Shared Truckload to Amazon FBA From Miami: One Trailer, Freight by the Pallet

By Bernardo Campelo, Forbes Business Council E-Commerce Leader, Amazon SPN Certified provider, Amazon SP-API authorized partner, and Founder of PrepVia.

As of October 29, 2026, Amazon Freight's own explainer on full truckload shipping draws the line this post is about. Full truckload "dedicates the entire trailer to a single shipment." Shared truckload means "multiple shippers sharing truck space without being offloaded and transferred at terminals." The same page, dated July 10, 2024, says you don't have to fill a trailer to book a full truckload, but you may pay more per unit if the space goes unused, and it suggests looking for ways to "consolidate smaller shipments into a single truckload."

Five to eight pallets are usually too few for a truck of your own and enough that LTL terminals and rehandling start to hurt. Pooling pallets from several shippers on one trailer bound for the same Amazon fulfillment center is the middle path, and Amazon's inbound rules already describe how a trailer carrying several shipments gets labeled, documented and scheduled.

Those rules do not settle who signs as shipper, who holds the bill of lading and who files the claim when a pallet arrives crushed. This guide covers what Amazon and federal law say on each point, and what to ask any 3PL that offers to pool your freight. One scope note: the PrepVia version, Shared FastLane, leaves from Miami and pools pallets going to the same Amazon fulfillment center.

Every date and name below was checked on October 29, 2026 against Amazon Freight, Amazon Seller Central Help, the eCFR, the Federal Register, the U.S. Code, FMCSA and the Florida Statutes, linked where they first appear. Amazon edits its help pages without notice, so recheck a rule before you build a process on it.

Full Truckload, LTL and Shared Truckload, in Amazon Freight's Words

Amazon Freight's explainer lists four ways to put freight on a truck. Full truckload and LTL are the two common ones. Partial truckload and shared truckload sit between them: the page says fewer carriers offer PTL, and that STL is less common than FTL and LTL.

The page frames STL as a hybrid: "similar to FTL in that routes are optimized to avoid terminals and unnecessary stops, but they are also like LTL since cargo from other shippers is in the same trailer." For an FBA inbound, that means the pallet stays on the trailer it was loaded on until the fulfillment center, without the terminal transfers where LTL freight gets handled.

The Amazon Partnered Carrier program is a different mechanism. Its program page says partnered shipments "with more than 12 pallets will be rolled into an FTL shipment." That is one seller's shipment becoming a truckload, covered in Full Truckload Into Amazon From a Prep Center.

The Amazon Rules That Make a Pooled Trailer Work

Amazon's inbound help pages describe no "shared truckload" program, but its rules already assume a trailer can carry more than one shipment.

• One pallet, one shipment ID. Amazon's seller requirements for LTL, FTL and FCL deliveries say: "The units on each pallet must all belong to one shipment ID." Two sellers never share a pallet.
• Labels on four sides. "Wrapped pallets must have FBA pallet labels placed on all four sides on the outside of the stretch wrap." On a trailer with several owners, those labels are how the fulfillment center tells one seller's pallets from the next.
• A complete PO list on or with the BOL. Amazon's carrier requirements say "the carrier must have a complete list of Amazon reference IDs (PO lists), shipment IDs, and tracking or PRO numbers included on or with the delivery manifest or bill of lading (BOL) when shipping with a container load or truckload carrier."
• One appointment per trailer. "Carriers must schedule a single appointment per delivery once the final number of shipments expected on the trailer is determined." The carrier books it in Carrier Central "no less than 24 hours ahead of delivery."
• One trailer per shipment ID. "Each FBA shipment ID is allowed to be sent on a maximum of a single full trailer." A shipment can share a trailer with other shipments; it cannot be spread across two trailers.
• Thirty minutes late is a refusal. "If the carrier misses the scheduled appointment by 30 minutes or more, the freight will be refused at no cost to Amazon." On a pooled load, every seller on the trailer shares that risk.

