Reimagining the way goods move – Uber Freight’s next chapter

By: Lior Ron, CEO, Uber Freight

We’re proud to share a significant milestone in our journey that began last summer when we announced that Uber Freight and Transplace were joining forces to enable a new era of logistics management. Today, the two organizations are officially together under one name, Uber Freight, the logistics platform and partner built to help shippers and carriers stay ahead in a rapidly evolving world.

Logistics is the backbone of the economy. It’s a highly complex ecosystem that inevitably – and for many, behind the scenes – touches nearly every aspect of our lives. It’s the mechanics behind shelves being stocked, online orders arriving on doorsteps a mere days after purchase, and the movement of the goods we rely on day in and day out.

But a changing world has revealed vulnerabilities across our industry. We’re facing a pandemic-driven e-commerce explosion that’s influencing customer expectations around delivery timing, a looming truck driver retirement cliff, and market rate volatility unseen in decades. The fragile systems we rely on to continuously move goods are showing their age. Simply put, the logistics industry was built for a world that we no longer live in.

However, in times of strain and uncertainty come opportunities for reimagination and innovation, and at Uber Freight, we know there’s never been a better opportunity to reimagine how goods move.

Our newly combined organization brings Uber Freight and Transplace products and services together under the new Uber Freight Platform, a first-of-its-kind logistics solution and partner that unlocks unprecedented supply chain reliability, resiliency and optimization. Backed by market-leading technology, our offerings for shippers now span across digital brokerage, transportation management systems, and fully managed transportation and logistics solutions, as well as carrier applications and drop freight programs.

So what does the new Uber Freight look like?

First off, our managed transportation services and digital brokerage solutions will continue to operate separately from one another. As a strategic partner to shippers and carriers of all sizes, we’re committed to complete transparency and accountability when it comes to identifying the best recommendations, options and opportunities for a shipper’s transportation needs, be it a one-time load or a fully managed program.

Our platform is now designed to optimize the operations for shippers of all sizes. You could be a business simply looking to modernize with advanced digital brokerage solutions or instant real-time pricing via an API. Or you’re growing and scaling and require a more comprehensive transportation management system and network view all in one place. And if you’re an enterprise shipper that requires an end-to-end managed program backed by industry-leading domain experts, we have that. Uber Freight empowers you at every stage.

We’re focused on unlocking value and addressing some of the industry’s biggest pain points:

• Transparency is baked into every product and experience from real-time pricing to facility insights and everything in between.
• We break down the complexities and daily challenges that face both shippers and carriers and provide always-on visibility and insights.
• Our technology, including LTL Pooling and Shipper Collaboration, moves goods more sustainably, while also increasing business efficiency and impact.
• We’re building the framework for the future by introducing customers to the industry’s cutting-edge technologies such as autonomous driving solutions.

Our marketplace technology, now behind all of our core logistics solutions offerings for shippers, unlocks deep efficiencies and rich insights across $17 billion of freight under management, as well as access to one of the world’s largest networks of digitally-enabled carriers with 135,000 carriers operating across services throughout North America and Europe, including intermodal, cross border, expedited and more.

I can’t overstate that none of this is possible without the carriers who actually move the goods. We strive to improve the carrier’s quality of life every day with technology. By democratizing access to freight, increasing driver productivity and reducing operating costs, carriers leveraging our technology make every hour on the roads count, plan with flexibility and certainty, and are empowered to succeed.

Today’s news would also not have been possible without all the hard work both teams have done to change the logistics industry as we know it. In combining the best of Uber Freight and Transplace, we bring together the industry’s leading technology, solutions and talent, while empowering employees with the resources to further invest in our customers, our communities and our environment.

Our mission is to reimagine the way goods move to help communities thrive, and today marks the next chapter of an incredible journey for our vision, team and community. We’re excited for the road ahead and look forward to seeing you on it!