Load bundles bring new efficiency for carriers on Uber Freight

Over 20% of freight miles are driven with an empty trailer. Deadhead miles penalize carriers twice—once on the cost of fuel and then with time spent not earning on the road. For owner-operators and fleets alike, running empty has always been a frustrating and unavoidable part of the job.

Today, Uber Freight is taking on deadhead in a whole new way. Introducing Uber Freight’s load bundles.

The Uber Freight app now offers carriers the opportunity to book loads and reloads together. This makes it easier for carriers to move from point A to point B and back again as efficiently as possible.

“Load bundles help carriers reduce empty miles, ensure certainty around truck utilization, and ultimately, maximize time earning,” said Lior Ron, Head of Uber Freight. “Uber Freight is uniquely equipped with marketplace expertise and the vast network scale needed to power this kind of smart technology.”

But the benefits don’t stop there. Load bundles will help shippers as well by creating even more reliable capacity. What’s more, fewer deadhead miles will help to reduce GHG emissions.

Minimizing deadhead

Even with advancements in freight technology, many carriers still book loads one at a time. This method is not only time consuming, it severely limits their ability to book reloads in advance. Frequently, this can result in carriers accepting loads requiring significant deadhead miles and time wasted between jobs.

Load bundles, however, replaces this manual process with an easy-to-use automated solution. Available on the Uber Freight app, our technology pairs together loads in real time to create pre-planned schedules that maximize route efficiency and are bookable at the tap of a button.

To simplify the carrier’s workload even more, load bundles are customized based on a number of criteria, including equipment, commodity types, length of haul, and trailer requirements to ensure high quality matches between jobs.

Actual rates vary.

Listening fuels innovation

Uber Freight is on a mission to create a better freight future for all. Load bundles are just another example of how we are putting unparalleled technology into the hands of carriers and shippers.

Our inspiration for bundles came directly from listening to the needs and experiences of carriers, especially small fleets and owner-operators. Their feedback proved that there was still work to be done to reduce empty miles and emissions.

Of course, technology is nothing without expertise to put it into action. Uber Freight leverages the power and resources of Uber, a global logistics leader. Our team of industry-leading software engineers and experienced freight operations work together to deliver results for carriers and shippers everywhere.

Driving change

Load bundles will not only be a positive change for the world of freight, but for the world in general. Deadhead accounts for 20% of miles driven in freight, equating to 1.5% of US greenhouse gases. We believe load bundles will meaningfully reduce empty miles compared to self-planned routes. By minimizing deadhead miles, load bundles will cut down on unnecessary GHG emissions and enable a more sustainable approach to freight.

Uber Freight is one of the fastest-growing logistics companies in U.S. history. To see why more carriers and shippers rely on us every day, visit www.uber.com/freight.