How Amazon protects cargo from fraud and theft across its shipping network

Key takeaways Amazon evaluates carriers using rigorous standards and industry-leading technology. Smart trailer technology tracks cargo in real time and alerts Amazon's security team if freight is tampered with, deviates from a planned route, or is not moving during transit.

Amazon's collaboration with law enforcement has led to the dismantling of criminal networks responsible for tens of millions of dollars in theft. Every day, millions of packages move through Amazon's logistics network in trailers pulled by trucks operated by independent carriers.

Keeping freight secure, and keeping dishonest operators out, requires a comprehensive defense system that addresses identity fraud, physical security, and cargo integrity across the supply chain.

How Amazon prepares delivery drivers for safety and success on the road Drivers go through a 3-day academy to learn how to safely deliver your Amazon packages before they hit the road. Here’s what they learn.

Amazon Relay, our proprietary app for connecting carriers to our freight program to conveniently book and assign work, has strong countermeasures working behind the scenes including daily carrier screening, driver verification, and real-time cargo tracking.

We collaborate with law enforcement to fight fraud and protect customers, selling partners, and the honest carriers that move goods on our behalf.

Fraud and theft in the transportation industry aren't new and are forms of organized retail crime (ORC), which is a distinct threat vector from opportunistic cargo theft, though both exploit supply chain vulnerabilities. ORC is an industry-wide issue facing all retailers and logistics providers.

Bad actors involved in ORC aggressively attempt to exploit any possible gaps in the global retail supply chain, including stealing from manufacturers, cargo carriers, warehouses, and retailers of all sizes.

Bad actors use increasingly sophisticated tactics that evolve constantly—including variants of identity fraud where they disguise themselves under stolen or fabricated identities—to gain access to freight networks. Our proactive and reactive measures are rigorous and continue to advance to stay ahead of these threats.

How does Amazon screen and monitor carriers? Before carriers can haul a single load for Amazon, they go through a comprehensive vetting process with preventive controls that exceed federal requirements. Our Relay program verifies each carrier’s operating authority, ownership, business affiliations, and safety record using multiple cutting-edge technologies.

This sophisticated technology confirms their identities and also extends to the drivers employed by carriers, which confirms their identities through real-time photo checks and driver's license validation to ensure only authorized drivers transport cargo for Amazon. We continuously reevaluate these measures to raise our high bar.

One mechanism in our layered approach to identifying safe carriers is our Violation Rate Metrics (VRM) framework. These measures ensure an additional layer of standards, above and beyond standards set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASIC) measurement system.

BASIC organizes roadside inspection and crash data into seven categories (unsafe driving, crash indicator, hours-of-service compliance, vehicle maintenance, controlled substances/alcohol, hazardous materials compliance, and driver fitness) and ranks carriers by percentile against similarly sized peers.

To complement this operational safety layer, we have a layer of security-specific controls—including identity verification, real-time photo checks, business affiliation analysis, and continuous threat monitoring.

These controls align with industry frameworks like Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) Trucking Security Requirements, which set the global benchmark for cargo protection during transit. Together, these procedural, technical, and physical controls filter risk before it reaches our network.

Specifically, to haul loads for us, carriers and/or their drivers must: Undergo enhanced driver verification, including driver's license validation and real-time photo verification, to confirm that only authorized drivers access facilities and transport cargo Possess an active U. S.

Department of Transportation (DOT) number with interstate authority, active for at least 180 days Maintain FMCSA safety ratings of “Satisfactory” or “None” Meet our performance standards across VRM and BASIC Carry commercial general liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence How does Amazon technology protect freight in transit?

Once a load is on the road, we use real-time tracking, smart trailer technologies, and physical locking and securement mechanisms to maintain chain of custody from pickup to delivery. Telematics signals (GPS and trailer sensor data) are transmitted in real-time to Amazon to follow each load&#x