Clear requirements.No guesswork.

Two profiles qualify, and both of them come back to the same thing: Amazon Relay. A company already running Relay carries the contract itself, which is the most valuable configuration there is. A company past 180 days with continuous insurance is one that can get through Relay onboarding. Everything below is downstream of Amazon’s own published rules, not ours.

Lapsed vs. active insurance

These are two different answers depending on Relay. A carrier that already holds a Relay contract can have lapsed coverage — Amazon blocks booking while insurance is off, but the account isn’t gone, and access resumes once coverage is re-bound at closing. A carrier without Relay needs a policy in force, because the 180-day clock measures continuous coverage and a lapse is exactly what it’s looking for.

The 180-day minimum

Amazon won’t onboard a carrier until the MC authority and the BIPD policy attached to it have been continuously active for at least 180 days. They want a real paper trail: six months of premium payments, six months of FMCSA standing, six months without a gap. A company past that mark is worth materially more than one approaching it, because the waiting is already done and it can’t be shortcut.

Safety rating and violations

FMCSA records get pulled as part of diligence, and minor or resolved violations are usually fine. What isn’t a fit: a Conditional or Unsatisfactory safety rating, authority that has been revoked or is not authorised to operate, and a high out-of-service rate. Amazon screens tighter than the federal thresholds — under 60% on Unsafe Driving and Hours-of-Service, under 75% on Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances and Driver Fitness — plus, since early 2026, a driver violation rate at or under 35% and a vehicle violation rate at or under 50%. A record that clears FMCSA can still fail Relay. If yours is in that territory you’ll hear so the same day rather than being strung along.

Active loans

Outstanding equipment or working-capital loans are not a deal-breaker. Disclose them up front and the payoff is structured at closing — funds wired direct to the lender, remainder to you.