Technology 3 min read

Uber Freight: Why Trucking is Adopting the Uber Model

dennizn / Shutterstock.com

dennizn / Shutterstock.com

Uber has launched a new app for freight trucking services that promises faster pay for drivers and the ability to choose load types.

Beside ridesharing, Uber has been extending its services to include food and product delivery with UberRUSH and UberEATS, business travel (Uber for Business), and the company is also developing autonomous flying cars.

After two billion rides thanks to its “press a button and get a ride” mantra, Uber has turned to the trucking market with its newest Uber Freight app.

Tap a Button and Book a Load with Uber Freight.Click To Tweet

Tap a Button and Book a Load With Uber Freight

As for car transportation or other services, Uber didn’t make any striking breakthrough–the markets were already there. Uber apps shook them up and made rideshare transportation more convenient. The same is true with its latest app designed for freight truck drivers.

Uber has unveiled its new app, called Freight, in a post published last week in Medium entitled, “Leveling the Playing Field for America’s Truck Drivers.”

Freight works in the same way as the traditional ride app and connects carriers and shippers with customers wishing to hire their services for load deliveries. Uber promises fast pay for truck drivers and the ability to choose the type of loads they wish to haul 24/7.

The app eliminates the lengthy process of searching for and booking loads, often with endless back-and-forth negotiations with brokers or customers. Drivers would know in advance the load price and get fee-free payment within seven days instead of waiting between 30 to 90 days.

The Trucking Business in the US

In the post, Uber called trucking one of the most important industries and truckers as being at heart of the US economy.

And the numbers vouch for that. Every single day, truck drivers deliver an average of 250 pounds of goods per each American, which amounts to the astounding total of 14 billion tons of freight hauled every year.

As per the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA.DOT), the efficient movement of freight is the backbone of the American economy, on which relies millions of households and business establishments. In 2013, transportation-related purchases and investments were evaluated at $1.4 trillion, 8.6% of GDP.

With new major companies, such as Uber, Tesla, IBM, and Samsung all getting involved in one way or another, the transportation industry is on the cusp of a deep overhaul. In September 2015, Amazon launched an Uber-inspired delivery service, Flex, which is already present in over 30 cities around the US.

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Zayan Guedim

Trilingual poet, investigative journalist, and novelist. Zed loves tackling the big existential questions and all-things quantum.

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  1. Sergey May 25 at 1:16 pm GMT

    It is a really interesting situation, when Uber comes to a market full of other “ubers for trucking”. Doft, Convoy, Coyote… And the list is mile long. BTW we all remember Cargomatic experience. Uber for trucking became a usual brokerage. Still Uber can become more convenient for the shippers, because they will have no need to handle hundreds of accounts. It would be much easier to send 1 check a week.

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