The carrier cannot request the slot until it knows the final set of shipments on the trailer, and Amazon warns that scheduling multiple appointments for the same delivery "can result in a suspension of shipping privileges." So every shipment on a pooled truck has to be created and confirmed before the load is closed, not added at the dock.

A full truckload also has a seal rule. "Effective September 12, 2024, you must seal full truckload and intermodal shipments with ISO-17712 compliant, Amazon-approved Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) seals at the point of pickup." The seal number goes on the BOL, and drivers can refuse an unsealed trailer.

What Goes on the Bill of Lading

Amazon's seller requirements page says that for each LTL or FTL shipment "you must provide a valid bill of lading (BOL) to the carrier, so it can schedule a delivery appointment," and that BOLs that miss the requirements "will be refused upon delivery." If the carrier does not supply a template, Amazon lists what the BOL must include.

Amazon's checklist says "Seller name" in the singular, written with one seller per shipment in mind. On a trailer with several sellers' shipments, how those fields are filled, and whether one BOL or several cover the load, is decided by whoever books the truck. It is the first question to ask a 3PL.

Two more lines from Amazon are worth keeping. "Include the BOL number on the shipping container or pallet label. This allows for quick freight verification upon delivery to the Amazon fulfillment center." And from the partnered pickup instructions: "Both your warehouse clerk and the driver will sign the bill of lading after they have confirmed that it matches the shipment pallets that were loaded on the truck. Be sure to keep a copy of the signed bill of lading." On a shared trailer, each seller should get the signed BOL for its load. The document trail is covered in BOL, POD and the FBA Paper Trail.

Shipper, Broker, Carrier: Who Is Who on a Pooled Load

The broker. Every Amazon Freight page ends with the same line: "Amazon Freight is offered by Amazon Logistics, Inc., a freight broker licensed under MC826094." Federal rules at 49 CFR Part 371 define a broker as "a person who, for compensation, arranges, or offers to arrange, the transportation of property by an authorized motor carrier." A broker "shall not, directly or indirectly, represent its operations to be that of a carrier," and "each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review the record of the transaction required to be kept by these rules." FMCSA's SAFER snapshot for the same company (USDOT 2881058) also lists motor carrier and freight forwarder authority, so the bill of lading, not the footer, shows which role it plays on a load.

The carrier. The trucking company that hauls the trailer is the motor carrier. Under 49 U.S.C. 14706, the Carmack provision, a carrier "shall issue a receipt or bill of lading for property it receives for transportation," and the carriers involved "are liable to the person entitled to recover under the receipt or bill of lading" for "the actual loss or injury to the property." The carrier name and SCAC on the BOL identify that carrier.

The shipper. On Amazon's partnered program, the role is assigned in writing. The Amazon Partnered Carrier Agreement says that "you will be the shipper of record, and we will be the payer of record," and that "title and risk of loss for any Unit shipped using discounted rates provided by us will remain with you." That agreement covers freight bought at Amazon's partnered rates inside a seller's account. A trailer that a 3PL books for several sellers is a different booking, and the agreement does not say who the shipper is on it. That answer comes from the booking itself and from the BOL.

Courts differ on who is "entitled to recover under the receipt or bill of lading," so find out whose name is on the paper before the truck leaves. How a particular contract or BOL allocates liability is a question for a transportation attorney.

When a Pallet Arrives Damaged: Two Different Claims

A damaged pallet can start two claims: one inside Amazon and one against the trucking company.

The Amazon claim: each seller, each shipment

Amazon's FBA inventory reimbursement policy applies when an item "is lost or damaged at a facility or by a carrier operated by Amazon or on behalf of Amazon." Eligibility includes "You have sent us the exact items and quantities stated in your shipping plan" and "The shipment for the item is not in canceled or deleted status." That scope matters on a shared trailer. Amazon's page does not say whether a truck a 3PL books on Amazon Freight counts as a carrier operated on Amazon's behalf, so ask your 3PL before the load which claim covers damage in transit.

