We cover how trucking companies can book the best-paying loads, requirements for the platform, how to apply, and what it's like working with Amazon.

What is Amazon Relay?

Amazon Relay is a platform where motor carriers and owner operators can find and book loads, enter into short-term contracts, and post when their truck is available so that Amazon can match them with a load.

Who can use Amazon Relay?

Amazon Relay is built for motor carriers and owner operators driving semi-trucks or box trucks.

Amazon Relay Load Types

Truckers can find dry van, reefer , and power-only loads on the platform. Trailers must be either 53’ or 28’ and box trucks must have interior cargo dimensions of at least 26’x8’x8’.

How does Amazon Relay work?

Trucking companies can find work on Amazon Relay in one of three ways:

Similar to other load boards or digital brokers, carriers and drivers can find and book loads on the Amazon Relay website or mobile app. The load board is free to access and companies are not required to commit to any loads.

Pros: Most flexible and offers greatest control

‍ Cons: Can be time consuming and may miss out on high-paying loads that get booked in seconds

Short-term Contracts

Carriers and owner operators can also commit to short term contracts for more predictable work. These contracts can last a few days up to multiple weeks.

Pros: Carriers and drivers have consistent work and know their schedules ahead of time

Cons: Less flexibility and the pay-per-load may be less than other options

Post a Truck

Companies can post the availability of open trucks and then Amazon Relay acts as a dispatcher, automatically matching trucks with loads that meet their requirements.

Pros: Drivers are automatically matched with loads and loads typically pay more

‍ Cons: Less flexibility than the load board and less predictable than short-term contracts

Loads Types

Users can book three different types of loads on the Amazon load board:

While the first two are self-explanatory, more details on an Amazon Relay Block below.

What is an Amazon Relay Block?

An Amazon Relay Block is a special type of load where drivers are assigned to work specific hours rather than specific loads. Drivers are paid a flat rate for each Block.

• Blocks can be 13 or 37 hours for individual drivers or 112 hours for team drivers.
• During a block, Amazon can send drivers wherever they are needed as long as they are returned to their starting point within the Block period.
• Some Blocks require multiple drivers and those contracts will need to be booked by carriers and not individual drivers.

Amazon Relay Requirements

Amazon Relay has strict requirements for the motor carriers and drivers on their platform.

Carrier Requirements

• Active DOT number with interstate authority and an MC number
• A carrier entity type that is Authorized for Property and for-hire
• A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) safety rating of satisfactory, none, or not rated. To find your safety rating, visit the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records website. 
• Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASIC) scores
• Unsafe Driving below 60%
• HOS Compliance below 60%
• Vehicle Maintenance below 75%

Insurance Requirements

• Commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per incident and $2,000,000 in aggregate
• Auto liability of at least $1,000,000
• Cargo coverage of $100,000
• Trailer replacement coverage of $50,000 (power-only trucking companies)
• Worker's compensation insurance in all relevant jurisdictions (only required for carriers with W-2 employees)
• Employer liability of at least $100,000 per incident (only required for carriers with W-2 employees)

Qualified Vehicles & Trailers

• Trailers: 53’ trailers (dry van or reefer) and 28’ trailers (dry van)
• Tractors: Sleeper cab or day cab
• Box truck: 26’ box truck with tuck-under lift gate
• Dry van or reefer
• Interior cargo dimensions of at least 26’ x 8’ x 8’

Driver Requirements

• CDL class A for semi trucks and class B for box trucks
• CDL drivers must be at least 18+ for intrastate commerce and 21+ for interstate commerce
• Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASIC) scores:

How much do Amazon Relay loads pay?

Like the entire spot market, Amazon Relay loads are dynamically priced based on demand and miles in a load.

Truckers report getting great rates during the holidays and Prime week but at other times, the rates aren’t much better than the rest of the spot market.

When searching for loads, the Amazon Relay app will display the per-mile price along with the distance traveled, whether the load requires a partner, and the weight of the load.

How much does Amazon Relay pay per week?

Amazon Relay short-term contracts pay a flat rate for the week but the rates vary based on location, trip length, and demand.

While short-term contracts guarantee work, the pay will typically be lower than booking individual loads or using the Post a Truck feature.

How often do Amazon Relay drivers get paid?

Amazon’s payment cycle runs Sunday to Saturday, with loads being completed before the end-of-day Saturday getting paid the following Friday. In practice, this means trucking companies will be paid within 1-2 weeks of hauling a load.

FEATURED PARTNER

• Recourse & non-recourse factoring
• Rates start at 2.75% for a single-truck company
• No monthly minimums or hidden fees

Amazon Relay 1-Day Payment

While one-day payments are advertised on their site, drivers will need to contact Amazon about the terms available. Amazon Relay loads can also be factored.

Does Amazon Relay pay for fuel?

No, Amazon does not pay for fuel or reimburse for expenses while driving for the company.

Does Amazon Relay include a fuel surcharge?

Yes, Amazon covers fuel surcharges by the mile for drivers who use Relay, based on weekly national averages published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration .

Does Amazon Relay Pay for Canceled Loads?

If Amazon cancels a load 2 hours before pickup time, drivers are paid $175 for the canceled load.

Applying to Amazon Relay

The Amazon Relay application is fairly straightforward. To make sure it goes smoothly, carriers should follow these steps:

• Verify your DOT is active .
• Gather information to validate your insurance. Issues with insurance validation are the primary reason for application delays.
• Create an account on the Amazon Relay website , then follow the instructions on your screen to apply.
• Once approved, you can immediately begin booking loads through the Relay load board app.

How long does it take to get approved for Amazon Relay?

Amazon Relay typically approves applications within 2-4 business days but some drivers report receiving approvals within 24 hours.

Does Amazon Relay do background checks?

Amazon Relay does not perform background checks on their carriers or drivers.

What if my Amazon relay application gets denied?

If your Amazon Relay application gets denied, it may be because you recently applied for your MC number and authority. Wait two days before applying again to allow time for Amazon’s system to verify your authority status. 

Applications may also be denied if they contain inaccurate or incomplete information. Ensure you provide exact details regarding your name and company name. For example, if the legal name of the business has an “LLC” in it, be sure “LLC” is included on the application so that it aligns with FMCSA data.

What if I get a “You Do Not Meet Our Compliance” response?

If you get a “You Do Not Meet Our Compliance” response during your application and you’ve verified your insurance is active, it may mean that Amazon Relay’s system hasn’t fully updated with the FMCSA database yet.

You can resolve the issue by reaching out through the “Contact Us” page on Amazon Relay and they will recheck the FMCSA database.

Working with Amazon Relay

Amazon Relay scores all of their carriers based on their performance to make sure loads are delivered safely and on time. Top performing carriers receive priority access to loads and short term contracts.

What is an Amazon Relay Performance Score?

A carrier’s score is equal to the lowest of their grades across the following four categories:

• On time – Does the carrier arrive on time at origin, meet transit time expectations, and deliver loads on time
• Acceptance – Measures the rate of acceptance off of tendered work
• App usage – Measures how well drivers use the Relay for Driver Mobile App to execute work, including:
• Check in at origin
• Attach trailer at origin
• Depart at origin
• Arrive at destination
• Disruption-free – Measures the rate at which you execute loads without interruptions like “driver not assigned” and “trailer not moving”

Amazon only considers the previous 6 weeks when calculating grades so companies can quickly increase or decrease their scores.

How to Fix Amazon Relay Performance

Carriers can improve their Performance Score by following these tips:

• Log into the app 30 minutes before needing to log load data
• Be prompt in recording your arrival times
• Prioritize arriving on time to your destination, which is weighted heavily (62.5% of score) compared to origin times (37.5% of score)
• When using Post a Truck, if you experience a setback, report a delay on the app

Amazon Relay Early Access

Amazon Relay’s early access program opens the loads and short-term contracts to drivers with high Performance Scores before other drivers.

This program allows drivers to plan and book loads further out, rather than waiting until the last minute to plan their routes. Planning routes with early access comes with a price, however – truckers report receiving comparatively low rates per mile.

How to Cancel Amazon Relay Load

Carriers can reject a load through the portal using any of the following codes. However, it’s important to note that rejections may affect a carrier’s Performance Score.

Amazon Relay Driver App

The Amazon Relay driver app is free to download and use. Drivers can book loads on their phone by following these steps:

• Downloading the Android Relay app or ioS Relay app from the app store on your mobile phone or using the links provided
• In the upper left corner, clicking the menu (3 horizontal lines)
• From the menu, clicking “Load Board”
• Start a load search using relevant filters (or set email alerts for loads matching criteria you want to continuously monitor)
• Select a load and clicking “book”

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Amazon Relay FAQs

Is amazon relay worth it.

Amazon Relay is a great option for new carriers or carriers with additional capacity. However, companies shouldn’t rely entirely on Amazon Relay because loads will likely be lower than working directly with shippers or building strong relationships with brokers.

Do you need DOT for Amazon Relay?

Yes, you need an active DOT number with interstate authority and an MC number to drive for Amazon Relay. 

Can you use a box truck for Amazon Relay?

Yes, you can use a 26’ box truck for Amazon Relay. A tuck-under lift gate is required along with interior cargo dimensions of at least 26’x8’x8’.

Can you use a cargo van or sprinter van for Amazon Relay?

No, cargo vans cannot be used for loads on Amazon Relay.

Does Amazon use a trailer interchange agreement?

