As the opportunities and demands of the transportation industry continue to mount, Uber is considering trying its hand at freight and oversized load transportation. It seems logical that a real-time application matching supply and demand would be useful to the industry, however many insist that the complications of large load transports are not as simple as the logistics of hailing a cab. According to John Larkin, an analyst at Stifel Financial Corp., "Underutilized capacity isn’t just 'sitting around' as it is in the automobile world, and each load of freight is a little different than every other load as there are somewhere between 40 and 70 different factors that need to be considered in most truckload brokerage transactions."
Currently, online freight boards such as DAT Solutions connect shippers and carriers and may also provide broker credit scores, days to pay details, fuel tax reporting, mileage and routing information, back-haul links, toll information, rate index and access from virtually any smart phone. Also on the market are Digital Freight Matching (DFM) apps which provide additional services like trip planning, digital document storage and suggestions for loads and routes to maximize profits.
As interest grows around freight matching and freight exchange platforms, Uber seems poised to launch its own brand of freight transport. Still, many believe that Uber should leave it to the experts as placing an app on top of an already complex industry doesn’t address the problem. While it is unclear how the addition of such a platform would affect the industry, it is obvious that many freight shippers and carriers do not welcome the possibility of Uber Freight service. For more details, check out the original article at trucknews.com.