The claim itself runs through the Shipment to Amazon claims page. You can file once the shipment "is shown as eligible for investigation in the Status column on the Contents tab," and "no later than nine months after the verified date of a shipment delivery to an Amazon fulfillment center." The claim asks for the Amazon shipment ID, proof of ownership and proof of delivery. For LTL or FTL, that proof is "a proof of delivery document showing the number of boxes in the shipment and the total weight when it was picked up by the carrier," and "the document must be stamped by Amazon." Amazon adds: "You may file only one claim per shipment. Additional claims for the same shipment will be declined."

Because the claim is tied to a shipment ID, and each pallet on a shared trailer belongs to one shipment ID, each seller files for its own pallets, from its own account. Amazon reimburses "the sourcing cost of the item," which "excludes costs such as shipping, handling, customs duties, or other costs."

The carrier claim: Part 370 and Carmack

The second track is a freight claim. The rules for handling one are at 49 CFR Part 370, which governs claims for property transported "in interstate or foreign commerce, by each motor carrier and freight forwarder (hereinafter called carrier)." Section 370.1 was last amended by a February 19, 2026 rule that removed obsolete references to water carriers, effective March 23, 2026.

Brokers are not named in Part 370. That is why the role sort above matters: a Part 370 claim goes to a carrier. A truck that stays inside one state may fall outside Part 370 and Carmack, and state law can let the bill of lading set a shorter claim window.

• Where to file. With "the receiving or delivering carrier, or carrier issuing the bill of lading," or the carrier "on whose line the alleged loss, damage, injury, or delay occurred."
• What counts as a claim. A written communication that identifies the shipment, asserts liability and asks "for the payment of a specified or determinable amount of money." Damage notes on a delivery receipt, "standing alone," do not count.
• What the carrier owes you. A written acknowledgment "within 30 days," and a payment, decline or firm compromise offer "within 120 days," with a written status update every 60 days after that if the claim is still open.
• Overlapping claims. If a carrier finds that "one or more other carriers has been presented with a similar claim on the same shipment," it "shall notify all claimants of the receipt of conflicting or overlapping claims" and ask each one to substantiate "his/her title to the property involved or his/her right with respect to such claim." When more than one party can claim the same freight, clean pallet-level records decide who can prove what.
• The clock. Under 49 U.S.C. 14706(e), a carrier may not allow "less than 9 months for filing a claim" or "less than 2 years for bringing a civil action." The two years run from the date the carrier gives "written notice that the carrier has disallowed any part of the claim." The filing window itself is set by the bill of lading.

We compared the two tracks for single-seller freight in Partnered Carrier or Own Carrier: The Reimbursement Rule, and the per-pound side of carrier liability in Released Value on LTL.

What to Ask Your 3PL Before Your Pallets Share a Trailer

Ask before you authorize anything.

• Who is named as shipper on the bill of lading? The 3PL, each seller, or another arrangement. Amazon's checklist asks for the seller name and legal name, and Carmack liability runs to the person entitled to recover under the BOL.
• One BOL or several? Every seller's reference IDs and shipment IDs must appear on the trailer's paperwork.
• Who books the truck, and through whose account? Ask whether it is partnered freight in your own workflow or the 3PL's booking, and who the broker and motor carrier are.
• Who files the carrier claim? If a pallet arrives damaged, ask who files the written claim with the carrier and whether you or the 3PL hold the documents it needs.
• Will you get the signed BOL and the Amazon-stamped POD? Your Shipment to Amazon claim needs the POD with the box count and pickup weight. Ask for both the week the load delivers.
• How is the freight split? Per pallet, per client, or another method, and in writing before the truck is booked.
• Will the truck arrive inside your delivery window? Amazon says non-partnered shipments outside their one-week delivery window "may face appointment and receive delays."
• What about cargo insurance? Ask who arranges coverage beyond the carrier's liability.
• Where does the truck go? Amazon assigns the fulfillment center when the placement option is confirmed in Send to Amazon, so a pooled truck only works for shipments placed where it runs. Ask which fulfillment centers the 3PL actually runs.