Amazon Relay does use an interchange agreement but they do not require trailer interchange coverage specifically. They just require trailer replacement coverage of at least $50,000, which could be satisfied with trailer interchange coverage or a non-owned trailer endorsement.

When is the peak season for Amazon Relay?

The peak season for Amazon Relay is mid-November through the first week of January. The weeks surrounding Amazon Prime Day is another optimal time to run Amazon Relay loads. 

Can you factor Amazon Relay loads?

Yes, loads on Amazon Relay can be factored.

Does Amazon Relay have a fuel card?

Amazon Relay has partnered with Comdata to offer a fuel card for carriers using the Relay Rewards program.

Amazon Freight vs Relay

Amazon Relay functions similar to a digital load board and motor carriers can still haul loads for other clients.

Becoming an Amazon Freight Partner , on the other hand, is similar to becoming an owner operator and leasing onto Amazon. Amazon helps drivers start their own small trucking company by helping potential companies acquire vehicles, drivers, and loads but Amazon Freight Partners cannot haul freight they find elsewhere.

Amazon Flex vs Relay

While Amazon Relay is a program for semi trucks and box trucks to haul cargo from warehouse to warehouse, Amazon Flex drivers use their own vehicles to make deliveries of individual packages to consumers and businesses that order products from Amazon.

What is the Amazon Relay Contact Number?

The Amazon Relay contact number is (866) 886-8802. Truckers can also avoid lengthy holds by using the support center available on the Relay portal.

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Home » Resources » Hauling with Amazon Relay: A Comprehensive Guide

October 3, 2023

Hauling with Amazon Relay: A Comprehensive Guide

Amazon, a multibillion-dollar company, is renowned for its swift product delivery. Within the trucking sector, Amazon has introduced Amazon Relay , a user-friendly load board that aids drivers and carriers in amplifying their company’s growth potential. This guide will explain the process and prerequisites of hauling with Amazon Relay, ensuring your trucking business can effectively harness this lucrative opportunity.

Eligibility Requirements for Hauling with Amazon Relay

To haul with Amazon Relay, carriers must meet specific minimum requirements set by Amazon. These include:

• An active DOT with interstate authority that has been active for at least 180 days & a Valid MC#.
• A “Carrier” entity type that is Authorized for Property and for Hire.
• A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Safety Rating of: “Satisfactory,” “None,” or “Not Rated.”
• Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASIC) Scores: Unsafe Driving below 60%, Hours of Service (HOS) Compliance below 60%, and Vehicle Maintenance below 75%.
• Adequate insurance coverage, including Auto Liability, General Liability, Cargo, Workers’ Compensation, and Employer Liability.

Equipment Types for Hauling with Amazon

Amazon collaborates with various equipment types, encompassing different tractors like day cab, 26′ box truck, and sleeper cab, and trailers such as 28′ trailer, 53′ dry van, and reefer.

Prioritizing Safety with Amazon Relay

Safety is paramount for Amazon Relay. Carriers must comprehend their Safety Ratings and CSA BASICs, which are accessible to the public through the SMS or on the SAFER website. These ratings derive from the frequency and severity of regulatory violations, accidents, and other safety events.

Insurance Coverage for Hauling with Amazon

While Amazon Relay mandates certain insurance policies, carriers are advised to obtain comprehensive coverage. Beyond the required policies like Auto Liability, General Liability, and Cargo, carriers should consider additional coverage like Physical Damage to ensure complete protection of their assets.

Your Partner in Amazon Relay Hauling

Reliance Partners understands the intricacies of hauling with Amazon Relay. With a deep knowledge of the trucking industry and the specific requirements set by Amazon, our team is perfectly positioned to guide carriers through the process. More importantly, we can help you find the perfect coverage solutions tailored to your needs, ensuring that you’re not only compliant but also protected against potential risks. Our commitment to exceptional customer service and tailored insurance strategies means that you can focus on expanding your operations with Amazon Relay, while we take care of your insurance needs.

Hauling with Amazon Relay offers trucking businesses a golden opportunity for growth. By understanding the eligibility requirements, prioritizing safety, and obtaining the right insurance coverage, carriers can leverage Amazon Relay to its fullest potential. And with Reliance Partners by your side, you can be confident in your coverage and focus on what you do best: delivering goods efficiently and safely.

For more information on comprehensive insurance solutions that align with your unique needs and priorities, contact Reliance Partners . Our team of experts is committed to providing exceptional customer service and tailored insurance strategies to protect your assets and support your business’s success.

Thank you for your interest in Amazon Freight Partner. Please check your inbox to verify your email and receive additional information about the application process.

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How Amazon's Middle Mile team helps packages make the journey to your doorstep

The middle mile team manages complexity and scale in making routing decisions across the company’s expansive transportation network..

Amazon Transportation Services’ Middle Mile team develops routing solutions to move customer orders from its vendors and fulfillment centers to its network of sortation centers, air facilities, and delivery stations in the most efficient way possible.

Over the past five years, the team has played a critical role in helping Amazon deliver on increasingly ambitious goals — from two-day and one-day deliveries for Prime customers, to one-hour delivery windows for services like Prime Now.

Recently, INFORMS, the leading international association for operations research and analytics professionals, recognized these achievements by awarding Amazon the 2021 INFORMS Prize . The award recognizes the effective integration of operations research and analytics into organizational decision making.

“Amazon has made longstanding contributions to operations research and analytics for decades, and their impact has been widely noted and recognized,” said Erica Klampfl, 2021 INFORMS Prize committee chair. “Amazon is truly deserving of this prestigious prize, and the entire O.R. and analytics community joins INFORMS in thanking them for all they have done and continue to do.”

Over the past five years, the team has doubled down on scientific innovation and operations research to move millions of packages globally through Amazon’s transportation network. The INFORMS award serves as a reminder not just of the work the Middle Mile team has done at Amazon, but also how far they have come.

An extremely complex problem

Given the high number of variables involved in arriving at optimal routing decisions, complexity is a constant for Amazon’s Middle Mile team.

For every customer order, Amazon’s routing algorithms must determine the best path through the network to move the product between suppliers, fulfillment centers, sorting facilities, and delivery stations, to quickly, safely, and cost-effectively reach customers.

They must evaluate the merits of each transportation option — surface, rail, air, or maritime — and determine the most effective route.  The algorithms also determine an optimal or near-optimal route to send the order to a facility where it can be sorted and handed off for delivery. Finally, all schedules have to be designed in a way that optimizes for safety and complies with government regulations such as rest breaks, hours of service, and other requirements.

Our trucking network alone presents us with over ten octovigintillion possible routing solutions.

“To give you an idea of the scale and complexity we’re managing, our trucking network alone presents us with over 10 88 — or ten octovigintillion — possible routing solutions,” says Tim Jacobs , director of Middle Mile Research Science and Optimization. “This is an especially large number, when you consider that there are 10 82 atoms in the visible universe.”

And that’s just for the trucking network.

When a product is ordered on the Amazon Store, there are several ways it can make its way from a fulfillment center to the customer’s residence.

There’s the (relatively) straightforward approach: The product is sent from a fulfillment center to a sortation center and to a delivery station, at which point it is placed on a vehicle for delivery to the customer’s residence.

There are also more involved scenarios, such as when customers place time-sensitive orders for items stored in geographically distant fulfillment centers. In these cases, the products are often delivered using a combination of Amazon’s air cargo network along with the surface network to meet the customer’s delivery timelines.

When Jacobs joined Amazon in 2016, the majority of the company’s loads were carried by a relatively small number of large third-party carriers that managed the truck assignments and routings. Since then, the Middle Mile team has helped to develop new ways to manage its transportation network, including by routing a growing number of medium and small carriers using Amazon’s own technology and algorithms, enabling more efficient management and visibility of the transportation network, which in turn helps Amazon get packages to customers faster and more efficiently.

That effort began, in part, by expanding the team.

In the beginning: Improving Amazon’s surface operations

In 2016, Mauricio Resende was among just a few scientists in Amazon’s Middle Mile team — a number that has since grown significantly.

Prior to Amazon, Resende worked as a scientist at AT&T Labs focused on combinatorial optimization. At its essence, combinatorial optimization involves using mathematical methods to identify the best decisions for a problem from a large set of candidate solutions.

“In 2016, Amazon’s surface routing decisions were made using a basic local search algorithm,” Resende says. “Loads were allocated in advance. The process was largely iterative, and we drove small improvements to the algorithm week over week.”

Crucially, in order to automate routing decisions, the algorithms and systems needed to account for differing constraints and inputs that have a profound impact on routing decisions, such as the nuances of different regulatory agencies in each country.

The system also needed to understand the storage and throughput constraints of each facility by considering factors like operating hours or whether parking slips might be required. So, the team worked to model and eliminate those system blind spots.

“We developed more advanced data structures and algorithmic techniques to account for these constraints as we designed routing schedules,” says Resende.

Resende provides the example of a sequence evaluator designed by Amazon’s Middle Mile research team. The evaluator was designed to help find the most effective routing solution for a pre-determined objective function, such as cost, or number of trips with empty loads.

The evaluator computed the cost for a presented route. It kept working through possible changes to the route until a near-optimal route was found. This solution was then perturbed — routes were deliberately eliminated and new deliveries were fed into the algorithm. The task was then repeated. In this manner, the algorithm progressed toward an iteratively better solution.

Through methods such as these, Resende and his fellow researchers drove a significant reduction in surface transportation costs.

When you are working with such a large universe of possibilities, you have to be incredibly efficient in how you formulate the problem.

