Amazon Relay Carrier Requirements: Keeping Your FMCSA Record Ready

What does Amazon Relay require from carriers?

When we checked in October 2026, Amazon Relay's public FAQ listed these minimum requirements. Amazon sets and changes its own rules, so always confirm on relay.amazon.com before you apply.

• A USDOT number with interstate authority active for at least 180 days, and a valid MC number.
• A Carrier entity type, authorized for property and for hire.
• An FMCSA safety rating of Satisfactory, None or Not Rated.
• CSA BASIC percentiles below 60% for Unsafe Driving and HOS Compliance, and below 75% for Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances/Alcohol and Driver Fitness.
• A driver roadside violation rate at or below 35% and a vehicle violation rate at or below 50%.
• Insurance levels it lists for general liability, auto liability with trailer coverage, cargo, workers' compensation and employer liability.

Keeping your authority and insurance active

Everything starts with an active USDOT number and operating authority. FMCSA requires for-hire carriers of general freight in vehicles rated 10,001 lbs or more to keep at least $750,000 in public liability coverage on file (49 CFR 387.9). If your insurer cancels and no new filing replaces it, FMCSA can revoke your authority, and load boards see that right away.

Note that Amazon Relay's own insurance minimums are higher than the federal minimum. Your FMCSA filing and your policy limits are two different things. Make sure both meet what you need.

Keep your MCS-150 current. FMCSA requires an update at least every 24 months, and it can deactivate your USDOT number if you miss it (49 CFR 390.19T). Update it sooner if your address, fleet size or operation changes.

Amazon Relay safety rating: why Conditional is a problem

FMCSA gives a safety rating only after a compliance review. Many carriers have none. Amazon Relay's public list accepts Satisfactory, None or Not Rated. Conditional and Unsatisfactory are not on that list.

A Conditional rating means FMCSA found gaps in your safety controls. An Unsatisfactory rating is worse. A property carrier with a proposed Unsatisfactory rating is barred from operating starting on the 61st day after FMCSA's notice, unless it improves the rating (49 CFR 385.13). If you get a Conditional or proposed Unsatisfactory rating, you can ask FMCSA for an upgrade by showing corrective action (49 CFR 385.17). Acting fast matters.

CSA BASIC alerts and out-of-service rates

Your CSA scores come from roadside inspections and crashes over the past 24 months. FMCSA sorts them into BASICs and compares you with similar carriers. An alert means you are over FMCSA's intervention threshold in that BASIC. Amazon Relay's published limits are lower than FMCSA's general thresholds, so you can meet the federal standard and still miss Relay's.

Inspections also produce out-of-service rates for drivers and vehicles. Shippers and brokers watch these closely. A high vehicle OOS rate usually points to a weak maintenance program. A high driver OOS rate often points to hours-of-service or licensing problems.

• Unsafe Driving and HOS Compliance: speeding, log violations and form-and-manner errors.
• Vehicle Maintenance: lights, brakes and tires found at roadside.
• Driver Fitness: expired medical cards and incomplete licensing.
• Controlled Substances/Alcohol: drug or alcohol use and possession violations found at roadside.

How to fix a CSA score that is too high

Scores drop as old inspections age out and clean ones replace them. There is no shortcut, but there are steps that help:

• Find the violations behind the score. One repeat problem often drives most of it.
• Challenge inspection errors through FMCSA's DataQs system with evidence.
• Do pre-trip inspections that catch lights, tires and brakes before an inspector does.
• Review ELD logs every week and coach drivers on repeat issues.
• Keep DQ files current so medical cards and licenses never lapse on the road.