Where Shared FastLane Fits

Shared FastLane is PrepVia's version of a pooled truck: a full Amazon Freight truckload PrepVia books for several clients going to the same Amazon fulfillment center, with freight split per pallet, per client. It leaves from our dock at 8507 NW 72nd St, Miami, FL 33166.

The rules, including the fulfillment centers served, are in the FastLane terms. The client authorizes the shared truck before the freight arrives: "Client must predefine merge authorization with PrepVia prior to shipment arrival." When merge is authorized, shipments "may be consolidated with other clients shipping to the same FC," and "Freight cost is allocated per pallet, per client." On transit risk, the terms say: "When PrepVia books Amazon Freight on the client's behalf, the shipment is treated as if booked directly by the client," and "Transit risk is governed by Amazon Freight terms and insurance. Additional cargo insurance must be arranged directly with Amazon Freight."

Inventory is prepped in our standard 24-36 hours window, then boxed and palletized to Amazon's rules, one shipment ID per pallet. The shipment is created through Amazon's API and shows in the PrepVia app from check-in to Amazon receiving, with expected versus received units. Discrepancies are reported within 24 hours of arrival, with photos.

"A truck that leaves half empty is a cost someone pays. Shared FastLane puts pallets going to the same Amazon fulfillment center on one Amazon Freight truck and splits the freight per pallet, per client."

Bernardo Campelo, Founder of PrepVia

A prep center receives, preps, palletizes, creates the shipments and loads the trailer. It does not change Amazon's claim rules. Pricing is quoted per account on a free 15-minute call.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a shared truckload into Amazon FBA?

A trailer that carries pallets from several shippers to the same Amazon fulfillment center without being offloaded and transferred at terminals. It is what Amazon Freight's explainer calls shared truckload, or STL, applied to an FBA inbound: routed like a full truckload but carrying other shippers' cargo, like LTL.

Who files the claim if my pallet is damaged on a shared truck?

For the Amazon claim, you do, from your own account, for your own shipment ID, no later than nine months after verified delivery and once per shipment. Amazon's policy covers items lost or damaged at its facilities or by a carrier operated by Amazon or on its behalf, so damage in transit may have to go through the freight claim instead. That claim is separate and goes to the carrier; on an interstate move, 49 CFR Part 370 sets the rules. Ask your 3PL in writing who files it and who holds the bill of lading.

Is Amazon Freight the carrier?

Not necessarily. Amazon Freight states that it is offered by Amazon Logistics, Inc., "a freight broker licensed under MC826094," but FMCSA also lists that company as a motor carrier and freight forwarder. The carrier on your load is the one named on the bill of lading with its SCAC. Part 370's claim rules are written for motor carriers and freight forwarders.

Is a shared truck the same as Amazon Partnered Carrier?

No. Partnered Carrier is freight Amazon books inside one seller's Send to Amazon workflow, with the seller as shipper of record. A pooled trailer a 3PL books for several sellers is a different booking.

Where does Shared FastLane run?

From PrepVia's dock at 8507 NW 72nd St, Miami, FL 33166, to the fulfillment centers set in the FastLane terms, when other clients' pallets are going to the same one. The client authorizes the shared truck before the freight arrives, and freight is allocated per pallet, per client.

Final Take

A shared truckload is a paperwork problem before it is a freight problem. Amazon's rules already allow several shipments on one trailer, as long as each pallet belongs to one shipment ID, every reference ID and shipment ID travels on or with the BOL, and the carrier books one appointment for the load. The part Amazon leaves to you is the roles: who is shipper on the BOL, who the broker and carrier are, and who files which claim.

Settle those in writing before the truck is booked. Your Amazon claim stays yours, within nine months, once per shipment; the carrier claim follows the bill of lading.