“When you are working with such a large universe of possibilities, you have to be incredibly efficient in how you formulate the problem,” says Resende. “You then have to be efficient in designing algorithms to solve that formulation of the problem.”

The Middle Mile team also faced situations where it had to route goods that hadn’t been accounted for in the demand forecasts that are an input to its routing plans. While future demand can be predicted, there are still many unknowns at the planning stage. A good example is spikes in demand for new products, or products that become unexpectedly popular.

To cope with demand variability, the Middle Mile team developed a truckload supply load board with dynamic pricing. The load board, powered by a number of machine learning algorithms coupled with mathematical optimization models, allowed Amazon to expand its delivery network by accessing the available capacity of pre-screened carriers operating in a geographical area or lane.

The load board dynamically sets prices for loads that are currently available. Carriers can review available loads simultaneously. Interested carriers can then accept the load at the offered price in real-time. This arrangement also helps carriers optimize the efficiency of their drivers’ schedules.

As Amazon drove improvements to its surface network, the Middle Mile team also leveraged scientific innovation to design routing solutions for its air cargo service, which has expanded rapidly since launching in 2016.

Developing algorithms to manage Amazon’s fleet of contracted airline partners

Nilay Noyan joined the company as a principal research scientist in September 2019. Prior to Amazon, Noyan was a professor of industrial engineering at Sabanci University in Istanbul.

Broadly speaking, the air routing problems are similar to those for surface networks. However, there are completely different constraints associated with airlines.

“Broadly speaking, the air routing problems are similar to those for surface networks,” says Noyan. “However, there are completely different constraints associated with airlines.”

These include regulatory constraints, lead times for procuring aircraft, the impact of fluctuating fuel prices, and resources required to manage airline contracts. Flight schedule designs also need to ensure that there is sufficient time for routine line maintenance, airplane refueling, and the loading and unloading of packages.

Arrival and departure times must be aligned with available capacity and resources to ensure packages are processed on time. To further complicate matters, airline schedules have to be aligned with those of the surface network so there are trucks waiting on the ground to carry packages to the next destination.

Over the past four years, the Middle Mile Planning Research and Optimization Science team has developed and implemented more than a dozen optimization and machine learning models to build and operate the air transport network. These tools help the team arrive at the most optimal decisions in areas such as flight schedule design, fuel management, package flow planning, maintenance planning, and disruption recovery.

Noyan says machine learning also plays an important role in helping the Middle Mile team solve for problems that are inherently stochastic or unpredictable in nature.

“Deviations from the execution plans are unavoidable in case of unexpected disruption events due to weather, unscheduled maintenance, and crew-related delays,” says Noyan. “Machine-learning-based prediction methods help us react to these unexpected situations, and adapt quickly so that we can meet our delivery promises to customers.”

In addition to helping Amazon adapt to unpredictable events, Jacobs sees machine learning playing an increasingly important role in helping Amazon more effectively unify the worlds of surface, air, rail and maritime networks for both network design and day of operations.  

“At Amazon, we work back backwards from the customer,” he says. “We don’t think of each mode of transport separately, as is common in the industry. Instead, we are continually working to combine these areas effectively, so that the way we plan and the way we operate the network are consistent.”

• Demand forecasting
• Middle mile
• Transportation planning

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Here’s how to start a trucking company by renting a box truck to haul for Amazon Relay – Step by Step

Steps to starting your Box Truck Business:

1️⃣Register your business

Search google: “[your state] Secretary of State”

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2️⃣Request an EIN (Tax ID)

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3️⃣Setup a bank account and sign up for QuickBooks  

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6️⃣Apply for your Motor Carrier Authority  

Application: forhire.pro/AuthorityApp $300

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RTS is by far the best for both factoring and fuel cards plus they offer special rates for Amazon Relay

1️⃣1️⃣Find an amazing dispatcher  

Interview several, don’t look for the cheapest, you absolutely want the best

If they charge more than others, that probably means they are better

1️⃣2️⃣Sign up for DAT  

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1️⃣3️⃣Shop Box Truck Rental Rates in your area, let them know you are a motor carrier for Amazon, some provide better rates for this

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1️⃣4️⃣New Entrant Phone Call

You will get a letter in the mail from FMCSA for your audit call. Do this ASAP. It’s easy, they basically just go over your application to verify what you’ve entered.

1️⃣5️⃣Pay your down payment for insurance close to the 21st day after applying for your authority

You have to wait 21 days from the time you apply for your Authority and you want to make your insurance effective a couple days prior to that to make sure the insurance company has time to process the filings so your MC will be active on the 21st day.

1️⃣6️⃣Apply to brokers

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NEW TRUCKING COMPANY? Pay-by-the-Mile Insurance Program

Long-haul trucking , new venture , short-haul trucking, how to haul for amazon relay as a new motor carrier.

• January 16, 2024

Starting a business and want to haul for Amazon? Amazon Relay wants you to be in business for 6 months before driving for them.

If you’ve got the vision to start a trucking company and want to haul for Amazon (Relay) on day one, there are important requirements you need to know about!

You heard that right. New carriers cannot lease a box truck one day and start hauling for Amazon the next.

Their FAQ page states one of their requirements: You must have “a DOT number, with interstate authority and that has been  active for minimum of 180 days , and a valid MC number.”

So, what can you do?

What do I do for the first 6 months?

The choices you make from this point forward greatly impact your startup cashflow, growth timeline, and large future payment dates.

Remember, expenses can be up to $20,000/month as a startup.

If you are planning to solely drive Amazon Relay freight, one option can save you thousands of dollars on insurance premiums.

Recommendation : Put your insurance policy on your personal vehicle for the first 6 months as you wait to haul for Amazon. Then switch to your commercial vehicle when you are ready.

Also, you need to know that new carriers, which have no safety history yet, can see more affordable insurance premiums if you declare to the insurance company on your application that you are going to operate within a 500-mile radius.

Then after some safe driving and history, you an slowly expand your distance if you want to driver long-haul cargo.

If you are committed to start as a long-haul trucking business, then expect to pay expensive insurance premiums for a couple years.

Recommendation : One of the easiest ways to save thousands of dollars in insurance premiums when you first start your trucking company is the geographical location of your business. In most cases, it is best to avoid major cities or areas susceptible to severe weather.

For example, trucking insurance is expensive in Atlanta, GA. However, a new carrier can save thousands of dollars if they just start the location of their business outside of the city. This includes your garaging address. In general, living in an urban area compared with a rural area can have a major impact on rates. In a metro area where there are more cars on the roads and more traffic, accidents are more likely, pushing rates higher.

If you plan to make changes to your garaging address, it is recommended that you notify your insurance company as soon as possible. Your insurer can make the necessary adjustments to your insurance policy to protect you against possible risks.

Do you have enough money saved right now?

The biggest reason owner-operators fail is not having enough money saved up before going on their own to manage start-up costs, maintenance emergencies, or lagging payments after finishing a load.   

Truck drivers who are looking to go on their own must find a way to start a savings plan where you are regularly setting aside money, at least $200 per month. As you build your savings, you should learn  how to build and use your credit score  for when you later need to borrow for a truck purchase or repairs.

How much money do truckers need to save before becoming an owner-operator?

Starting your own business has a lot of expenses you should be prepared for, which includes:

• Paying taxes
• Start-up licensing and compliance costs
• Vehicle payments
• Vehicle maintenance
• Daily operating expenses (food, fuel, etc.)

Commercial Truck Insurance

Recommendation : On average, truck expenses alone for a new owner-operator is usually around $15,000-$20,000 per month for a single truck. Before starting out, you should save up at least twice that to manage the first couple months of your new business.

Ideally, many consultants recommend saving for at least 6 months of operation, which is closer to $100,000.

This advice stems from the biggest issue after starting your new trucking business, dealing with your load payment terms.

Cashflow is the amount of money coming in versus coming out of the company. The issue for owner-operators at the beginning is not having money come in for at least 30 to 45 days after completing their first few loads.

Many trucking companies experience cash flow problems because they don’t charge enough per mile to cover their expenses. If you accept these super low rates, then the shipper assumes they can continue to get away with it. But you are the one moving the product, you are the professional, so make sure you know what your costs and worth are.

Recommendation : The most important thing for you to do for every load is determine your truck freight rate and cost per mile so you can cover your expenses and expected profit.

Just remember that these rates will fluctuate depending on your routes, if you are going in or leaving certain regions, and more.

• To calculate cost per mile , you need to examine your current expenses and forecast the number of miles you plan to drive this year. Then divide the expenses and profit by the miles.
• A truck freight rate is a price a shipper or broker will pay you to haul a load. While this sounds simple, these rates per mile can vary significantly depending on the time of year and current fuel prices.
• The most important number when it comes to calculating truck rates is the number of miles between your starting point and the destination .
• After distance, you need to know the weight of the shipment . To control costs, you must carefully manage the overall weight loading for your fleet. If you start with a higher rate for heavy loads, even if the shipper negotiates a discount, you will still end up with more total revenue.
• Lastly, is the shipment density so you know how much room a shipment will take up in your truck. Once you know the weight of the shipment, calculating the shipment density is simple. All you do is divide the cargo weight by its cubic feet.

What are the requirements to carry loads for Amazon Relay?

Amazon Relay enables carriers to tap into the Amazon load board network, technology, and safety-first culture to build and grow your fleet or Amazon owner operator businesses.

To join Amazon’s freight network, you must meet the following minimum requirements:

• A DOT number, with interstate authority and that has been  active for minimum of 180 days , and a valid MC number
• “Carrier” entity type that is “Authorized for Property and for Hire”
• FMCSA Safety Rating of “Satisfactory,” “None,” or “Not Rated”
• Unsafe Driving below 60%
• HOS Compliance below 60%
• Vehicle Maintenance below 75%
• Controlled Substances / Alcohol below 75%
• Driver Fitness below 75%
• Commercial General Liability not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 in the aggregate
• Auto Liability not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence, including a trailer replacement coverage of $50,000
• Cargo coverage of at least $100,000
• Workers’ compensation insurance in all jurisdictions where your company operates
• Employer liability not less than $100,000 per occurrence

Are you ready to start and need an insurance quote? We got you covered!

Fill out the information below and we can get a Amazon Relay insurance quick quote started for you.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email  [email protected] .

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Box Truck Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Box Truck Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their box truck businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a box truck business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Box Truck Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your box truck business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Box Truck Company

If you’re looking to start a box truck business, or grow your existing box truck business, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your box truck business in order to improve your chances of success. Your box truck business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Box Truck Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a box truck business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for box truck businesses.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a box truck company.

If you want to start a box truck business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Below are links to each section of your box truck business plan template:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of box truck business you are operating and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a box truck business that you would like to grow, or are you operating box truck businesses in multiple markets?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the box truck industry. Discuss the type of box truck business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of box truck business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of box truck businesses:

• Moving van box truck : this type of box truck company specializes in moving families, individuals, or companies to move their household items or office items to a new location.
• Delivery box truck: this type of box truck company specializes in catering to those individuals or companies needing items delivered to a location. This could include furniture, food, and certain animals.
• Junk removal box truck: this type of box truck company focuses on utilizing their box truck to remove and haul junk and unwanted items to a dumpster, charity drop-off location, or the nearest disposal area. This type of box truck business is needed for cleaning out homes or places of business.

In addition to explaining the type of box truck business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of clients served, number of positive reviews, reaching X amount of clients served, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the box truck industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the box truck industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating. 

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your box truck business plan:

• How big is the box truck industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your box truck business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your box truck business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments:individuals, families, and companies that need to transport their products and/or inventory.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of box truck business you operate. Clearly, companies would respond to different marketing promotions than individuals, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

Finish Your Box Truck Business Plan in 1 Day!

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With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other box truck companies. 

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes box truck companies such as FedEx, UPS, US Postal Service, bicycle services, hauling companies, etc.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other box trucks with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be box truck businesses located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of box trucks do they operate?
• What areas do they serve?
• What type of box truck company are they?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Are your box trucks more fully-equipped than the competition?
• Will you provide box truck services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you provide faster delivery time?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a box truck business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of box truck company that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to box truck services, will you provide GPS tracking, 24/7/365 service, client communication, and any other services?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your box truck company. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your box truck business located near a warehouse district, an office complex, an urban setting, or a busy neighborhood, etc. Discuss how your location might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your box truck marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Commercials
• Social media marketing
• Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your box truck business, including cleaning the box truck, any necessary mechanical needs the box ruck may require, fueling the box truck, marketing, and informing clients of location and status updates.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to obtain your XXth client, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your box truck business to a new location.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your box truck business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company. 

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing box trucks. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a box truck business or are connected to a wide network of professional organizations that frequently utilize box trucks.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you take on one new client at a time or multiple new clients with multiple box trucks and drivers ? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your box truck business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt. 

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a box truck business:

• Cost of box trucks
• Cost of fuel and overhead
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your box truck lease or cost, types of customer you will be targeting, and the areas your box truck business will serve.  

Putting together a business plan for your box truck business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will have an expert business plan; download it to PDF to show banks and investors. You will really understand the box truck industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful box truck business.  

Box Truck Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my box truck business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Box Truck Business Plan.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of box truck business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a box truck business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of box truck businesses?

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Box Truck business plan?

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Free Amazon FBA Business Plan PDF [2024 Template + Sample Plan]

Anthony St. Clair

12 min. read

Updated February 7, 2024

Free Download:  Sample Amazon FBA Business Plan Template

When figuring out how to turn eCommerce into your side hustle or primary business, Amazon FBA can be your ticket to starting a small business on Amazon . With over 4.1 billion products sold by independent sellers on Amazon in 2022 alone, Amazon’s marketplace for online sellers is growing, competitive, and full of opportunity .

In order to take full advantage of everything Amazon’s ecosystem has to offer your business, you should create an Amazon FBA business plan . Your Amazon business plan can help you think through your vision, understand the competition, identify opportunities, and foresee challenges. The better your plan, the better your chance at success as an Amazon FBA merchant.

What is Amazon FBA? 

When your business sells products to a customer online, those orders go through a fulfillment process, such as:

• Secure payment processing
• Selection and packing of the correct item or items in the order
• Package labeling
• Shipment and delivery of orders to customers
• Customer service throughout all steps of the process

A business can manage this on its own. On a small business or solopreneur scale though, that can mean figuring out logistical steps that take up a lot of time. For example, where will you store the products you sell? Warehouse space can be costly—and there’s only so much room in your apartment or garage.

Plus, once you have the products ready to go, they need to be securely packaged, including padding to protect during bumps and drops during shipping. You’ll have to figure out how the order gets on its way to the customer. Do you schedule regular pickups from UPS or FedEx? Are you making lots of trips to the post office, waiting in line, or setting up the customer’s shipping address and shipping options to generate labels?

Or, Amazon can do it all for you. The “FBA” in Amazon FBA is short for “Fulfillment by Amazon.” Instead of you taking care of the fulfillment steps above, you can pay a fee to Amazon , typically a flat monthly fee plus a per-order fee. Instead of managing orders, you can focus on sales strategy, suppliers, marketing, and the nitty-gritty of building, expanding, and profiting from your Amazon FBA eCommerce store .

As you develop your business plan, you can review Amazon’s FBA program , see how it fits your business goals, and evaluate the program’s costs and opportunities in your planning.

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• How do you write an Amazon FBA business plan?

For starters, focus overall on your business. Amazon FBA is a way to solve a problem and fulfill a need in your business, but it isn’t the entirety of your business. As you start working on your Amazon FBA business plan , think through what sort of business you are building. Amazon FBA can have a role, but so might other sales and distribution channels. Here are five things to keep in mind as you write your Amazon FBA business plan.

1. Determine what kind of Amazon seller you’ll be

Your business will be selling products online. So, what products will you be selling—and what sort of seller will you be? Depending on the types of products you want to sell, you’ll make different decisions about choices such as product sourcing and your overall business model. Here are three models to consider : Reseller, Private Label, or Proprietary.

A reseller sources products from other companies and then sells them to customers on Amazon. Being a reseller can be the easiest and cheapest way to get started in Amazon FBA. Startup costs can be as low as $500, depending on the products you are purchasing for reselling.

However, the downside is that other companies can just as easily follow the same model (and sometimes Amazon itself sources or creates products that may be the same as yours). It may also be challenging to figure out how to stand out in the market. If focusing on a reseller model in your Amazon business plan, examine competitors, similar products currently on the market, and what sort of marketing and promotional strategies can help you build sales and a customer base.

Private Label

If your focus is on building a recognized product brand and growing customer loyalty, while primarily sourcing pre-made products you can resell, a private label Amazon business model could be a good fit for your business. Manufacturers worldwide specialize in creating unbranded products that other companies can brand and sell. Also known as a “white label” product, building your business around private label sourcing can help you develop a distinctive product brand that customers look for.

Consider focusing your business plan around the characteristics you want your brand to embody. That can help you identify white label products that are a good fit. A private label Amazon FBA business model may also require more capital, for investing in labeling, packaging, brand development, and marketing.

Proprietary

For the Amazon seller who wants to go all-in on business, marketing, product development, and commerce on Amazon and beyond, developing and selling your own proprietary products can have both the most work and investment, but also the best chance to stand out and profit in the market.

Developing your own product will require the most up-front investment and capital. Your business plan can discuss the risks and challenges your business might face during product development and getting products to market, and how you are prepared to meet those challenges.

Creating your own product also opens up opportunities to patent that product. Plus, it can be easier to sell your product in other stores or channels beyond Amazon.

Different business models have different impacts on your value proposition as an Amazon seller

As you make your business plan, examine each type of seller and its impact on your value proposition. How can you use a seller type to offer value to the customer and win sales? What problem will you be solving in the market, and how will one model help you more than another

2. Conduct market research and solidify your brand position

Between Amazon and its third-party sellers, combined Amazon carries over 353 million products . In 2018 alone, Amazon sales accounted for 49.1% of all US online retail spending, and over 20 million people visited the site each month.

While being an Amazon FBA seller can be an easy way to get your eCommerce business underway, it is also extremely competitive. As you develop your business plan, examine:

• Understand the needs and wants your product can fulfill.
• Who will want to buy your product, and for what reasons?
• Who might your competitors be, what sort of marketing tactics do they use, and where are there opportunities for your brand to perform better?
• How will you brand your business on Amazon and beyond? Figuring out your business’s branding can help build the customer base that will buy from you on Amazon and other platforms where you sell your products.

Key to your business plan and your chances for success are figuring out a certain sweet spot of what products you can sell that will make you the right amount of profit. When evaluating products to offer, also take a look at how much that product is searched on Amazon , how much competition there is for it or similar products, how easy it is to source your products from suppliers, and the right price point.

3. Sales and marketing strategy

Inside Amazon FBA, you can estimate the fees Amazon will charge you, but there will be other costs to account for in your business plan too. From social media to paid advertising, there are many ways to get the word out about your products. Your business can pay for keyword-based advertising on Google and Amazon. You can also work on posting to social media, as well as advertising or paying for influencer content creation on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.

As you develop and implement an ads strategy, keep an eye on your average cost of sale (ACOS): Aim to keep it low enough to preserve profits, usually with an ACOS of 10% or less.

Also consider your overall sales strategy not just for Amazon, but beyond. What other retailers would be a good fit for your product? Will you have your own in-house eCommerce store on your business’s website? Having multiple sales channels can make your business more durable and help your operation weather ups, downs, competition, or other problems.

Another part of your sales strategy is sourcing. Many Amazon FBA sellers source products from other countries, such as China. Understanding your suppliers and the cost to acquire your products can help you make out your business’s costs, revenues, and financial forecasts.

4. Startup costs and financial projections

Depending on factors such as your business model, startup capital, and what products you plan to sell, you can then use your business plan to understand the financial path your business can take. As you develop the financials portion of your plan, try to find good estimates for costs such as:

• Supply and sourcing

Combined with an understanding of your profit margins and product costs, you can map out realistic financial projections as you start the business and begin operating it day in and day out. Running the numbers in your business plan can help you determine if your Amazon FBA business could be financially profitable. It can also help you evaluate if you need to take a fresh look at your idea to see what you need to change to make the business more viable.

5. Milestones and partners

You’ll need to consider sales and fulfillment milestones that help ensure that you are appropriately anticipating demand and not overspending or overestimating need. Outlining who you’ll be partnering with (vendors/3rd party fulfillment and quality assurance providers) will also be necessary here.

Succeeding in your Amazon FBA business also depends on knowing what goals you want to meet, and who you will be working with. Some of those milestones might be quantitative, such as an amount of gross revenue achieved or an overall number of sales.

Other milestones can speak to factors that can help you optimize your Amazon business. For example, if your business increases sales to a specified level, you might be able to reduce your unit costs by ordering more products at a time. Those volume discounts can add up quickly to significant additional net revenue on your bottom line.

Your overall business decisions throughout the year also depend on understanding market conditions, supply chain pressures, upcoming trends, and more. The key is to figure out how to best estimate demand, stock levels, pricing, and other costs, while overspending on inventory or advertising, and also not overestimating the market’s need or desire for your products.

Along with Amazon, your business will also rely on other stakeholders or third parties. If you are running the business with partners, or if you have employees or work with independent contractors, you’ll need to take into account their costs, compensation, and expectations. Noting your partners, such as suppliers, quality assurance providers, retail partners (in addition to Amazon FBA), and other service providers such as attorneys and accountants in your business plan helps keep those relationships top of mind.

• Amazon FBA development tips for startup growth

As you work on your business plan and get your startup off the ground, there will be other questions to answer, challenges to meet, and opportunities to evaluate. Here are a few Amazon FBA tips that can help you get more out of your business and your Amazon business plan.

Build an audience outside of Amazon

Amazon is a powerful retail channel, but they are not the only game. Plus, having only one sales channel makes your entire operation dependent on only one company, which can put your profits or business at risk. Amazon can be a vital part of your eCommerce strategy. You can better weather business ups and downs, and potentially draw on more revenue streams, by having sales and marketing channels outside of Amazon. Develop active social media presences, partner with other retailers, and also look at selling directly through your own website. When you diversify your sales channels, you can spread risks and potentially grow sales more than with Amazon alone.

Optimize your Amazon product listings

Just like online content can be optimized for search engines such as Google, your Amazon product listings can be optimized to better fit customer expectations and Amazon’s own algorithms:

• Display multiple photos, including product images from various angles as well as in-use photos
• Make a simple introduction video, less than one minute, that talks about the product and shows the customer how it works and some of its key features
• Examine Amazon for search terms, or keywords, that customers will be using to find products like yours. Incorporate those terms throughout your product headings and text.
• Speaking of text, good product copy gets across not only what the product does and what it is, but how it fills the customer’s need or want.
• Add product FAQ to draw in more keywords and discuss other aspects of the product that customers want to know more about.

Get customer reviews

In your packaging and online correspondence, ask customers to leave an honest review about your products. You can learn a lot about how your product is or is not meeting their expectations. Plus, customer reviews can be gold mines for other product features or benefits to include in your Amazon description.

Leverage Amazon features

From Amazon Ads to enhanced A+ content , Amazon has a diverse range of features that sellers like you can put to work for your business. As part of your business planning, estimate a budget for advertising on Amazon, and also for creating visual and text content that can be incorporated into your product page’s A+ content. These are just a few of the many features that can help your Amazon FBA business sell more . Also check out Amazon’s global selling , multi-channel fulfillment , FBA customer service .

• Download your free Amazon FBA business plan pdf

Get started by downloading our free Amazon FBA business plan PDF can give you the template you need to start setting up your Amazon FBA business—and start building sales and customers around the world. This Amazon business plan is just one of hundreds of free sample plans that have been time-tested by our team and by thousands of entrepreneurs all over the world.

Amazon is a competitive marketplace used by hundreds of thousands of sellers around the world. However, barriers to entry are low, and there is an opportunity for new sellers to find their niche in this market as well. Your Amazon FBA business plan can help you think through the challenges and opportunities that you’ll face in today’s eCommerce environment. You’ll also be able to identify potential business challenges—as well as milestones and opportunities that can help you both monitor your business’s progress and see where you can grow.

Whatever you want to sell on Amazon, get going: Get your free Amazon FBA business plan today .

See why 1.2 million entrepreneurs have written their business plans with LivePlan

Anthony St. Clair is a business copywriter, author of the Rucksack Universe travel fantasy series, and a craft beer writer specializing in Oregon. Learn more at anthonystclair.com.

Table of Contents

• What is Amazon FBA? 

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Get started with amazon business., how to write a business plan, why write a business plan.

The dream that I had as a four year old of changing the world with a lemonade stand is what drove the growth of the company. But what actually provided the backbone in the foundation for that dream was the fact that we had a business plan for each stage of our company's growth. And that's one of the many reasons you want to make a business plan. A clear business plan informs other parties, whether that's your internal team, your friends and family, potential investors, or strategic partners, about your company. It also sets clear goals for the future and allows you to dream like a kid, just as I did as a four year old in Austin. A study reports that you're 42% more likely to accomplish the goals that you write down.* A business plan is essentially a way of listing your goals and backing it up with data and research. You also include your current team key factors about your business, and the industry as a whole. It establishes a roadmap for your business.

Key Reasons to Write a Business Plan

• Helps you understand key factors of business and industry
• Establishes roadmap for business
• Provides information for other parties such as potential investors, internal teams, friends & family
• Sets clear goals for the future and allows you to dream like a kid
• Make you 42 % more likely to accomplish the goals you write down*

Key Aspects of a Business Plan

• Industry overview - a general market analysis
• Company and business overview - introduces your business
• Business strategy - clarifies what your strategy is for conducting business
• Mission and vision - how your business is going to impact others in the world
• Management and key personnel
• Capitalization structure - how you fund and raise capital
• Growth and goals?
• What's next for your brand
• Risks and mitigation - potential elements that could negatively impact your business and how you will mitigate those

Company & Business

This section provides an overview and introduction to your business as a whole. Here's where you want to tell your founder's story, what's unique about your company, and what big problem your company solves. You want to list what your company structure is - are you an LLC or are you incorporated? Where are your principal offices located? Is it virtual or in person? And who are the management personnel? But not too much into the matter of personnel because there's another section for that. In this section, you want to include your business strategy, opportunities, and the target market.

• The story behind founding your company
• What's unique about your company
• The big problem your company solves.
• Company structure i.e. are you an LLC or are you incorporated?
• Location of principal offices - is a virtual is it in person?
• Management personnel - who are they? - but not too much into the matter of personnel because there's another section for that.
• Business strategy - what is the opportunity and the target market?

Mission & Vision

I came across my vision and mission statement actually as an accident. I was four and a half years old. I got stung by two bees in one week. It was extremely painful and I was terrified of them. My parents said, ‘okay, how about you do some research?’ I learned that without the bees, our food supply would collapse. And I also learned that one out of every three bites of the food we eat comes from bee-pollinated plants. This definitely sparked an interest and I wanted to help protect them based on learning that the populations were dying at an alarming rate. So I decided, “Hey, I just got a cookbook from my great granny Helen (she wrote her favorite recipe for a flaxseed lemonade.) What if I took this recipe and add my own twist? What if I added mint? What if I sweetened it with honey, which I had just learned that bees made? And what if I donated a portion to organizations that would seem to bees?” That’s how my mission orginated. I wanted to create lemonade that tastes good and does good. I wanted to make a measurable impact on saving bee populations. While that's what it started as, it has since grown into something more. Yes, it saved bees, but it's also teaching and encouraging social entrepreneurship. Mission and vision may sound the same, but they're pretty different and they're both equally as important. Your vision statement is your reason for being. It's who you are at your core. It can be inspirational and emotional. The goal is getting others to see your vision and believe in it, to garner hearts, attention and interest. Your vision statement should attract and engage passionate individuals both within and outside of your organization.

Vision Statement

A vision statement is your reason for being - who you are at your core.

• Can be Inspirational - getting others to see your vision and BEE-lieve in it
• Can be emotional - to get hearts, attention and interest
• Should be a short statement

Mission Statement

The mission statement is where you want to clarify what the scope of your work is. What you do, how do you do it, and for whom. This is where you help people understand how you achieve the vision that you already mentioned.

Industry Overview

In the Industry Overview section, you want to list what differentiates you from your competition. State your business's economic sector on a local, regional and national level. You want to list who the current leaders and trendsetters are in your industry; you could do this through a side by side competitor analysis. You want to forecast where your industry is headed to in the future. Industry Overview Highlights

• What differentiates you from the competition?
• Local level
• Regional level
• National level
• Side-by-side competitor analysis
• Describe sectors growth
• Opportunities for your business to expand
• Overall goal is to determine your target market and what separates you

Management and Key Personnel “Your Hive”

The next section is the “Your Hive” section or Management and Key Personnel. Here's where you want to outline your business's management structure and their qualifications. This could be owners, key personnel board, etc. You don't need to have a large team. You just want to emphasize what proficiencies, personalities and skill sets your team has. So whether you're a solopreneur or you're listing people who you go to for help that as my hive. In general, you want to emphasize the capacity of your team through a variety of skill sets and identify key functions that are required to help achieve the vision for your business. One challenge that we had as a small business was that it was hard to bring on full time employees. I was the founder and CEO of Queen Bee. I brought on my parents as Chief Operating Bee and Chief Marketing Bee, but we still needed help. And so we realized that by listing what skills our current team had in our management and personnel section, we were able to understand the skills that we need to outsource. We eventually went to outsourcing specific team members such as brokers, accountants, manufacturers and just finding people who can wear multiple hats to help us run the day-to-day. The great thing about your hive is that it's not just people who work for your company. As I grew my business, there were so many people who wanted to be part of my hive.

Management and Personnel Highlights

• Key personnel
• Identify key functions required to help achieve vision for business (and timing)
• Emphasize the capacity of your team through a variety of skillsets
• Proficiency & Personality

Capitalization

The next section of your business plan is Capitalization. How are you going to fund this idea, this company, and where will that money go in the future? This is where you want to list what your initial funding will be, whether it's friends and family, angel investors, venture capitalist or your local bank. You also want to set forth the capitalization of the company on a pro forma basis. So how much capital is needed to pursue the next steps of your business strategy and what form of capital is that going to be in? Are you going to have equity based investments, loans, line of credits, etc.? One of the challenges that we had as a small business was that there were opportunities to scale, but we were unable to take advantage of them. When we looked at our capitalization structure, we realized in order to launch into these retailers or in order to go into these states, we needed freight, we needed higher manufacturing abilities, and we didn't have those items at the item. We realized we needed capitalization. We established exactly what sources we were going to get that capital from. Then, we were able to create a convincing pitch and slide deck to attract potential investors. And so that's what led us to going on That led us to Shark Tank in 2016 and landing a deal with Mr. Daymond John. Also in 2018, we got investments from around ten NFL players. Even today, where we are looking to grow the company and get more rounds of funding.

Capitalization Highlights

• Friends and family
• Angel Investors
• Venture Capitalists
• Set forth capitalization of the company on a pro forma basis

Business Strategy

In the business strategy section., you want to list how your business will earn a profit through creating a value for your customers. What are your value propositions? Is it newness? Is it brand, status. reduced cost, convenience, or customization? What needs of your customers? Is your business going to satisfy you?

Channels List your channels. How are you going to reach your customers? Which channels work best and which channels are most affordable? This is very important.

Revenue Streams List your revenue streams. There are multiple types from subscription based to renting or leasing, licensing, advertising, etc. Once you establish those revenue streams, how are you going to price your product or your service? Is it list price, negotiation based, customer dependent, value dependent, etc.?

Business Model What's your business model? How are you planning on making a profit and whom you are trying to sell to: be the be B2B business, B2C business, etc. A great example of how a business strategy was helpful to Me & the Bees was when we were shifting from just being a lemonade stand to actually being a bottled product. A local pizza shop said, “Hey, if you can find a way to bottle your product, we'll carry it.” Now that we had that opportunity, we had to figure out how our business strategy would change. It changed a lot. Instead of trying to target individual customers, we now had to shift our target to retailers in restaurants and cafes to sell the product. And then we also realized that this meant a different pricing model and different channels that we were trying to reach. Thankfully, we had a very clear business strategy section that helped us throughout that transition. Business Strategy Highlights

• Value propositions (ex: newness, brand/status, reduced cost, convenience/usability, customization)
• What customer needs are you satisfying? 
• Which channels work best?
• Which are most affordable?

Revenue Streams

• Types: subscription, renting/leasing, licensing, advertising
• Pricing: list price, customer dependent, negotiation, volume dependent

Business model  (how do you plan on making a profit?)

A tool you can use:  Strategyzer.com

Growth & Goals

The growth and goals section is where you can dream like a kid and can be fearless in the possibilities of where your business can go in the future. How are you going to expand your position? This could be increasing velocity at current locations or selling new products or new variations of your current products. Another example - what promotions, marketing or social media campaigns are you going to do? When I started Me & the Bees, all we offered was one flavor. As we grew, based on the growth and goal section, I decided I wanted different flavors. So we have ginger, prickly pear, and black cherry now. I also established that I wanted different products, such as lip balm, skin care, snacks, etc. After growing the company and after getting that lemonade to a nationally distributed point, I decided I want to start a nonprofit so that I can save the bees through research, education and protection. I wanted to publish a book so that I can help inspire the next generation of changemakers. I also wanted to connect with current changemakers around the world, whether it's in Singapore or Cape Town, and figure out how we can make a difference when it comes to saving pollinators, when it comes to increasing the amount of social businesses in the world, and helping inspire others.

Growth & Goals Section Highlights

• Expand where you are – increase velocity at current locations
• Future Promos, marketing, social media
• Sell current products at new locations
• Offer new variations of current product

A Word of Encouragement for Small Business Owners

Dreaming like a kid is where a lot of the passion and excitement for growing my brand originated from. And that passion made it so much easier to overcome many of the challenges that every small business faces. For example, managing and navigating the COVID 19 pandemic, balancing being a student and being an entrepreneur at the same time, and so much more. And so in general, it was the dream of, “Hey, this is where I want my business to go in the future.” And yes, it was the backbone and foundation of that dream through business plan, but it was also the resiliency and the grit that all entrepreneurs have. And so this quote is one that I came up with during one of those times of challenges. And I think that this is applicable to being a small business owner, so entrepreneur, but also so many other parts of life in general. There's going to be things, there's going to be challenges. But I think the most powerful point is when you actually get back up, when you're able to face those challenges and overcome them and then tell stories about it, inspire others in the future.

“Don't be discouraged by life's little stings, get back up and spread your wings.“

— Mikaila Ulmer, Founder & CEO, Me & the Bees

And I think that this is applicable to being a small business owner, so entrepreneur, but also so many other parts of life in general. There's going to be things, there's going to be challenges. But I think the most powerful point is when you actually get back up, when you're able to face those challenges and overcome them and then tell stories about it, inspire others in the future.

About Mikaila Ulmer

Mikaila Ulmer is founder and CEO of Me & the Bees Lemonade. Using her Great Granny Helen’s flaxseed honey lemonade recipe, Mikaila launched her business in 2009, at a youth entrepreneurial event and then sold her lemonade at a stand in front of her home in Austin, Texas. Today, the award-winning lemonade is buzzing off the shelves at retailers in all 50 states. In 2018, Mikaila launched the Healthy Hive Foundation non-profit where a percentage of net profits from the sale of her lemonade goes to saving the bees. Mikaila’s first book, Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid , was released by Penguin Random House in 2020.

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• Post an idle truck’s availability so Relay can book loads that match the truck and its free time.
• Review available loads on the load board and instantly book work from the selection exclusively available to Amazon Relay drivers.

All of this is highly convenient and provides guaranteed revenue for trucking companies. Individuals can also use Amazon Relay if they are official operators.

Amazon Relay Insurance for Truckers

The following are the minimum amount of insurance your trucking company must purchase to be eligible to join Amazon Relay .

Minimum amounts are only the beginning of what you should consider purchasing. In many cases, it might be appropriate to have significantly higher coverage, and you should discuss your specific needs with a truck insurance specialist at Panorama Northridge, CA.

The Amazon Relay App: What It Does and How It Works

The Amazon Relay app is designed specifically to allow truckers to pick up and unload packages at Amazon warehouses across the country.

Amazon Relay connects millions of truck drivers directly with Amazon, and the idea behind it is to keep cargo moving seamlessly through the amazon network and on to its final destinations as quickly as safely possible.

Truck drivers enter their cargo details into the Relay app, which provides them with a QR code.

This code allows truckers to bypass the clunky step of badging into Amazon facilities manually.

Many Amazon warehouses now sport dedicated Relay lanes that further expedite the process.

Traditionally, the truck delivery process has relied on phone calls and complicated paperwork to move cargo, which leaves it vulnerable to error, and Relay is Amazon’s focused attempt at further automating the process.

It’s estimated that about 80 percent of cargo in this country is moved by truck, which makes trucking a primary industry that employs millions of drivers moving inter and intrastate.

The Amazon Relay program serves as the first point of connection between the supply giant and millions of potential drivers.

Amazon is not shy about its desire to have delivery superpowers, and toward this end, it’s made all the following moves:

• Purchasing thousands of branded tractor-trailers of its own
• Purchasing dozens of cargo planes
• Gaining minority stakes in two cargo airlines in its Prime Air endeavors
• Launching new Amazon delivery services, such as Amazon Flex, Relay, and Prime, that handle its own shipping.

Although Amazon originally turned nearly exclusively to the United States Postal Service to build its impressive empire, it’s taking on more and more of its own delivery, and Amazon Relay is part of the process.

Amazon Relay Application

You can download the Amazon Relay App on Google Play , and on the Apple store .

The steps are really simple and intuitive: after installing it on your mobile device just sign-up and fill up the application form.

Then you will get a confirmation code in your email and you will be all set to pick up loads.

The app comes with all the features you need for a successful load delivery plan, although there are some pointers from real amazon drivers in order to improve your load score.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ⚠️: When you log in and you set up your Relay account make sure you set up a Business Bank Account, if you don’t have a Business Bank Account to your LLC name, you’re gonna run into all kinds of issues getting paid.

How Can Truckers Take the Most Benefit from the App?

Relay offers truckers a range of benefits that include:

• High-quality commercial navigation that is designed for truckers
• Load notifications and load history
• Hassle-free check-in and check-out processes with electronic in-yard instructions that decrease lag time at the gate and in the yard
• The ability to automatically generate a report of delivery disruption to dispatch
• Automatically generated invoices, proof of delivery, and bills of lading

In other words, one of the clearest benefits of Relay is the way it allows smaller business carriers and owner-operators to cut through a lot of the red tape associated with broker transparency regulations and to focus on their bread and butter – picking up and delivering loads.

Additionally, Relay’s dashboard includes performance scores that allow truckers to review their performance across loads in order to continuously improve and have the opportunity to grow (their) business with Amazon .

Relay also allows you to tighten up your financials by providing you with a definitive turnaround day for payment on each successfully delivered load.

In an industry in which this turnaround can become a real financial burden, payments that are paid according to a schedule you can count on can prove invaluable.

Ultimately, Amazon boasts high growth potential, world-class technology, and transparent payments that reduce the work on your end.

Amazon recognizes that, in order to continue supporting its immense business presence and growth, it needs truck drivers – and a lot of them.

The Relay program is in response to this need, and it is designed to be a straightforward platform that allows truckers to optimize their operations by increasing their routes, expanding their overall business, and minimizing empty trips to the degree possible.

Should You Join the Amazon Relay Program?

If you own a box truck or are considering renting one and becoming a trucking company, Amazon Relay makes it easier than it’s ever been before.

And working closely with a seasoned insurance agency that has extensive experience in this arena can play an important role in your success.

One of the primary matters, if you are considering diving into Amazon Relay, is discussing your concerns and options with a dedicated truck insurance provider.

The fact is that the Amazon Relay Insurance Cost of your policy will vary considerably depending on whether you own your rig, have a term lease, or are renting.

Your policy will dictate what you are able to do with your trucking business, which makes it a critical component of your success.

There are several apps that go along with the Relay app and you may use them to help you program the best routes, roads, loads, timing, weather, etc.

• Google Route Planner- a perfect companion for your Relay App among others.

Best Trucks for Amazon Relay

Amazon Relay has specific requirements when it comes to What type of equipment Amazon works with?

The following tractor types qualify for Relay:

• Day cab trucks
• 26-foot box trucks, which must have tuck-under lift gates and interior cargo dimensions of at least 26’x8’x8’
• Sleeper cab trucks

Note : Cannot operate anything smaller than a 24-foot for Amazon Relay.

The following trailer types qualify for Relay:

• 28-foot trailers
• 53-foot dry vans

A Good Time to Deliver

There has likely never been a more lucrative or better time to be in the business of moving cargo in the United States.

The pandemic changed the way we think about shopping at every level – from shopping for daily necessities to big-ticket items like furniture and cars and everything in between.

There’s been a decisive shift toward online shopping. Consider the following statistics shared by CSA : The Business of Retail (reporting on Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index):

• In 2021, parcel volume in the United States grew 6 percent, reaching a record high of 21.5 billion.
• In 2021, carrier revenues were higher than any prior year, weighing in at $188 billion.
• 2021 saw a 16 percent increase in carrier revenues over 2020.
• In 2021, 59 million parcels were generated in the U.S. each day, compared to 56 million in 2020.
• The United States Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS continue to move the lion’s share of parcels throughout the country.
• Carriers identified as other , including Amazon Relay trucks, increased their revenue by 95 percent in 2021.

In other words, it’s a good time to get into the cargo trucking industry, and Amazon Relay may offer you the opportunity to start your own business, be your own boss, and cash in on the parcel delivery explosion.

A Driver Shortage

There is a well-established shortage of truck drivers in the United States , and Amazon is feeling the pinch.

Amazon’s Relay program is its attempt to find and keep well-qualified, safe truckers on its rosters, which puts drivers in a good position to demand better terms and conditions.

Because truckers are in high demand, now is a good time to consider the advantages associated with Amazon Relay.

Convenience 

The Amazon Relay Program offers members considerable convenience that cuts out time spent languishing in lines and allows you to get in, get out and get rolling off the Amazon facility with far greater ease.

Relay supports built-in control for drivers by providing short-term contracts that you can mix and match to your advantage and availability.

Further, if you share when you and your rig are available on the app, Relay will get to work automatically booking loads that work within the criteria you set.

Finally, the Relay load board provides a transparent, overall view of all the details that matter to you as a driver, including:

• A vast array of work across Amazon’s entire freight network
• Clear pricing
• Work that is available with the tap of your app

With the benefits of the Relay program, it is no surprise that many drivers are jumping at the chance to participate.

However, it is critical to have the proper insurance coverage, as an accident without the right coverage can bankrupt you.

Panorama Insurance Can Get You Fully Covered to Drive for Amazon Relay

Panorama Insurance can help you prepare for your Amazon Relay application by getting you the insurance policy coverage you need, regardless of which state you plan to operate in.

We can ensure your policy meets all Amazon requirements and legal obligations.

You focus on the road, and we’ll take care of you. Contact us today to learn more. Call: 818-781-6630.

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Writing an Amazon Plan of Action Appeal (With Examples)

April 26, 2022 By John DiGiacomo

If you are an Amazon seller and your Amazon seller account has been suspended, you need to act quickly and contact us for assistance. Revision Legal has a proven track record of helping our clients. We have experienced Amazon suspension lawyers . Regardless of the reason for the Amazon seller account suspension, the key to a successful Amazon suspension appeal is the “plan of action.” We will walk you through the steps with plan of action appeal examples.

In brief, an Amazon plan of action should have four sections that track what Amazon requires, setting out the information in simple-to-read and simple-to-understand statements. The four sections required are:

• Identification of the issue/problem — this is usually short and is based on the Notice received from Amazon
• Statement of what you have done to investigate the problem
• Statement of what has been done to correct the problem
• Statement of what steps have been taken to avoid the problem in the future

Let’s look at some examples. Assume the problem is that customers have received broken or non-functioning products. As noted, the first section should be short and might be something like this with a heading:

Issue that led to the Amazon suspension:

A customer stated they received the product in a broken state for ASIN [insert code]. Product was purchased and sent pursuant to Listing [insert number].

The next section should address what you have done to investigate the problem. It should also have a heading and it is preferable to bullet-point what has been done to investigate the problem. However, it should be said that, sometimes, a more narrative approach is required depending on the complexity of the problems/issues identified. Either way, this section should be much longer than the first section and should convey to Amazon that you took the issues or problems seriously and actually investigated the issues/problems. The examples below are, of necessity, very general. In a specific Amazon suspension appeal, the statements should provide details specific and relevant to the appeal. In general, these statements should be phrased as past-tense statements. A hypothetical example of the section section might be this:

Actions taken to investigate the issue(s):

• We have contacted the manufacturing company to determine whether the product was broken/nonfunctioning before shipment
• We have reviewed feedback from customers who purchased this and similar products to determine the extent of the problem
• We have checked inventory on hand to determine if those items also are broken/non-functioning

The next section should address what has been done to correct the problem. Again, these should be phrased as past-tense statements. An example of the third section might be this:

Actions you have taken to resolve the issue(s):

• We have made a refund to the customer
• We have closed similar listing until the problems/issues are resolved
• We have requested an inventory quality check from the manufacturer/shipper
• We have confirmed quality control and inventory checks with the manufacturer/shipper

The final section is about what will be done in the future to avoid the problems/issues happening again. These statements should be phrased in future-tense. An example might be:

Actions to be taken to prevent future complaints

• We have changed our requirements and agreements with the manufacturer/shipper
• We will randomly audit shipments and product and thereby increase our quality control protocols
• We have documented this problem/issue for employee training purposes
• We will provide additional employee training directed at preventing future complaints of this kind

Contact Revision Legal For more information, contact the Amazon suspension lawyers at Revision Legal at 231-714-0100. We are lawyers specializing in internet law with proven experience.

Put Revision Legal on your side

Relay: More than a Load Board

This article previously appeared on CDL Life.

What is Amazon Relay?

Amazon Relay is a self-service web portal and mobile app designed for carriers and fleet owners of all sizes to find and book available work. Amazon Relay offers a wide selection of work for your company’s equipment types. Your company can access thousands of loads at any time to fit your schedule, with quick and reliable payment options. Amazon Relay not only offers spot work but also short-term contracts and Auctions are also available to provide more consistent and dependable work for your fleets.

Short-Term Contracts

Short-term contracts are offered in over 60 regions across the United States and allow carriers to lock in rates for power-only blocks spanning one or more weeks in duration. Carriers have the ability to choose between 8-hour, 13-hour, and 37-hour solo driver contracts as well as 119-hour team shifts. Power-only reduces wait times at facilities and reduces overhead trailer maintenance expenses for the carriers by hauling Amazon-owned trailers. Additionally, contracts provide round trips so carriers do not have to book additional work to get drivers home.

“Short-Term Contracts allow consistent work throughout the week for my drivers,” says Dwight Fairchild, owner of Commercial Freight Services, Inc. “By using the driver app, my drivers know exactly where they are going, and I do not have to think about how to get them back home. With short-term contracts I haven’t had to worry about deadhead miles because Relay does the work for you.”

In addition to short-term contracts for dry vans and containers, Relay now has contracts available for box trucks! Box truck carriers have the ability to choose between 8- and 13-hour solo driver contracts that also provide round trips for drivers. Power only and box truck contracts are now available to book through the beginning of 2023.

Carriers use auctions to bid on trailer-required contracts with transparency into the participation criteria, leading bid and auction close timing. Auctions for trailer-required contracts run weekly from Thursday morning to Tuesday morning, Pacific Time.

Adis Danan with JoyRide Logistics likes the simplicity and transparency of auctions. “With auctions you have the ability to be a part of the action during the bidding process,” he said. “When a lane is up for bid, you have the visibility to make an educated decision based on how other carriers are bidding for that lane.”

Trailer-required contracts are available to carriers that meet performance and asset count requirements, as well as attend a short virtual training. Carriers drop their trailers at the designated site location prior to the departure time of the load to ensure their drivers can hook to the loaded trailers and hit the road quickly.

Book and Bid On Contracts with Relay

To join Relay, click here . Carriers with an Amazon Prime account can click “Sign In” and use their Prime account username and password to start the application process. For those who do not have a Prime account, click “Create your Amazon account” to start a Relay application.

Amazon also has a frequently asked questions section regarding all things Relay and more guidance on how to join.

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 .

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Rangers, Mavs broadcaster Diamond Sports readies for vote on bankruptcy plan

The deal, backed by amazon, needs the vote of creditors that would forgive billions of dollars in debt in exchange for an ownership stake..

By Bloomberg Wire

2:25 PM on Apr 17, 2024 CDT

Diamond Sports Group will hold a creditor vote on a bankruptcy-exit plan backed by Amazon.com Inc. while the broadcaster tries to negotiate new television deals with two major U.S. sports leagues.

At a Wednesday court hearing, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez gave Diamond permission to solicit votes for the plan. It’s proposed that senior creditors would forgive billions of dollars of debt in exchange for ownership stakes in the company.

Diamond Sports, under the Bally Sports brand, is the primary broadcaster for the Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers . The broadcast deal with the Rangers expires after the 2024 season.

Related: Diamond Sports reaches agreement for Bally to broadcast Rangers games through 2024

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Creditors have until May 22 to vote. Lopez will take the results into account when he makes a final decision on the plan at a court hearing set for June. Before then, Diamond will try to get new broadcast deals with the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association as well as distribution deals with cable and satellite providers.

Diamond, which shows games in the home markets of dozens of teams, is trying to extend traditional television broadcast deals with the NHL and NBA while it builds a streaming product. The proposal is backed by $115 million from Amazon, which would stream games for which Diamond has locked in digital rights.

Major League Baseball has fought Diamond throughout the broadcaster’s bankruptcy case, questioning the plan and demanding financial details to prove the company can survive once it leaves court protection.

Diamond is set to lose all of its traditional broadcast rights to MLB games after this season, according to court documents. Unless it can convince the NBA and NHL to renew similar deals, the company would also lose professional basketball and hockey games once the teams complete this season.

Falling television ratings have pressured Diamond and other U.S. regional sports networks as audiences move to streaming and cancel cable television service. The company, owned by Sinclair Inc., filed for bankruptcy in 2023 just four years after it was sold by Walt Disney Co. for $9.6 billion.

- Steven Church for Bloomberg

Bloomberg Wire

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Inside Andy Jassy's plan for Amazon in the generative AI era

• This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here .

Happy Friday! Tax day is Monday, but don't sweat it. Here's a rundown on how to file for an extension . We've also got resources on how to do your taxes .

By the way, we're wrapping up voting for the championship matchup in our business, tech, and innovation bracket. You can vote here .

In today's big story, we're looking at Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's letter to shareholders, which details the tech giant's plan in the age of generative AI .

What's on deck:

Markets: These 11 startups are IPO-ready .

Tech: The reviews are in for a hot new wearable AI device , but don't get excited.

Business: Big corporations are gobbling up medical practices .

But first, Amazon, AI, and a letter.

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The big story

Amazon in the ai age.

The generative AI revolution is coming, and Amazon wants in on the ground floor.

Andy Jassy, Amazon's CEO, identified the tech as the company's next big focus in his annual letter to shareholders , writes Business Insider's Ana Altchek.

Jassy described gen AI as Amazon's "next set of primitives," which is corporate jargon for saying Amazon wants companies getting into gen AI to build stuff using their tools.

It's a strategy that's worked well for Amazon in the past. AWS, Amazon's public cloud business that Jassy helped create, has been incredibly profitable and upended how companies think about their tech strategy.

But there's a new kid on the block. The AI cloud includes Nvidia's GPUs and large-language models, which power the AI services and tools that are all the rage now. Meanwhile, the cloud 1.0 business, which AWS has long dominated, is no longer cool .

Jassy's letter details how Amazon plans to reposition itself at the forefront of this new era.

The three-layer approach includes Amazon powering companies that build and train models (Anthropic, Snap), helping companies use these models with their data (Bridgewater Associates, Pfizer), and creating customer-facing AI applications themselves.

It wasn't all AI talk in Jassy's letter.

I asked our resident Amazon expert, Eugene Kim , about what stood out to him beyond the mentions of AI. He highlighted two points:

A lower cost to serve. Jassy emphasized the company would continue to find cheaper ways to deliver items faster. That's a nod to the threat Amazon feels from fast-fashion retailer Shein . It also enables Amazon to increase its market share among customers looking for cheap, daily items that might have previously been costly for Amazon to ship.

Prime Video gets some love. Amazon's streaming business has been on a rocky road recently, with layoffs hitting the unit earlier this year . But Jassy's hopes remain high. He said in the letter he believes Prime Video could "be a large and profitable business on its own."

Exclusive content on the streamer has been a mixed bag . Its latest big bet is " Fallout ," an adaptation of the popular video game set in a post-apocalyptic world. (Hmmm, what a novel concept .) Meanwhile, Prime Video's pursuit of sports remains a question mark .

3 things in markets

These companies will be first in line when the IPO market finally opens up. With the help of Pitchbook data, BI identified 11 startups ready to go public this year. Among those ready for an exit: Databricks, Epic Games, and Zocdoc. Here's who else made the list .

Junior bankers could be the latest casualty of AI. The New York Times reported banks are considering pulling back on hiring new analysts thanks to AI handling a chunk of their workload . But it's not all bad news on the Street, as Morgan Stanley is betting AI can free up advisors' time to be "more human."

The best-case scenario for interest rate cuts is up in smoke. Wall Street strategists are readjusting expectations for when the Fed will lower rates. Expert predictions include only one cut this year and even a rate hike .

3 things in tech

Adam Neumann opens up about Flow, his secretive billion-dollar startup. Neumann wants to turn apartment living into a utopian fantasy. But despite having been in the works for more than a year, little is known about Flow. In an exclusive interview, Neumann spoke to BI about his newest venture.

Humane's AI Pin reviews are decidedly mixed. The pin, which came out yesterday, aspires to one day replace our smartphones. But early users said it's not worth the $699 price tag, and just isn't that good yet .

Meet adtech's rising stars. Digital advertising is facing a wave of new challenges, like the death of third-party cookies. BI identified 33 up-and-coming professionals who are finding solutions and developing new products.

3 things in business

Bon Appétit plans to cut about 25% of its union staff. In 2020, many of the brand's best-known staff left amid a racial reckoning. Now, insiders are worried planned layoffs will undermine the work the outlet has done to get back on track.

Hiring managers share résumé clichés to avoid. Don't just list your responsibilities — instead, highlight the impact you've had at work. And don't use too many buzzwords , like saying that you're "detail-oriented."

Big corporations are quietly taking over your medical practice. Businesses like hospital systems, insurers, and PE firms are gobbling up medical clinics, and some doctors and industry experts say it's ruining healthcare.

In other news

Short-seller sends Globe Life shares plunging 53% as insurance giant calls report 'defamatory,' threatens legal action .

O.J. Simpson dead at 76, family announces .

277,000 student-loan borrowers who have 'paid what they can afford' for at least a decade are getting $7.4 billion in debt wiped out .

Some Amazon employees are complaining about projected pay cuts, internal messages show .

Trump is now out of options to delay Monday's start of jury selection in his hush money trial: legal experts .

O.J. Simpson's TV moment is never going to be replicated .

It looks like In-N-Out Burger really won't come to the East Coast any time soon .

3 top personal trainers explain why they stopped taking pre-workout supplements that boost energy .

Mark Cuban says there is one thing that he wishes Americans understood better about the economy in an election year .

3 takeaways from new data on how much money creators are making in 2024, including why affiliate marketing is having a 'glow up.'

Soccer's biggest league is rolling out AI-powered tech to make crucial calls .

More CEOs expect hybrid work is here to stay .

What's happening today

Today's earnings: JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and other companies are reporting .

Coachella starts today.

The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco , deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb , editor, in New York. Hallam Bullock , senior editor, in London. George Glover , reporter, in London.

Watch: AI expert discusses generative AI: What it means and how it will impact our future

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